Undergraduate Teacher Licensure

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Undergraduate Teacher Education Program

Please click here to see School of Education & Human Development information.

There are several pathways that CU Denver undergraduates can take to become a licensed teacher in Colorado. The BA major in Education and Human Development (EDHD) is within the School of Education and Human Development (SEHD) and includes three licensure areas - Early Childhood, Elementary Education, and Special Education. In the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences pathway, students major in CLAS and earn their license in the SEHD. Secondary licensure and an Individually Structured Major (ISM) in elementary education are available through this CLAS partnership.

All of our undergraduate programs are dedicated to quality teacher education. To that end, our admission standards are rigorous and there are a number of “gates” that teacher candidates go through to complete licensure. All of our programs are nationally accredited and exceed national expectations.

CU Denver has selective admission standards for entering freshmen, including a 93 institutional index that includes students who are typically in the top third of their class or have a 3.4 GPA or score above a 23 on the ACT or 1100 on the SAT. Students transferring from community colleges must have a minimum of a 2.5 GPA.

All of the teacher licensure pathways prepare educators who are culturally affirming and responsive, collaborate closely with families and communities, and have the knowledge and skills to create engaging, relevant, and rigorous classroom communities where all students can learn, achieve and grow.

High Standards and Ongoing Assessment

The coursework and the internship experiences within each program have been created to align with the Colorado Teacher Quality Standards, as well as frameworks for culturally and linguistically responsive instruction and Universal Design for Learning. Students in all programs engage in a common set of learning opportunities and internship assessments. They also engage in Program Level Assessments at different stages of the program. Colorado mandates that all teacher education programs be “performance based” in order to recommend candidates completing the program for licensure; thus all candidates must demonstrate proficiency in both the university-based coursework and their internships.

Community College Articulation

CU Denver honors the community college articulation agreement to transfer the 60 designated semester hours from the community college to anyone admitted to the teacher licensure program. If the teacher candidate is a transfer student, he/she should work with his/her SEHD or CLAS advisor early and often to ensure that all courses are transferred properly.

SEHD Pathway (Elementary, Early Childhood and Special Education):

The CU Denver bachelor’s degree with a major in Education and Human Development is a four-year, 126-credit-hour, interdisciplinary program with a licensure track in Elementary Education, Early Childhood and Special Education. It focuses on engaging Colorado’s rapidly diversifying student and family population and combines cutting-edge research with real classroom experiences.

The program is offered in a hybrid format with both in-class and online coursework that support the needs of talented students from all backgrounds, including nontraditional and underrepresented students.

Programs of Study

Additional information about the three tracks can be found at the following links:

Early Childhood Education - BA in Education and Human Development

Undergraduate teacher education program in early childhood education

Elementary Education Track - BA in Education and Development

Undergraduate teacher education elementary

Special Education Track - BA in Education and Human Development

Undergraduate teacher education special education

Clinical Experiences in SEHD Pathway

Teacher candidates in the SEHD pathway work alongside community and P-12 partner educators from freshman to senior year. Students complete a community-based field experience block in their freshman year and school-based field experience blocks in years 2 and 3. Each block is carefully coordinated with 1-2 other teacher education courses and a bi-weekly seminar to provide a fully integrated learning experience between theory and practice In their final, professional year they are placed in a full year internship within the CU Denver Professional Development School Network comprised of over 20 urban schools across numerous districts in the Denver metro region. Through these internships teacher education students live the life of a teacher for an entire academic year while enrolled in the program. The internships begin gradually with two days a week early on and increase over time to five days per week by the end of the final semester of the program. University courses are closely integrated with the sequence of clinical internship experiences providing teacher candidates with multiple opportunities to engage in the authentic work of teachers. Teacher candidates co-teach closely with practicing teachers in the school and gradually assume full responsibility for teaching by the end of the program. The schools are located in several Denver metropolitan districts serving large populations of low-income and/or culturally and linguistically diverse students, as well as a sizeable number of students for whom English is a second language and students with special needs. Each school is supported by a team of university and school-based educators who collaboratively support the development of each candidate through weekly coaching feedback and the facilitation of collaborative learning community seminars on-site at the school to integrate theory and practice.

Professional Year Admissions & State Content Exams

After successfully completing the first 3 years of the program, all students must apply for admission into the professional year. Requirements for admission include a 3.0 GPA, positive letters of recommendation, successful evaluations of earlier clinical experiences, completion of appropriate state content exams for teachers, and a successful interview. (Students with a lower GPA may be considered under certain conditions. Please see SEHD website.)

Advising

Students in the EDHD BA have a dedicated team of staff and faculty committed to their success. This includes an academic advisor and teams of faculty who support the different licensure programs.

Due to the complex nature of teacher preparation that is governed by state and national accreditation and legislative mandates that can change from year to year, please see current programs of study in the teacher education handbook.

SEHD accepts applications from incoming freshmen, current students at CU Denver, transfer students from community colleges or four-year institutions, individuals who are working as paraprofessionals, assistant teachers or developmental intervention assistants in early childhood centers or elementary schools and people who are interested in working in community-based organizations serving diverse families.

Email education@ucdenver.edu for more information. We encourage students to take advantage of the scholarships and grants that are available in this major.

CLAS Major Pathway:

The second undergraduate teacher education route at CU Denver is a joint effort between the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the School of Education & Human Development. Through this pathway, students earn a bachelor’s degree through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a teaching license through the School of Education & Human Development.

Please note: The admission into the School of Education & Human Development teacher education program for CLAS majors is a separate process from admission to the university or CLAS majors. See the SEHD website for application deadlines.

CLAS Undergraduate Teacher Education Pathways

Undergraduate teacher candidates can earn a BA and a Colorado provisional teacher’s license in the following areas:

BA-Individually Structured Major Elementary Education Licensure
BA-English Literature Secondary English Licensure
BS-Mathematics Secondary Mathematics Licensure
BA-History Secondary Social Science Licensure
BA-Political Science Secondary Social Science Licensure
BA-Spanish Secondary Spanish Licensure
BA-French Secondary French Licensure

Program Structure

The School of Education & Human Development collaborates closely with faculty and administration in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences to ensure rigorous content preparation in areas of study aligned to the content knowledge necessary for licensed teachers. Students focus primarily on their major in CLAS during the first three years with opportunity to engage in three early education courses and an early semester-long internship in a partner school. If admitted to the final professional year of teacher education, students will then spend two semesters simultaneously enrolled in teacher education coursework specific to their licensure area and a sequence of year-long internships in one of the program’s Professional Development Schools.

Clinical Experiences in CLAS Pathway

CLAS students engage in a full-semester early field experience block, spending one day a week in a metro area partner school in order to gain experience in a diverse classroom working with students with varying cultures, languages, and abilities. This field experience block also includes a coordinated teacher education course and a bi-weekly seminar. In their final, professional year students are placed in a full year internship within the CU Denver Professional Development School Network comprised of over 20 urban schools across numerous districts in the Denver metro region. Through these internships teacher education students live the life of a teacher for an entire academic year while enrolled in the program. The internships begin gradually with two days a week early on and increase over time to five days per week by the end of the final semester of the program. University courses are closely integrated with the sequence of clinical internship experiences providing teacher candidates with multiple opportunities to engage in the authentic work of teachers. Teacher candidates co-teach closely with practicing teachers in the school and gradually assume full responsibility for teaching by the end of the program. The schools are located in several Denver metropolitan districts serving large populations of low-income and/or culturally and linguistically diverse students, as well as a sizeable number of students for whom English is a second language and students with special needs. Each school is supported by a team of university and school-based educators who collaboratively support the development of each candidate through weekly coaching feedback and the facilitation of collaborative learning community seminars on-site at the school to integrate theory and practice.

Professional Year Admissions & State Content Exams

Advising

Undergraduate teacher candidates from CLAS will have a team of individuals who work with them throughout the completion of their bachelor’s degree and teacher licensure. The following are the members of the advising team:

College of Liberal Arts and Science (CLAS) Education Advisor

The CLAS advisor will assist you upon entry to the university though graduation. The CLAS advisor will monitor your progress through the core curriculum, pre-licensure curriculum, eligibility requirements for the licensure program and transfer credits. The CLAS advisor will also approve individually structured major-elementary education contracts for elementary education teacher candidates.

Faculty Advisor

A faculty advisor designated within the academic department works with undergraduate teacher education students pursuing secondary licensure regarding specific requirements within academic major (i.e., English, history, mathematics, Spanish, French, and political science). See the CLAS advisor for specific names and contact information.

School of Education and Human Development (SEHD) Advisor

During the Professional Year, all CLAS teacher candidates will be supported by an SEHD advisor for licensure completion (Lawrence St. Center Bldg., 701; 303-315-6300). The Advisor in SEHD is also available early on to help with questions about program completion, taking the state content exams and other general questions.

CLAS Pathway Undergraduate Academic Planning Sheets

Developed in collaboration with the academic departments and SEHD teacher education program faculty, advisors will work with the teacher candidates on an academic planning sheet. There is little flexibility in the program course requirements as these requirements meet and exceed the Colorado Department of Education’s teacher education professional and content standards.

Programs of Study

Due to the complex nature of state mandated influences on teacher preparation courses and consistently evaluating this program for students, please refer to the most current version of the teacher education program handbook for academic requirements for this program.