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Requirements

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+ English Language Arts or Social Studies 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:

1. Hold a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.
2. Have earned a minimum 3.00 GPA cumulatively among all institutions attended. Applicants must also have a 3.0 GPA in all content area coursework. Please note, GRE Scores are not required for the MA+ program.
3. Meet a Basic Skills Requirement by completing appropriate, college-level Math and Composition courses with a “B-“ or better. Acceptable scores on the ACT, SAT, GRE, or Praxis CORE exam will also satisfy the requirement.
4. For English Language Arts applicants, hold a degree in English, Ethnic Studies, Spanish Literature, or Humanities (with a literature emphasis). Other degrees will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
5. Complete the appropriate Colorado approved Praxis exam for their content area prior to the beginning of the spring semester in the program. Any candidate that has not passed the Praxis exam by the spring semester will be dismissed from the program or may be given the option to defer program completion for one year. 
   • English Language Arts Content Knowledge Praxis Exam Number 5038
   • Social Studies Content Knowledge Praxis Exam Number 5081

6. Complete all content coursework for their teaching area by the end of the fall semester in the program. Any candidate who has not completed their content coursework by this time will be dismissed from the program or may be given the option to defer immersive student teaching one year.

Prerequisite Content Coursework (English Language Arts)

General Education Requirements (3 credits each)

• Mathematics: College-level mathematics
• Social Science
• Natural Science

Content Coursework Requirements

• Advanced Writing: Critical or creative writing beyond introductory composition level (3 credits)
• Visual and Digital Communication: Theatre, film, or other digital media (3 credits)
• Literature: Must include a component of American literature, British literature, World literature, and Multicultural literature (12 credits)
• English and English Language Arts: Acceptable coursework may be in literature, humanities, communication/speech, composition, drama/theatre, and/or journalism (may include courses from the content requirements above). (30 credits) Note: A minimum of 12 credits must be upper division.

Prerequisite Content Coursework (Social Studies)

General Education Requirements (3 credits each)

• Mathematics: College-level mathematics
• Writing: College-level composition
• Social Science
• Natural Science

Content Coursework Requirements

• U.S. History (6 credits)
• World History (6 credits)
• Economics: Must be completed in an Economics department (3 credits)
• Political Science: Must be completed in a Political Science department (3 credits)
• Cultural/Human Geography: Must be completed in a Geography department. Physical Geography does NOT qualify. (3 credits)
• Sociology or Social/Cultural Anthropology: Must be completed in a Sociology or Anthropology department. Physical Anthropology does NOT qualify. (3 credits)
• Social Studies courses: Acceptable coursework may be in history, geography, anthropology, economics, ethnic studies, international affairs, or political science (may include courses from the content requirements). (30 credits) Note: A minimum of 12 credits must be upper division.

Applicants to our Master’s programs will be considered automatically for a handful of scholarships at the time of admission. Applicants do not need to do anything to be considered apart from completing the application for admission by the posted application deadline. Automatic-consideration scholarships for MA students are only available for applicants to the Fall or Summer terms. All scholarships are one-time awards and will be applied across the Fall and Spring semesters. Applicants to the MA + English or Social Studies programs will be automatically considered for the  and .

Application Process

Please follow the instructions within the application and upload required documents. 

You will need to submit:

1. The online 
    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 English Language Arts or Social Studies.
2. 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. Electronic Transcripts (unofficial and official) may be sent directly to gradprocessing@colorado.edu.
3. 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.
4. A Personal Statement of 1,000 words addressing each of the following:
   1. Looking back on your K-12 experiences, how would you describe yourself as a student?
   2. When you envision yourself as a classroom teacher, what do you see, who do you see, what kinds of texts and other materials do you see?
   3. As you reflect upon your life experiences to date, what have you learned about, with, and from young people?
5. A current resume

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.

The  and personal statement must be submitted electronically. Electronic submissions of recommendations is 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 information 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 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

Questions can be directed to the School of Education at 303-492-6555 or edadvise@colorado.edu.

Deadlines 

Applications to the Accelerated MA+ programs in English Language Arts or  Social Studies are only considered for Summer admission.

Summer Term Only:

   Deadline to apply for summer admission is January 15, international and February 1, domestic. 

All application materials must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on the deadline. 

Admissions Decisions

After a review of the paper application, finalists will be invited to participate in a small group interview with program faculty. Final admission decisions are typically distributed eight weeks after the application deadline. The School of Education will send your official admission decision via email. Please continue to check the email you provided on your application.

English Language Arts Course Overview 

Semester One (Summer)

Semester Two (Fall)

Semester Three (Spring)

Social Studies Course Overview 

Semester One (Summer)

Semester Two (Fall)

Semester Three (Spring)

Required Tests and Assessments

• Basic Skills: Prior to EDUC 4901 Student Teaching: Complete an appropriate, college-level math course with a B- or better. Complete an appropriate, college-level composition course with a B- or better. Acceptable scores on the ACT, SAT, GRE, or Praxis CORE exam will also satisfy the requirement.
• Licensure Exam: Prior to EDUC 4901 Student Teaching: Pass the state-approved licensure exam, PRAXIS Subject Assessment.
• Teacher Performance Assessment: Pass a performance-based, subject-specific assessment designed by program faculty.

   Please contact an advisor if you have any questions. See the  for an updated listing of courses.