College Algebra
Self-paced online College Algebra course (Math 111). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →TexasTeachers
PACT or college hours: getting into a Texas alternative certification programme
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
PACT or college hours in Texas: under 19 TAC 227.10 you can show content knowledge for an educator preparation programme with 12 semester credit hours in the subject (15 for math or science at grade 7 and up) or a passing PACT score. The PACT is quicker if you know the subject; hours suit anyone who needs to learn it.
A simple plan for the next four weeks
Week one: gather every transcript, list each course in the subject with its hours, and email the programme to ask which ones it counts. Week two: read the reply. If you are within one or two courses, pick the courses and ask the programme in writing whether hours posted via a college transcript will count. If you are far short and know the subject well, register for the PACT instead.
Weeks three and four: start the first course or the test preparation. Keep every email from the programme, since admission staff change and a written answer saves you from starting over. When the hours are posted, request an official transcript and send it with your application. If the programme says no to a course, stop and choose the PACT route rather than paying for courses that will not count.
- List subject hours from every transcript
- Ask the programme which count, in writing
- Choose PACT or courses
- Keep every written reply
The two routes in one table
Both routes meet the same rule. Which is better depends on how well you know the subject today.
| Point | PACT | College hours |
|---|---|---|
| What you do | Pass the content certification exam | Finish 12 or 15 semester credit hours in the subject |
| Time | Study plus one test date | Weeks to months, course by course |
| Who it suits | People who already know the subject | Career changers who need to learn it |
| GPA below 2.5 | Required anyway | Does not replace the PACT |
| What you keep | A test score | Hours on a college transcript |
When the PACT is the better choice
If you studied the subject, use it at work, or are short by more than two courses, the PACT is usually faster. TEA's page also makes it the required route when your GPA is below 2.5, and some programmes require it of everyone. You need a bachelor's degree, or to be in its last semester, to register.
When college hours are the better choice
If you are short by one or two courses, or you would be teaching a subject you have not studied in years, hours make sense. They prepare you for the TExES content exam you will take later, and they count for substitute pay tiers in many districts.
- Short by 3 to 6 hours
- Rusty in the subject
- Want the knowledge before the classroom
Math and science at grade 7 and up: the 15-hour case
For math or science at or above grade 7 the rule asks for 15 hours, not 12. For math, a usual set is college algebra, pre-calculus, calculus and statistics; calculus courses carry four credits, so four courses can reach 15. For science, the hours must be in the science you will teach, which the programme judges.
Getting the hours onto a transcript
UPI Study courses carry ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit. They count as hours only once a college reviews them and lists them via a college transcript. TESU, UoPeople and Newlane are partner colleges that consider this kind of credit. Before you take any course, ask your programme in writing whether it will count hours posted that way as content hours.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask the educator preparation programme in writing which of your courses it will count as content hours for your certificate, before you enrol.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
Is the PACT the same as the TExES content exam?
TEA calls the PACT a content certification exam used for admission. You will still take the certification exams your programme sets later. Ask your programme which exam it uses for the PACT route and when.
Can I mix PACT and hours?
The rule lists them as alternatives: hours, or a passing exam score. You meet the content part with one or the other for your certificate. Ask your programme how it records it.
How long does it take to add 12 content hours?
Four three-credit courses. Self-paced learners often finish one course in two to four weeks, so one to three months is common, plus time for a college to post the credit to its transcript.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Pre-Calculus
Self-paced online Pre-Calculus course (MATH 115). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Calculus 1
Self-paced online Calculus 1 course (Math 165). NCCRS recommends 4 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Math and science content courses in one plan.
Sources
- TEA: Pre-Admission Content Test (PACT) (official)An applicant must pass a PACT if the GPA is below 2.5 or if fewer than 12 semester credit hours were completed in the certificate's subject (15 for math or science above 7th grade); PACT registration needs a bachelor's or the last semester of one; EPPs may set local PACT policies. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- SBEC Dec 2025 Item 18: 19 TAC Chapter 227 (current text shown with proposed edits) (official)19 TAC 227.10(a)(4)(A)-(C): 12 semester credit hours in the subject-specific content area, 15 for mathematics or science at or above Grade 7, or a passing content exam score; (a)(2) bachelor's from an accredited IHE for alternative routes; (a)(3) GPA of at least 2.50. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.