Post-Baccalaureate Students
Post-Baccalaureate students who are applying to MSU Denver for Teacher Licensure must:
- Apply to the university (check the Admissions page for deadlines and info, apply as "General Teacher Licensure" and not "Non-Degree Seeking")
- Select a Licensure endorsement area
- Consult with the appropriate advisors to determine additional content area coursework needed
- Apply to the Teacher Licensure program by attending an Application Meeting
- Complete all Teacher Licensure course requirements which include Student Teaching
We have post-baccalaureate licensure programs in the following areas:
Early Childhood Education (Pre-K through 3rd Grade)
Elementary Education (K through 6th grade)
Secondary Education (7th through 12th grade: Math, Science, English, and Social Studies)
K-12 Education (Art, Music, Physical Education, Modern Languages – Spanish, French, or German)
Special Education (K-12 Generalist)
Linguistically Diverse Education (K-12 - Added Endorsement Only)
When applying to the university, be sure to select “Licensure - General Teacher Licensure” on the application (please do not select “Non-Degree Seeking”). Once your application has been submitted, have an official transcript mailed to MSU Denver from the institution where you earned your bachelor’s degree. If you have other college transcripts aside from the institution where you earned your degree, you may choose to have those official transcripts sent to MSU Denver as well, although it is not required. Any official transcripts that are received by the university can be accessed directly by the Teacher Application Center.
Early Childhood, Elementary, and Special Education Licensure Candidates:
Post-baccalaureate candidates in these endorsement areas should schedule an appointment with an Education Advisor in the appropriate area of licensure through the Teacher Education front office. The advisor can review your previous transcripts to determine if there are any equivalent courses that can be used toward your licensure sequence. The advisor will also be able to help you plan out your courses and determine what semester you can aim to student teach. This advising should occur each semester you are here to be sure you stay on track.
Secondary and K-12 Education Licensure Candidates:
One of the most important first steps for a Secondary or K-12 licensure student who already has a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university is to have that previous degree evaluated by the experts in the content area in which you wish to teach. A previous degree in your specific content area does not guarantee that you won't have to take more courses in that content area.
To have your degree evaluated, you must first obtain a Program Plan for the appropriate licensure area. If you are going into Secondary English, Secondary Math, K-12 Art, K-12 Music, K-12 Physical Education (Human Performance & Sport), or K-12 Modern Language, you will visit the appropriate content area advisor(s) as listed on the Major and Content Area Advisors for Teacher Education Students (
25 KB) . Bring a copy of your transcripts along so the advisor can sign off on the classes from your degree that satisfy the categorical requirements on the second page/back of the program plan. They will make suggestions on classes to take at MSU Denver that will satisfy any requirements not already met by your degree. Art students who do not already have a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts will likely be required to earn a second degree in Fine Arts to satisfy the requirements for K-12 Art Licensure.
Social Studies licensure candidates must be aware that we require your previous degree to be in an acceptable area of Social Studies. Acceptable majors are those comparable to the six majors we offer for undergraduates who wish to pursue Social Studies licensure here at MSU Denver. See an advisor in Secondary Education to have your previous degree approved. Students who do not have a previous degree in an acceptable area of Social Studies must declare a major in one of the six acceptable majors here at MSU Denver and complete a second bachelor’s degree to qualify for enrollment in the Social Studies Licensure program at MSU Denver. If your previous degree is accepted, the next step is to have the degree evaluated by the designated advisors in each of the offices related to Social Studies. On the second page/back of the Social Studies Post-Bac Program Plan, you will find the office number listed next to the title of each category of Social Studies requirements that you would need to visit to have that requirement signed off. Use this in conjunction with the Major and Content Area Advisors for Education Students guide to make sure you’re seeing the right advisors in these departments.
Science licensure candidates who have a previous Bachelor’s degree should see Dr. Angela Powers in Secondary Education. Dr. Powers can evaluate the Science courses from your previous degree as well as advise you on your Teacher Education course requirements. We do not currently have a Post-Baccalaureate Program Plan for Science, so Dr. Powers will use the undergraduate Advising Guide/Program Plan that relates most to your previous degree (Biology, Chemistry, or Environmental Science) to help you plan and to determine which content area courses in Science you have left to complete.
Once your previous degree has been evaluated and you know which classes you need to take to complete the requirements in your content area, then you should see an advisor in the Teacher Education department. It is important to have your content area advising done first so that the Education advisors have a better picture of when you should start your Education coursework. If you are ready to begin Education coursework the following semester, your next step will be to attend the Teacher Education Application Meeting. Please make sure that you have applied for admission to the university and been accepted before attending this meeting.
