Teacher Leadership: Frequently Asked Questions

Enrollment is currently open.  Sign up today and start your classwork immediately! The two-credit asynchronous course sessions are self-paced and must be completed within a six month period. These classes must be completed two weeks before beginning a synchronous real-time capstone in the summer.

Enroll Now

Students who intend to pursue a MA degree must do the following when filling out a course enrollment form: 

1. Declare their intent at any point before their third certificate; a degree will not be conferred until a student has been formally admitted. 

   • Submit a one page statement of purpose (reviewed by the School of Education for advising purposes). 

2. Submit an official transcript which shows an awarded bachelor’s degree.

3. Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 across courses previously taken as a non-degree student in this program, if applicable.

Tell us why you want to pursue this degree in a one-page statement: what interests you, excites you, makes you curious about this degree possibility and/or any of the particular certifications? What is your background in the field of education and where do you teach? What are your goals for utilizing the leadership skills you will garner from these certificates? How would you like to create change within your school or community?

Students do not have to formally apply for a certificate and the certificate conferral will happen once the required courses are completed with a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

• The requirement to apply for a master’s degree is a completed bachelor’s degree. When you submit your application, you will be asked to provide official transcripts from the institution where you earned your degree. The requirements to earn a master's in the Teacher Leadership program is a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all courses.

• You do not need to enroll or apply for any certificate. Please register for classes in the particular certificate that you would like to pursue and a certificate will be conferred once you have completed the required 4 courses with a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

A certificate will take at least one year to complete because the final course of any certificate (capstone) is only offered during the summer.

Because the MA degree consists of three stackable certificates, it will take a minimum of one year to complete. You have a maximum of six years to complete the degree program.

We suggest that you are a practicing educator with a previously established educational site. If you are a teacher and are currently not teaching, but feel you have substantial experience to draw on, this may also work. You can make this program work with a range of field sites, from active classroom settings to after school program field sites.  You need to have quality time “in the field” or material you can draw on related to teaching experience.

1. You will receive an email from the Office of the Registrar when we finish processing your enrollment. If you applied to the MA degree, congratulations! It may take 2-4 weeks to verify your transcript and be officially admitted into the MA program. In the meantime, go ahead and get started on your classes! 

2. You will receive an email from the Office of Information Technology (OIT) with instructions to activate your IdentiKey. Your IdentiKey is your CU login name and a unique password set by you. This account allows you to access your courses and other online resources, including your colorado.edu email account. If you don't see this message in your personal email inbox within 24 hours, check your spam or bulk email folders. If you still don't see it, contact oithelp@colorado.edu. 

3. After activating your IdentiKey, log into Canvas at canvas.colorado.edu and complete the Teacher Leadership Program’s Orientation Course. Though you are not required to complete any portion of the onboarding before you begin the course, we strongly encourage you to review this space to see what sorts of resources are available to you.   

4. You will receive an email notification about your bill in your colorado.edu inbox. Bills are sent mid-month and payment is due on the 5th of the following month. You may also log in to Buff Portal and check your balance due at any time. Visit the Bursar's Office website for more information about your bill and how to pay. 

Your self-paced course sessions are available as soon as you get your enrollment confirmation email. You will be required to set up your IdentiKey and Canvas access before starting your first course.

Once you submit your application, please submit an official transcript to verify your bachelor’s degree. Visit Submit Official Transcripts for instructions. It may take 2-4 weeks to verify your transcript and be officially admitted into the MA program. In the meantime, go ahead and get started on your classes!

The MA in Teacher Leadership program tuition has been designed to be affordable for working teachers. Tuition per credit hour is differentiated for courses, certificates and the degree based on Colorado resident/non-resident status.

Our program offers a simple pay-as-you-go model, and the current tuition rates are $486 per credit hour for Colorado residents and $519 per credit hour for non-resident, out-of-state students*. Each certificate consists of 10 credits, which brings the certificate tuition total to $4,860 for residents and $5,190 for non-residents.

Though this program is not currently eligible for U.S. federal financial aid, private lenders are available if you are interested in taking one course, earning a certificate, or pursuing the degree. Visit the Office of Financial Aid for information on private loans and find a private lender at the CU Boulder FastChoice website.  

Are you a rural teacher in Colorado? You might qualify for the Rural Inservice Educator Stipend through the Colorado Center for Rural Education. Find out more about the stipend at the Colorado Center for Rural Education website. Applications are due on Feb. 28 or Aug. 31.

Tuition 2020-21

Credit Hours	In-State	Out-of-State
1	$486	$519
10 (one certificate)	$4,860	$5,190
30 (entire degree)	$14,580	$15,570

*Select campus fees shall be charged for this program. Students may be charged on an at-cost basis for such items as credit card fees. Please refer to the Bursar’s Office website for student fees.

Please refer to the Bursar’s Office website for additional student fees. All readings for the classes will be included and will not require additional purchases.

You will receive an email notification about your bill in your colorado.edu inbox. Bills are sent mid-month and payment is due on the 5th of the following month. You may also log in to Buff Portal and check your balance due at any time. Visit the Bursar's Office website for more information about your bill and how to pay.

Though this program is not currently eligible for U.S. federal financial aid, private lenders are available if you are interested in taking one course, earning a certificate, or pursuing the degree. Visit the Office of Financial Aid for information on private loans and find a private lender at the CU Boulder FastChoice website.  

Are you a rural teacher in Colorado? You might qualify for the Rural Inservice Educator Stipend through the Colorado Center for Rural Education. Find out more about the stipend at the Colorado Center for Rural Education website. Applications are due on Feb. 28 or Aug. 31.

There are currently no scholarships available through CU Boulder. However, we recommend that you reach out to your school district for professional development assistance.

Yes, third-party sponsorships are allowed and they can see instructions here.

Self-paced course sessions are on-demand, flexible courses hosted on our Canvas platform. You can start them as soon as you enroll but they must be completed within a six month period. The first three courses of each certificate are in self-paced formats.

The last course for all certificates is a real-time capstone course that brings together all the content and curriculum. This course runs as an online 3-week intensive after academic school years end in June/July. There will be a set time and you will take classes together with your instructor and classmates. The classes will run for four hours a day, Monday to Friday, for three weeks. Don’t worry though! The four hours of screen time will be broken up with independent and group time, mixed with a range of class activities. We will likely use Zoom as a platform to host synchronous capstones.

Currently, we are offering four graduate certificates in teacher leadership: 

• Teacher and Social and Emotional Learning

• Teaching Culturally/Linguistically Diverse Students

• Leading for Change in Science Assessment Practice

• Cultivating Compassion and Dignity in Ourselves and Our School

Other graduate certificates in development and aiming to launch between Fall 2021-2022 include:

• Designing for Learning: Inquiry-Based Pedagogy for K-12 Educators

• Reaching ALL Learners: Best Practices for Differentiation 

• Teachers Leading Change

Explore Certificates

Your self-paced course sessions are available after your enrollment confirmation. You will be required to set up your IdentiKey and Canvas access before starting your first course.

The two-credit self-paced course sessions must be completed within a six month period. These classes must be completed two weeks before beginning a real-time capstone in the summer. We approximate that each two-credit course might take about 10 weeks to complete depending on how much time you allot weekly. The first three courses of every certificate must be completed two weeks before beginning a real-time capstone in the summer.

The last course for all certificates is a real-time capstone course that brings together all the content and curriculum. This course runs as a 3-week intensive after academic school years end in June/July.

Yes. The first three courses of every certificate are self-paced and on-demand. Course four, the summer capstone, will be held at the end of the school year, usually in June/July, for three-week course intensives online. Capstones will be real-time courses, meaning that they are live via a web streaming platform, such as Zoom.

Yes, but note that both courses will factor into your cumulative GPA. If you are enrolled in the MA program, you may take a course with the grade replacement option.

You may enroll in as many classes across certificates as you can handle. However, each course in every certificate must be taken in sequential order.

Students who successfully completed the MA in Teacher Leadership degree will be invited to campus for graduation.