Teacher Education/Licensure

You are invited to attend an information session.  Information is available at the following link under the “Undergraduate Information Sessions” heading.

If you are interested in initial professional teacher education program (IPTE), you should meet with a CLAS Education Advisor as soon as possible. You can complete your degree, including licensure within a 4-year graduation plan, but only if you declare it early in your college career and meet regularly with your advisors.

Students interested in Teacher Education will major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The State of Colorado does not allow for an undergraduate major in Education. You will complete a major in CLAS and then complete your Initial Professional Teacher Education (IPTE) requirements. You will be working with your CLAS advisor through the application process. For information about the IPTE program, you can look at the Handbook.

Undergraduate licensure programs are available in the following areas:

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

Individually Structured Major: Elementary Education (INST-ELM)

Students interested in being licensed in Elementary Education will complete a BA. Your diploma will indicate BA INST-ELM.

• The degree involves creating a contract with your advisor. Contracts must be submitted to CLAS prior to your completing 1/3 (18-21 credits) of the major.
• The INST-ELM requires 48 credit hours in 3 disciplines, with a minimum of 16 hours of upper divison courses.
• INST-ELM requires completion of classes in 3 disciplines: English, History, and Math/Natural & Physical Sciences.
• Each discipline requires a minimum of 15 credit hours and 3 upper division hours. Six hours of upper division per discipline is preferred.
• Core curriculum classes have been adapted to ensure completion within 120 hours required for graduation. A minimum of 3 courses can be used toward both core and INST-ELM. Please see your advisor for more information.
• You must see your advisor as soon as possible to work on your contract. Do not attempt to do this on your own.

Secondary Education Licensure

• Students interested in teaching at the secondary level must major in English literature, math, history, political science, French, or Spanish. Undergraduate teacher licensure in other disciplines is not available at UCD at this time.
• You will need to see your advisor as soon as possible after declaring a major in a secondary education program.
• Students in a secondary education licensure major will need to work with both a CLAS advisor and an advisor in their major department.

Initial Professional Teacher Education (IPTE)

In order to become a licensed teacher in Colorado you must complete an appropriate academic major (as listed above) and then be admitted into the School of Education (SOE) to complete licensure classes.

You are required to complete IPTE 4910--Education Internship--prior to applying for admission to SOE. Completing this internship requires 150 contact hours in a partner school, to be determined by the School of Education.

• Deadline to initiate your internship assignment is April 15 for Fall semester internships, and November 15 for Spring semester internships. Internships are not available during the summer term.

Students seeking admission to IPTE should contact their CLAS Advisor for application forms and procedures.

Undergraduate Admission for Elementary licensure requires completion of the following:

• Undergraduate general education course work--CORE
• Foreign language proficiency
• CLAS courses required as prerequisites to IPTE admission
• IPTE 4910 internship
• INST-ELM major--minimum 48 hours completed or registered for at the time of application
• 2.75 minimum GPA
• Copy of the completed INST-ELM major.
• Copy of certified or uncertified advising sheet from your CLAS advisor
• Graduation Plan, which includes remaining major courses, CORE requirements and IPTE courses.

Undergraduate admission for Secondary licensure requires completion of the following:

• Undergraduate general education course work--CORE
• Foreign language proficiency
• IPTE 4910 internship
• Completion of all major requirements and/or student is register for the last courses withing the major.
• 2.75 minimum cumulative GPA
• Copy of certified or uncertified advising sheet from your CLAS advisor
• Graduation plan, which include remaining major courses, CORE requirements and IPTE courses.

Completing your Baccalaureate Degree and Colorado Licensure - Graduation

• Meet with your CLAS and School of Education (SOE) advisors the semester before planned graduation
• Apply for graduation through CLAS
• Apply for Colorado licensure through SOE IPTE Advising office, NC 5012
• Complete application for graduation and licensure by the published deadlines.
• Satisfactorily complete final semester of course work for IPTE and major
• INST-ELM majors must complete licensing at the time of graduation in order to graduate with their BA Individually Structured Major-Elementary Education.