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New Incoming Students
Incoming first year students can now apply directly to our teacher licensure program! Learn about the application process.
Undergraduate application (for current CU Boulder students)
To be considered for admission, applicants must meet the following:
- Minimum 2.75 GPA overall
- Minimum 2.75 Content GPA (secondary only)
- At least 26 semester hours of college coursework completed or in progress
- A completed program application with all required documents, including documentation of 25 hours of youth experience.
For more information about courses and program requirements, .
Interested in the Middle School Mathematics Licensure Program? For more information about sample courses, visit the School of Education website.
We are excited that you are ready to pursue a career in education! Admission to the teacher education program is competitive; satisfying the minimum criteria does not guarantee acceptance. Please also note that some requirements will take longer than others to complete. All applicants should plan accordingly.
You will need to submit:
- The , available online through the School of Education.
- Personal Statement of 1,000 words addressing each of the following:
- Why you want to become a (level/subject) teacher and why now.
- Description of a powerful learning experience in your life and how it might inform your own teaching in the future.
- Reflection on personal strengths (e.g. intellectual passion, academic abilities, disposition to work with youth and professional colleagues) and lived experiences that you will build upon to reach and teach all learners.
- The Youth Experience Verification Form documenting 25 hours of youth interaction within the past five years and within the age group you would like to teach.
Tip: Unacceptable youth experiences include any form of peer counseling performed in high school, any work as a babysitter or nanny, any experience supervised by a relative or friend, and any experience involving your own children, relatives, or a friend’s children.
Tip: Applicants who take EDUC 2035: Designing STEM Learning Environments may use their experience in place of youth experience form. If admitted, the students will be provisional pending completion of the course.
All materials must be submitted by email or in person to:
edadvise@colorado.edu
Â鶹ÊÓƵ
Miramontes Baca Building
303-492-6555
Note: There are a number of reasons that an applicant may be denied admission, such as limited space in each cohort and the overall strength of the applicant pool. Students whose applications are rejected are encouraged to improve their application and reapply for a future term.
Post-BA Application
If you have bachelor's degree and want to pursue teacher licensure, you have two potential pathways: the Post-Baccalaureate (Post-BA) teacher education program or the MA+ teacher licensure program (Please note that Elementary licensure is not included in the MA+ program).
Admission to the teacher education program is competitive; satisfying the minimum criteria does not guarantee acceptance. Please also note that some requirements will take longer than others to complete. All applicants should plan accordingly.
To be considered for admission, applicants must meet the following:
- Hold a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.
- Minimum 2.75 Cumulative GPA. Applicants to a Secondary (7-12) program must also have a 2.75 GPA in all content area coursework. Applicants to the K-12 Music program must have a 3.0 GPA in all content area coursework.
- A completed program application with all required documents, including documentation of 25 hours of youth experience
For more information about courses and program requirements, .
We are excited that you are ready to pursue a career in education and the Post-Baccalaureate (Post-BA) teacher licensure program! Keep in mind that some requirements will take longer than others to fulfill. Also, satisfying the minimum application criteria does not guarantee admission. Please plan accordingly.
You will need to submit:
- The online for new Post-BA students.
Tip: Choose First-Time User and then choose the Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Licensure Application. Please follow the instructions provided and upload required documentation. - One official transcript from every institution of higher education that you have attended regardless of the length of attendance, the number of credits earned/not earned, overall academic performance, or perceived coursework relevance. Electronic Transcripts (Official) may be submitted to gradprocessing@colorado.edu.
- Two letters of recommendation, preferably from a college-level instructor, professor, graduate student instructor, lab instructor, or a teaching assistant. As an alternative, a letter can be provided by an employer who can provide anecdotal evidence regarding: your written and oral communication skills, analytical reasoning, and/or the ability to read complex material.
- A Personal Statement of 1,000 words addressing each of the following:
- Why you want to become a (level/subject) teacher and why now.
- Description of a powerful learning experience in your life and how it might inform your own teaching in the future.
- Reflection on personal strengths (e.g. intellectual passion, academic abilities, disposition to work with youth and professional colleagues) and lived experiences that you will build upon to reach and teach all learners.
- The Youth Experience Verification Form documenting 25 hours of youth interaction within the past five years and within the age group you would like to teach.
Tip: Letters of recommendation may not count towards the youth experience requirement. Youth Experience Verifications must be submitted as an additional application item.
Tip: Unacceptable youth experiences are any form of peer counseling performed in high school, any work as a babysitter or nanny, any experience supervised by a relative or friend, and any experience involving your own children, relatives, or a friend’s children.
The Post-BA Application and personal statement must be submitted electronically. Electronic submissions of recommendations are preferred. Remember, if you are having letters of recommendation submitted electronically, you need to submit your application earlier than the deadline. By providing your recommenders contact infomation within the application, your contacts will receive an automated email requesting their letter after you have submitted the online application.
Any materials not submitted electronically (i.e. transcripts, Youth Experience Verification Forms, or print recommendation letters) must be mailed to:
Graduate Admissions
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3100 Marine St Suite A122
553 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0553
For International Students
International applicants must have a United States social security number before they are eligible to apply. The Colorado Department of Education requires a social security number in order to be licensed to teach in the state of Colorado.
For international transcripts, you must provide a printed course-by-course transcript equivalency report provided by a member of the .
Questions can be directed to the School of Education at 303-492-6555 or edadvise@colorado.edu.
For Current CU Boulder Graduate Students
Current CU Boulder graduate students should work directly with the School of Education. For current graduate students, complete and print a separate Post-BA Application for Current Graduate Students. Current graduate students should submit application materials directly to the School of Education.
Questions can be directed at 303-492-6555 or edadvise@colorado.edu.
All application materials must be submitted by 5 p.m. on the deadline.
Fall Term: February 15
Spring Term: October 1
MA+ Application
This program offers an efficient and experiential route to earning a Master's degree with your teaching licensure. To be eligible for admission to the MA+ program, applicants must meet all of the requirements below. Please note, satisfying the minimum criteria does not guarantee acceptance.
To be considered for admission, applicants must meet the following:
- Hold a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.
- Minimum 3.00 GPA cumulatively among all institutions attended. Applicants must also have a 3.00 GPA in all content area coursework. However, if you have less than a 3.00 GPA in content or cumulative coursework, we are able to handle exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Please note, GRE Scores are not required for the MA+ program
- If content coursework is not completed by the start of the program, up to nine (9) semester credit hours may be completed during the program. All content coursework must be completed prior to the start of the second fall of the program, before student teaching.
- A completed program application with all required documents, including documentation of 25 hours of youth experience
For more information about courses and program requirements, .
Please follow the instructions within the application and upload required documents.
You will need to submit:
- The online MA+ Teacher Licensure Application
Application Tips:- Choose first time user and create an account by following the directions.
- Once logged in, choose start new application.
- Complete personal background section to move on to other parts of the application
- Under program details choose: Department/Program: Curriculum and Instruction; Degree: Curriculum and Instruction MA; Subplan/Track: Choose from Secondary Science or Secondary Math; and Entry Term: Fall
- Unofficial Transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate institution that you have ever attended. . Only after you are recommended for admission, will you need to provide official transcripts. Official Transcripts must be submitted by July 1. Electronic Transcripts (unofficial and official) may be sent directly to gradprocessing@colorado.edu.
- Three letters of recommendation, preferably from a college-level instructor, professor, graduate student instructor, lab instructor, or a teaching assistant. As an alternative, a letter can be provided by an employer who can provide anecdotal evidence regarding: your written and oral communication skills, analytical reasoning, and/or the ability to read complex material.
- A Personal Statement of 1,000 words addressing each of the following:
- Why you want to become a (level/subject) teacher and why now.
- Description of a powerful learning experience in your life and how it might inform your own teaching in the future.
- Reflection on personal strengths (e.g. intellectual passion, academic abilities, disposition to work with youth and professional colleagues) and lived experiences that you will build upon to reach and teach all learners.
- The Youth Experience Verification Form documenting 25 hours of youth interaction within the past five years and within the age group you would like to teach.
Tip: Letters of recommendation may not count towards the youth experience requirement. Youth Experience Verifications must be submitted as an additional application item.
Tip: Unacceptable youth experiences are any form of peer counseling performed in high school, any work as a babysitter or nanny, any experience supervised by a relative or friend, and any experience involving your own children, relatives, or a friend’s children.
For International Students
International applicants must have a United States social security number before they are eligible to apply. The Colorado Department of Education requires a social security number in order to be licensed to teach in the state of Colorado.
For international transcripts, you must provide a printed course-by-course transcript equivalency report provided by a member of the .
Questions can be directed to the School of Education at 303-492-6555 or edadvise@colorado.edu.
Submitting Materials
The and personal statement must be submitted electronically. Electronic submissions of recommendations are preferred. Remember, if you are having letters of recommendation submitted electronically, you need to submit your application earlier than the deadline. By providing your recommenders contact infomation within the application, your contacts will receive an automated email requesting their letter after you have submitted the online application.
Any materials not submitted electronically (i.e. transcripts, Youth Experience Verification Forms, or print recommendation letters) must be mailed to:
Graduate Admissions
Â鶹ÊÓƵ
3100 Marine St Suite A122
553 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0553
Questions can be directed to the School of Education at 303-492-6555 or edadvise@colorado.edu.
Applications to the MA+ program are only considered for fall admission.
Fall Term Only: January 10, 9:59pm MST
All application materials must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on the deadline.