Return to: School of Education & Human Development  

Lawrence Street Center, 701
Campus Box 106
P.O. Box 173364
Denver, CO 80217-3364

Telephone: 303-315-6300
Fax: 303-315-6311
E-mail: education@ucdenver.edu
Website:  www.ucdenver.edu/education

Graduate Teacher Education Program Overview

The Graduate Teacher Education program culminates in a Master of Arts in Teaching and an initial teacher license. The program prepares 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 achieve and grow.  We work alongside our P-12 partner educators throughout the CU Denver Professional Development School Network comprised of over 20 urban schools across numerous districts in the Denver metro region. Teacher education students live the life of a teacher for an entire academic year while enrolled in the program through a series of residency internships in a professional development school. Ultimately our goal is that all teacher candidates-whether their emphasis is elementary, secondary, or special education- have the unique knowledge and skills to positively impact urban and diverse schools and act with a sense of urgency to support equity in education for all children. The Graduate Teacher Education Program is a nationally accredited program that exceeds expectations.

Education Pathways

The graduate teacher education program at CU Denver is designed to allow individuals with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree to seek a master’s degree along with an initial Colorado teacher’s license in the following areas:

• Elementary Education (K-6) (54 semester hours)
• Secondary Education (7-12) (39 semester hours)
  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Science (General Science, Biology, Earth Science, Physics, Chemistry)
  • Social Studies
  • World Language (K-12) (Spanish, French)
• Middle School Math (6-8) (39 semester hours)
• Special Education Generalist (Ages 5-21) (54 semester hours)
• Dual General Education/Special Education (63-72 semester hours)

Program Structure

The program admits teacher candidates in cohort groups that begin either in the summer or fall. The cohort model provides a unique learning community for candidates and engenders significant support for success. The program includes full time 1 - 1.5 year licensure plans for regular education and a 1.5 - 2 year full-time option for initial special education and dual special education. Students enroll in course work at the university and clinical internships in one of CU Denver’s professional development schools throughout the program. By enrolling in several courses and internships together, elementary, secondary, and special education teacher candidates are well prepared to support K-12 students with a wide range of diverse needs. 

Clinical Experience in Professional Development Schools

While in the program, teacher candidates intern in a professional development school for an entire academic year, gradually beginning with two days a week early on and increasing over time to five days per week by the end 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. Elementary teacher candidates generally spend an entire academic year in a single partner elementary school, whereas secondary teacher candidates spend their internships in one of the partner middle schools and one of the partner high schools. Special education teacher candidates complete internships at multiple levels, P-12 due to the wide-span of their license that enables them to support students with special needs ages 5-21.  The schools are located in several Denver metropolitan districts serving large populations of low-income and/or minority students, as well as a sizeable number of students for whom English is a second language as well as students with special needs. Each school is supported by a site professor from the university one day per week and by a master teacher, called a site coordinator, who supports teacher candidates through their academic year of internships.

Assessment

Both the coursework and the internship experiences 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 in the Urban Community Teacher Education program must demonstrate proficiency in both the university-based coursework and their internships.

Programs of Study

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.

Requirements for Admission

Admission Deadline: February 15 for summer and April 1 for fall start dates.

Graduate Teacher Education Admission Requirements

Competitive undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 (Students with a lower GPA may be considered under certain conditions. Please see SEHD website.)

• Completion of any outstanding prerequisite content courses that are needed per a transcript evaluation. Consult with your advisor to create a plan for completing these requirements. Submit your unofficial transcript for an evaluation.
• A complete application which can be obtained online at http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/SchoolOfEducation/Apply/Licenses/Pages/GraduateTeacherEducation.aspx which includes transcripts, essays, recommendations, and an interview.
• Attend an admissions interview. All individuals who submit a COMPLETE application will receive an email with the interview invitation that contains all details approximately one week before the scheduled interview. During this group interview, prospective students participate in highly interactive group discussions and activities to further assess each applicant’s readiness as well as aid in internship placement.