Undergraduate K-12 Music Teacher Licensure

This program leads to a Colorado Provisional license in kindergarten through twelfth grade Music Education.  This program is completed in conjunction with the College of Music.  All applicants must be Music Education majors and be recommended to the School of Education by the Music Education Chair.  Music Education students must have a minimum 3.0 Music GPA.

Course Requirements for Secondary Licensure
Undergraduates must satisfy the Music Education Core and emphasis requirements.  The following Program of Studies Checklist shows the required courses for K-12 Music licensure seekers.  Select courses from the checklist in order to satisfy the Core and Education courses most efficiently.

UG Program of Studies Checklist for K-12 Music Teacher Licensure (PDF)

Professional Course Work – UG K-12 Music Teacher Licensure Program
Course work in the K-12 Music Teacher Licensure Program is designed to provide a coherent learning experience that culminates in a successful student teaching semester.

EDUC 3013-3 School and Society. Students take this course prior to admission or in the first semester; it also satisfies the cultural and gender diversity Core requirement.

EDUC 3023-3 Teaching in American Schools. (Pre-requisite: EDUC 3013). Includes up to 5 hours per week of school-based practicum in a diverse school. Focus: Fostering and managing effective classroom learning communities and supporting all learners, including English language learners and students who have special needs.

EDUC 4112-3 Educational Psychology and Adolescent Development.  Students take this course prior to admission or later in the program.

Student Teaching
All licensure candidates who wish to student teach must complete all course requirements and pass a state-approved content area licensure exam prior to the Student Teaching semester.  Click here for more information on licensure exams. 

Admission Criteria

• Minimum 2.75 GPA overall
• At least 56 semester hours completed or in progress
• A minimum of 25 hours of satisfactory, age appropriate youth experience
• Declaration of a state-approved major
• Demonstration of basic skills
• Recommendation from the College of Music Education Chair

• Spring admission:  September 15
• Summer admission: February 1
• Fall admission:  February 1

1. A completed Application for Admission to the Teacher Education Program.
2. Evidence of ability to interact positively and work constructively for a minimum of 25 hours with school-aged children of the appropriate age for the licensure type.  All applicants must submit a Youth Experience Verification Form completed by a supervisor who can verify the amount, level, and kind of interactions performed.
• Acceptable age ranges: K-12 5-18
• Unacceptable experiences:  Peer counseling performed in high school, babysitting or nannying, any experience supervised by a relative or friend, any experience involving your own children, child relatives, or a friend’s children.
• Time limit: 5 years from the application deadline
3. A well-written personal statement that addresses the prompts below.  The statement should be 1,000 words in length, typed, double-spaced, and in a standard size typeface.
• Why you want to become a (level/subject) teacher and why now.
• Description of a powerful learning experience in your life and how it might inform your own teaching in the future.
• Reflection on personal strengths (e.g., intellectual passion, academic abilities, dispositions to work with youth and professional colleagues) and lived experiences that you will build upon to reach and teach all learners.
4. One letter of recommendation from the College of Music Music Education Chair.

• Ed Advise at edadvise@colorado.edu
• Office of Student Services, School of Education, University of Colorado at Boulder, 249 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0249