Secondary/K-12 Education
Overview
Metropolitan State University of Denver is currently one of the largest preparatory programs for Secondary and K-12 Education in the United States. Obtaining Secondary licensure enables candidates to teach students in grades seven through twelve in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Obtaining K-12 licensure enables candidates to teach grades K-12 in Art, Modern Language, Music and Physical Education. The secondary licensure endorsement granted by the Colorado Department of Education will read “Secondary” and indicate the subject(s) the recipient is endorsed to teach. The K-12 licensure endorsement will read “K-12” and indicate the subject area endorsement.
At MSU Denver, we offer two different paths toward licensure in Secondary and K-12 Education:
Undergraduate Licensure: Each of the eight content areas has an approved major (or a list of approved majors to choose from, in some cases). Undergraduate students will declare an approved major and complete the necessary coursework for the major and for the licensure program. These courses, along with General Studies, will equal no more than 126 credit hours. Upon successfully completing your major and licensure program, you will earn a bachelor's degree and recommendation to the Colorado Department of Education for licensure, all within the time it takes to complete a four-year degree.
Post-Baccalaureate Licensure: This path is for those who have previously earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and would like to earn their licensure in one of the eight endorsement areas named above. Please be aware that your previous degree should be focused in the content area you wish to teach. Otherwise, you may have to complete the equivalent of a second bachelor’s degree in your content area in order to complete our program and earn a licensure recommendation from MSU Denver. Post-baccalaureate students will complete the necessary content area coursework and the Teacher Licensure coursework required to be recommended for licensure. Upon successful completion of the program(s), you will be awarded a recommendation to the Colorado Department of Education for licensure.
MSU Denver’s Secondary and K-12 Education licensure programs are structured on the premise that future teachers learn best by practicing with feedback and reflection. This further supports one of our departmental goals to “prepare teachers to be decision makers in diverse contexts”. To this end, our licensure programs require three field experiences prior to the final full semester of student teaching. Teacher candidates are placed in middle and high schools in the Denver metro area and are required to practice, plan and teach lessons which correspond with their concurrent methods classes. Professors of the classes observe and give constructive feedback to help the licensure candidates further develop the skills and knowledge needed to become excellent teachers. Licensure candidates are monitored throughout the program to verify that expectations for licensure standards are being achieved.
Undergraduate Students
Secondary Education
We offer four different content area endorsements for Secondary Education (7th through 12th grade). Undergraduate students seeking their first Bachelor's degree must select an appropriate major depending on the content area in which they wish to become licensed to teach.
Please note: Students who are new to MSU Denver beginning Fall 2012 will be under the Fall 2012-2013 catalog. Please be sure to select the appropriate guide in the table below based on your catalog year. If you are uncertain of your catalog year, you can visit the following web page:
Find Your Catalog Year
K-12 Education
We offer four different content area endorsements for K-12 Education (Kindergarten through 12th grade). Undergraduate students seeking their first Bachelor's degree must select an appropriate major depending on the content area in which they wish to become licensed to teach. Please note: K-12 licensure in these areas does not qualify you to teach in a regular K-6 Elementary classroom, only in the content area classroom that you are endorsed to teach.
Please note: Students who are new to MSU Denver beginning Fall 2012 will be under the Fall 2012-2013 catalog. Please be sure to select the appropriate guide in the table below based on your catalog year. If you are uncertain of your catalog year, you can visit the following web page:
Find Your Catalog Year
| Licensure Content Area | 2011-2012 Catalog and Earlier | 2012-2013 Catalog and later |
|---|---|---|
| Art | Art (Transitional through Summer 2012) ( 476 KB) |
(Coming Soon) |
| Foreign Language |
K-12 Advising Guide - Modern Languages (through 2011-2012) ( 183 KB) |
K-12 Advising Guide - Modern Languages (Fall 2012 and later) ( 188 KB) |
| Music | Music Education Major ( 51 KB) |
Music Education Major ( 51 KB) |
| Physical Education |
Human Performance and Sport (Fall 2010 through Summer 2012) ( 116 KB) |
K-12 Advising Guide - Human Performance & Sport (2012 and later) ( 160 KB) |
| Human Performance and Sport (Summer 2010 and earlier) ( 130 KB) |
Post-Baccalaureate Students
Post-baccalaureate students in Secondary and K-12 Education should have a bachelor’s degree in an area related to the content area they wish to teach. Those who do not have a degree in a related area will likely have to complete content courses that may end up being the equivalent to a second degree. For instance, if you intend to be a Secondary English teacher but your previous degree was in Business and you did not take many English courses, you will have to take several English courses to qualify to be an English teacher, in addition to the required Licensure courses through the Teacher Education program.
Post-Baccalaureate Social Studies candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in an area we deem comparable to one of the six majors we offer for undergraduate Social Studies licensure. If your previous degree is not in an appropriate area of Social Studies and approved by a Secondary Education advisor, you will need to declare one of the six acceptable majors for Social Studies students and earn your second Bachelor’s degree to be considered for Secondary Social Studies licensure at MSU Denver.
Post-Baccalaureate K-12 Art students must have a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts to be considered for the K-12 Art Licensure program at MSU Denver. If you do not have a BFA, you will likely need to declare your major in Art Education and earn a second bachelor's degree in Fine Arts to qualify for the Art Licensure program. Please see the Art Education advisor for details (contact info available on the Advising page)
The following program plans are available for Secondary and K-12 Post-Baccalaureate Licensure. Print off your program plan (or pick up a copy from the Teacher Application Center in WC 136) and bring it, along with your college transcripts, to the appropriate content area advisor for evaluation (please see the Post-Baccalaureate section in "Getting Started" for details on transcript evaluation for Secondary and K-12 Licensure):
Secondary Education – Post-Bac. Program Plan - English ( 82 KB)
Secondary Education – Post-Bac. Program Plan - Math ( 85 KB)
Secondary Education – Post-Bac. Program Plan - Science (under construction)
Secondary Education – Post-Bac. Program Plan - Social Studies ( 155 KB)
K-12 Education – Post-Bac. Program Plan – Art ( 100 KB)
K-12 Education – Post-Bac. Program Plan – Modern Language ( 120 KB)
K-12 Education – Post-Bac. Program Plan – Music ( 125 KB) (same as the Advising Guide for undergraduates, see a Music Education advisor for details)
K-12 Education – Post-Bac. Program Plan – Physical Education ( 280 KB) (Effective Fall 2010)
