Program Details

What Students Learn

Students are passionate about helping future pupils understand the importance of civic participation. This includes voting in public elections, how laws come into being, and how to keep in contact with elected officials.
 
At CU Denver, students learn from internationally recognized faculty members known for innovation and research. Students are surrounded by other committed, innovative, and compassionate students. The program's cohorts crave a deeper level of preparedness—one that will allow them to give their best to every student, every day.
 
Students may be starting college for the first time, transferring from another institution, or returning to the university setting after years away. Regardless, students join a top education school with collaborative teams of dedicated teachers and award-winning faculty who will prepare students for success.
 
In this program students will:

• Learn to plan assessment-informed social studies instruction for educational excellence and equity for all children from diverse racial, ethnic, socio-economic and ability backgrounds.
• Develop deep understanding of the diverse ways young adults learn social studies 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. 
• Gain 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. For more than 25 years, the program has been working with area schools to create a proven residency program that supports students’ development. Students will work with teams of practicing teachers, teacher leaders, and university faculty in the school. Further, because of CU Denver's urban location and partnerships across the state as well as its emphasis on teaching in diverse contexts, graduates are ready to lead and make a difference in any elementary classroom, in any district. Starting in the first year, students are placed in a partner school. In the final year, the experience culminates in a full-time student teaching residency so that students can experience life as a teacher.

Choose CU Denver’s School of Education & Human Development

SEHD attracts students who are passionate about careers in teaching. The program matches their passion with an education that is rooted in diversity, technology, proven approaches, and real-world practice. That’s why 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 say 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 degree, students must meet all requirements in each of the three areas below. Students should declare their intent to pursue a Social Studies license 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