Initial Teacher Licensure

The School of Education at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU-Boulder) offers several programs leading to initial teacher licensure:

• Undergraduate
• Post-Baccalaureate (Post-BA)
• Master’s Plus (MA Plus) 
• CU Teach  

The CU Teach program is a four-year degree/licensure program that allows students to complete a rigorous education in a mathematics or science major and fulfill the requirements for a Colorado initial teaching license in Secondary Mathematics or Secondary Science. CU Teach courses will be phased in from Fall 2008 to Spring 2012. Freshman starting in Fall of 2008 will be able to complete the full CU Teach program in four years. For current sophomores, juniors, seniors and transfer students who have not taken any education courses, we strongly encourage you to take the CU Teach introductory courses (EDUC 2020: Step 1 and EDUC 2030: Step 2) and to apply to the current Secondary Math and Science Teacher Education Programs. You will receive ongoing advising from CU Teach advisers and can participate in all CU teach courses and other activities as they are phased in.

Letter from the Assistant Dean for Teacher Education
Our teacher education programs are designed to provide qualified and committed students with solid preparation in liberal arts, an academic discipline, and education. The teacher education programs incorporate course work and field experiences designed to prepare students for the increasingly complex demands of teaching in a diverse society. The carefully sequenced methods courses are closely tied to experiences in the field, which provide teaching candidates increasing responsibilities, from working with individual students to handling instruction for a whole classroom during student teaching.  Our programs also incorporate current, research-based approaches to teaching and learning, attention to the needs of diverse learners, a commitment to equity in the schools, and development of professional attitudes and approaches that encourage reflective thinking, effective decision making, and collaboration.  We have built strong partnerships with local schools and teachers in an effort to provide our licensure candidates with high-quality learning opportunities.  Teacher preparation curriculum meets the Colorado Model Content Standards for K-12 Education, Performance-Based Standards for Colorado Teachers, and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education standards.

Program Goals
The goals of the elementary and secondary teacher education programs focus on the preparation of novice teachers in three interdependent areas:

• Knowledge of subject matter and pedagogy,
• Education of students in a diverse society, and
• Professional obligations and dispositions of teachers in a democracy.

To meet these goals teacher education students engage in a planned sequence of courses and accompanying field experiences in community and school sites.

More information on Program Goals