Bachelor of Arts in Education and Human Development, Elementary Education (License)

Program Details

What you'll learn

Are you enthusiastic about positively influencing young lives through teaching elementary school? This four-year, 126-credit hour undergraduate BA program prepares students to apply for a Colorado teaching license in Elementary Education, kindergarten to grade six. The program fully integrates the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education endorsement so that you will graduate with both the elementary teaching license and the added endorsement. We offer you access to top faculty, sustained mentoring and advising, highly focused teaching experience in the schools, and a strong emphasis on equity and social justice and engaging Colorado's rapidly diversifying student and family population.

At the University of Colorado Denver, you'll learn from nationally and internationally recognized faculty members who are known for innovation and research. These are your mentors! You'll be surrounded by other committed, innovative and compassionate students who crave a deeper level of preparedness—one that will allow them to give their best to every student, every day.

You may be starting college for the first time, transferring from another institution, or returning to the university setting after years away. Regardless, you'll join a top education school with collaborative teams of dedicated teachers and award-winning faculty who will prepare you for success in any classroom anywhere.

In this pathway you will:

• Learn to plan assessment-informed instruction for educational excellence and equity for all children from diverse racial, ethnic, language, socio-economic and ability backgrounds.
• Develop deep understanding of the diverse ways children learn and develop within their families and communities and in schools; and gain skills to bring a relevant and engaging curriculum to your standards-based teaching.
• Know the disciplines you will teach—math, literacy, science, social studies- as well as the skills for effective classroom organization and management.

Many schools promise a teacher residency with experiential learning under a teacher mentor. Few can deliver one as well-supported and prepared as ours. For more than 25 years, we have been working closely with area schools to create a proven residency program that supports your development as you work with teams of dedicated practicing teachers, teacher leaders and university faculty in the school. Further, because of our urban location and partnerships in rural Colorado across the state as well as our emphasis on teaching in diverse contexts, our graduates are ready to lead and make a difference in any elementary classroom, in any district. Starting in your first year, you'll be placed in a partner school. In your final year, the experience culminates in a full-time student teaching residency so that you can experience life as a teacher.

Choose CU Denver's School of Education & Human Development

The School of Education & Human Development at the University of Colorado Denver attracts students who are passionate about careers in teaching. We match their passion with an education that is rooted in diversity, technology, proven approaches and real-world practice. That's why our graduates are prepared to make immediate and life-long impacts on people, communities and the world.

Employers understand that CU Denver graduates bring extreme value to their teams. Human resource directors, principals and superintendents tell us that CU Denver candidates enter their first year of teaching with the knowledge, skills and confidence of second- and third-year teachers.

Curriculum

To earn this 126 credit hour BA in Education and Human Development with a teaching license in Elementary Education and endorsement in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the three areas below. Students should declare their intent to pursue Elementary Education with their academic advisor as early as possible to avoid taking classes that do not count toward the degree or licensure.

• CU Denver General Graduation Requirements
• CU Denver Core Curriculum
• School of Education and Human Development Graduation Requirements