2025-2026 Academic Catalog

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Undergraduate Teacher Licensure

Introduction

Please click here to see School of Education & Human Development information.

The Education and Human Development major focuses on engaging Colorado's rapidly diversifying student and family population. Recognized nationally and regionally, it combines cutting-edge research with real classroom experiences. You'll learn from innovative faculty members who are locally, nationally and internationally recognized for their research in elementary education. They will provide you with a robust knowledge base and relevant learning experiences in children's thinking, culturally responsive education, and supporting multilingual learners, as well as technology as it relates to teaching children PK-12th grade. You'll engage in powerful classroom experiences and benefit from our rich 30-year history of partnerships with local schools and districts. All of the teacher licensure pathways prepare 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 learn, achieve and grow.  

The CU Denver bachelor's degree with a major in Education and Human Development is a four-year, 126-credit-hour, interdisciplinary program with multiple licensure tracks as described below.  The program utilizes a boundaryless approach to offer all courses and internships with in-class, online, and remote options.  High touch advising and wrap-around resources are provided within the SEHD to support the needs of talented students from all backgrounds, including nontraditional and underrepresented students.

Education and Human Development (EDHD) Major Pathways:

There are many pathways that CU Denver undergraduates can take to become a licensed teacher in Colorado. The BA major in Education and Human Development (EDHD) is within the School of Education and Human Development (SEHD) and includes licensure in the following areas:

In addition to the varying licensure options above, we also have unique "grow-your-own" and job-embedded pathways to support students to become teachers in their local communities.  These include:

  • NxtGEN-- supports students to be hired as part-time para-educator interns (PEIs) in several of SEHD's schools they partner closely with in Denver Public Schools and St. Vrain Valley School District.  Students are able to use their paid PEI position to meet clinical field experience requirements in the program.  NxtGEN students also collaborate closely with one another through specialized cohort events.  NxtGEN students can pursue licensure in any of the above teacher licensure options.
  • P-TAP-- the Paraprofessional to Teacher Apprenticeship Pathway is designed for already working para-professionals in schools anywhere in the state of Colorado.  Open to students seeking licensure in Elementary, Special Education or Early Childhood Education, P-TAP students utilize their para-professional position as long as it is connected to direct instructional support of P-12 students to meet clinical field experience requirements in the program.  P-TAP Fellows, as they are known, also collaborate closely with one another through specialized cohort events.  P-TAP Fellows also are required to take EDHD 1000: P-TAP Introductory Seminar (1 ch) the first semester they are involved in the program.  
  • T-PREP- The Partnership for Rural Educator Preparation is a unique collaboration with four rural Colorado Community Colleges that enable students living in the rural communities served by those community colleges to stay in their community and complete their EDHD bachelor's degree and teacher licensure.  Students complete the first 2 years of the degree at the community college and the last 2 years at CU Denver, with some courses offered locally in person, some online, and some remotely.  All clinical experiences are completed in local rural school districts in the area.  The program is also designed to support working para-professionals as well.  Below are the licensure options available in the T-PREP pathway at each partnering community college:

T-PREP @ Otero College:

T-PREP @ Trinidad State College:

T-PREP @ Northeastern Junior College:

T-PREP @ Lamar Community College

  • College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) Pathways: Students in CLAS pathways major in CLAS and earn their secondary teaching license in the SEHD. Further information about the CLAS pathway licensure options are described below.

High Standards and Ongoing Assessment

The coursework and the internship experiences within each program 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. Colorado mandates that all teacher education programs be "performance-based" in order to recommend candidates completing the program for licensure; thus all candidates must demonstrate proficiency in both the university-based coursework and their internships. Students must also demonstrate state required content competencies by either passing state content exams prior to their final semester in the program or completing the Colorado Department of Education Multiple Measures process.  

Community College Articulation

CU Denver honors the Colorado Community College statewide articulation transfer agreement in elementary and early childhood education to transfer the 60 designated semester hours from the community college to anyone admitted to the teacher licensure program. Students should make sure they are following the appropriate articulation agreement and should work with their SEHD or CLAS advisor early and often to ensure that all courses are transferred properly.

Programs of Study

Additional information about the licensure tracks can be found on the SEHD website.

Required Clinical Experiences 

Teacher candidates work alongside community and P-12 partner educators from freshman to senior year. Students complete a community-based field experience block in their freshman year and school-based field experience blocks in years 2 and 3. Each block is carefully coordinated with 1-2 other teacher education courses and a bi-weekly seminar to provide a fully integrated learning experience between theory and practice. In the final, professional year, students complete a series of three internships where teacher education students live the life of a teacher for an entire academic year while enrolled in the program. The internships begin gradually with two days a week early on and increase over time to five days per week by the end of the final semester 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. SEHD is nationally recognized for their in-depth school partnership models.  Candidates are matched to one of our partner schools located in several Denver metropolitan districts serving populations of low-income and culturally and linguistically diverse students. T-PREP pathway students are matched to partner schools in their local rural community.  We work with P-TAP students and their school leaders to ensure their paraprofessional position meets the requirements for clinical experience. Teacher candidates are supported by a team of university and school-based educators who collaboratively support their development ongoing coaching feedback and the facilitation of collaborative learning community seminars to integrate theory and practice.

Professional Year Admissions

After successfully completing all other Core, major, and elective requirements, all students must apply for admission into the Professional Year. Requirements for admission include a 3.0 GPA, positive letters of recommendation, successful evaluations of earlier clinical experiences, well articulated essays, and a successful interview. (Students with a 2.75-2.99 GPA may be considered under certain conditions. Please see SEHD website.)

Advising

Students in the SEHD have a dedicated team of staff and faculty committed to their success. This includes an academic advisor and teams of faculty who support the different licensure programs.

The SEHD accepts applications from incoming freshmen, current students at CU Denver, transfer students from community colleges or four-year institutions, individuals who are working as paraprofessionals, assistant teachers or developmental intervention assistants in early childhood centers or elementary schools and people who are interested in working in community-based organizations serving diverse families.

Email education@ucdenver.edu for more information. We encourage students to take advantage of the scholarships and grants that are available in this major.

CLAS Major Pathways:

Students majoring in certain College of Liberal Arts & Sciences majors may also pursue secondary teacher licensure in collaboration with the  School of Education & Human Development. Through this pathway, students earn a bachelor's degree through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a teaching license through the School of Education & Human Development.

Please note: The admission into the School of Education & Human Development teacher education program for CLAS majors is a separate process from admission to the university or CLAS majors. See the SEHD website for application deadlines.

CLAS Undergraduate Teacher Education Pathways

The table below lists the CLAS bachelor's degrees and associated licensure areas available to CU Denver undergraduate students pursuing secondary education licensure.

CLAS Bachelor's Degree Colorado Teaching License
BA in English Secondary English Language Arts (grades 7-12)
BA in History Secondary Social Studies (grades 7-12)
BA in Political Science Secondary Social Studies (grades 7-12)
BA in Spanish World Languages - Spanish (grades K-12)

Program Structure

The School of Education & Human Development collaborates closely with faculty and administration in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences to ensure rigorous content preparation in areas of study aligned to the content knowledge necessary for licensed teachers. Students focus primarily on their major in CLAS during the first three years with the opportunity to engage in four early education courses and a semester-long internship in a partner school. If admitted to the final professional year of teacher education, students will then spend two semesters simultaneously enrolled in teacher education coursework specific to their licensure area and a sequence of year-long internships in one of the program's Professional Development Schools.   

Clinical Experiences in CLAS Pathway

CLAS students engage in a full-semester early field experience block, spending one day a week in a metro area partner school in order to gain experience in a diverse classroom working with students with varying cultures, languages, and abilities. This field experience block also includes a coordinated teacher education course and a bi-weekly seminar. In their final, professional year students are placed in a full year internship within the CU Denver Professional Development School Network comprised of over 20 schools across numerous districts in the Denver metro region. Through these internships, teacher education students live the life of a teacher for an entire academic year while enrolled in the program. The internships begin gradually with two days a week early on and increase over time to five days per week by the end of the final semester 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. The schools are located in several Denver metropolitan districts serving large populations of low-income and/or culturally and linguistically diverse students, as well as a sizeable number of students for whom English is a second language and students with special needs. Each school is supported by a team of university and school-based educators who collaboratively support the development of each candidate through weekly coaching feedback and the facilitation of collaborative learning community seminars on-site at the school to integrate theory and practice.

Professional Year Admissions

After successfully completing the first 3 years of the program, all students must apply for admission into the professional year. Requirements for admission include a 3.0 GPA, positive letters of recommendation, successful evaluations of earlier clinical experiences, and a successful interview. (Students with a lower GPA may be considered under certain conditions. Please see SEHD website.)

Advising

Undergraduate teacher candidates from CLAS will have a team of individuals who work with them throughout the completion of their bachelor's degree and teacher licensure. The following are the members of the advising team:

College of Liberal Arts and Science (CLAS) Education Advisor

The CLAS advisor will assist you upon entry to the university through graduation. The CLAS advisor will monitor your progress through the core curriculum, pre-licensure curriculum, eligibility requirements for the licensure program and transfer credits.

Major/Faculty Advisor

A major/faculty advisor designated within the academic department works with undergraduate teacher education students pursuing secondary licensure regarding specific requirements within their academic major (i.e., English, history, mathematics, Spanish, French, and political science). See the CLAS advisor for specific names and contact information.

School of Education and Human Development (SEHD) Advisor

During the Professional Year, all CLAS teacher candidates will be supported by an SEHD advisor to ensure licensure completion (Lawrence St. Center Bldg., 701; 303-315-6300). The Advisor in SEHD is also available early on to help with questions about program completion, taking the state content exams and other general questions.

CLAS Pathway Undergraduate Academic Planning Sheets

Developed in collaboration with the academic departments and SEHD teacher education program faculty, advisors will work with the teacher candidates on an academic planning sheet. There is little flexibility in the program course requirements as these requirements meet and exceed the Colorado Department of Education's teacher education professional and content standards.

Programs of Study

Due to the complex nature of state mandated influences on teacher preparation courses and consistently evaluating this program for students, please refer to the most current version of the teacher education program handbook for academic requirements for this program.