Undergraduate Teacher Licensure
Colorado College DOES offer the opportunity to be licensed at the undergraduate level! Licensure is offered in elementary education (K-6), K-12 art, music and world languages and secondary (6-12) English, math, science and social studies.
If you plan to teach elementary school, you may major in any liberal arts discipline. If you plan to pursue licensure at the K-12 or secondary level, you must major in the content area you plan to teach. You will also need to complete education coursework listed below.
To allow students extra time to meet the demands of their major and the teacher licensure program, there is the "9th" semester option, in which students complete their 4 blocks of student teaching after they graduate with their bachelor's degree. This "9th" semester is at a significantly reduced tuition rate. Additionally, students may wish to pursue licensure through the Master of Arts in Teaching program (see graduate programs).
Teacher Education Courses Required for Licensure
- ED101 Introduction to K-12 Classroom Culture
- ED110 Linking Literacy, Language, and Linguistics (required for Elementary Licensure)
- ED310 Integrative STEM Education: Promoting Inclusion, Equity and Social Transformation or equivalent (required for Elementary Licensure and Secondary Science or Math)
- One of the following:
- ED200 Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners
- ED205 Disability and Society
- ED210 Power of the Arts in Education
- ED211 Critical Perspectives on the US Educational System: 19th Century - Present
- ED213 Engaging the Learner
- ED218 Globalization in Education
- ED225 Foundations of Environmental and Sustainability Education
- One of the following:
- ED235 Critical Multicultural Education
- ED255 Urban Education
- ED250 Topics: Rural Education
- ED320 Diversity and Equity in Education
- ED311 Educational Psychology
- ED477 Culturally Sustaining Teaching and Disciplinary Literacy Methods
- ED478 Advanced Methods: Critical Pedagogies in Literacy, Curriculum and Instruction (offered in blocks 1 and 2 only)
- ED466 Data Driven Instruction for Diverse Learners in the 21st Century
- ED479 Teacher Candidate Practicum (Blocks 3-5 unless in 9th semester, then blocks 1-4)
Teacher Education Admission Requirements. In order to apply for the undergraduate program, you need to have the following:
*Observation and successful participation in local public schools--60 classroom hours
*Endorsement/recommendation from classroom teachers with whom you worked
*Endorsement/recommendation from your department chair or advisor in your major
*A recommended cumulative GPA of 2.7 and 3.0 in your major
*Completion of content area coursework (consult with Director of Teacher Education Program)
*PRAXIS II or PLACE exam in your content area (see Content Testing Requirements)
Contact Debra Yazulla Mortenson at the earliest possible date after entering CC in order to receive information about admission prerequisites (admission to CC does not guarantee admission to the teacher education program), licensure procedures/requirements and the application process.
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education Endorsement
The Education Department at Colorado College has been approved by the Colorado Department of Education and recommended by the Colorado Department of Higher Education to offer the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education endorsement. The endorsement is offered in response to the critical need for Colorado K-12 educators to be effectively prepared to teach all learners. The endorsement was a natural fit as Colorado College's teacher preparation curriculum is built around culturally sustaining pedagogy. Equitable access to learning and authentic multicultural education is emphasized in all coursework. Interested students should contact Debra Yazulla Mortenson, Director of Teacher Educator Programs.
In compliance with Title II of the Higher Education Act, the following data for 2021-22 (the most recent reporting year) is provided: 13 students were enrolled, and 10 of those students completed the teacher preparation program. There were 5 full-time faculty members, and there were 5 supervising faculty for the teacher preparation program. Students participate in supervised student teaching for an average of 40 hours/week for a total of 16 weeks. The pass rate of teacher education students on the PRAXIS II content exam was 100 percent.