The University of Northern Colorado (UNC), a public university founded in 1889, has a long history in teacher preparation. We are proud of our heritage and it shows in many ways. Our faculty advocate a teacher-scholar model in which the art and science of teaching are regarded as critical in how we work with all students, including teacher candidates.
Our faculty model high-quality teaching and we place priority on engaging our students in real-world issues in the schools and in the community. We prepare the largest number of teachers and educators across the largest array of program areas, so our teacher candidates gain from interactions with a broad range of future school personnel. Because of our size and program quality we partner with schools across Colorado and the world.
Learn more about how UNC is recruiting the next generation of teachers here.
The University of Northern Colorado’s teacher education programs develop teachers who are experts in content, have mastered effective teaching skills, and understand and value diversity in the classroom setting. Those who seek to transform lives and have a positive impact on the future through education will thrive in our programs. UNC features small class sizes and caring faculty with extensive experience as teachers at all levels, and UNC students benefit from personalized attention. UNC students apply their college learning experiences in pre-kindergarten through high school classrooms early and often throughout their program. During student teaching, UNC students are mentored by experienced, licensed mentor teachers at schools around Colorado. UNC graduates finish their programs prepared to make sound decisions and lead their own classrooms. They also become part of the vast network of Bear alumni, which includes teachers and school administrators all around the world.
Students at University of Northern Colorado have reduced the cost of their program using these methods. Check with University of Northern Colorado to see if you can, too!
Amount
Description
Work Study, Working While Still Enrolled
Limited off-campus work study positions are available
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education (K-12) Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education / Bilingual Specialist (K-12) Drama (K-12) Early Childhood Education (Birth-8) Elementary Education (K-6) English Language Arts (7-12) Mathematics Middle School (6-8) Mathematics Secondary Education (7-12) Music (K-12) Physical Education (K-12) Science (7-12) Social Studies (7-12) Special Education (Pre-K-12) Visual Arts (K-12) World Languages—Chinese (K-12) World Languages—French (K-12) World Languages—German (K-12) World Languages—Japanese (K-12) World Languages—Spanish (K-12)
Program Semesters/Steps Overview
Year 1 We believe that all our teacher candidates should have deep knowledge of content and so much of the first year will involve coursework that provides an introduction to a range of disciplines. You will also have the opportunity to engage in initial school field work.
Year 2 You will continue to deepen your knowledge in targeted content areas while developing your teaching skills through coursework on campus and expanded field experiences in the K-12 classroom.
Year 3 While content coursework continues, you will see a significant shift to a focus on teaching, including coursework and field experiences relevant to working in the school.
Year 4 Most of your final year consists of student teaching, methods classes, and some content coursework. As a student teacher you will work on-to-one with an experienced and high-quality teacher who, with support from UNC faculty, will hone your teaching skills. You will also study for and complete the relevant licensure examinations.
Program Hallmarks
UNC ensures our courswork is delivered in direct connection to the reality of the field. Additionally, we ensure that our teacher candidates receive early, frequent, and focused field experiences that gradually allow them to develop their skills as a new teacher. Candidates will benefit from at least 1,000 hours of clinical field experiences. At our Center for Urban Education in Denver candidates receive about 3,000 hours of field experience. All field experiences allow teacher candidates to engage in small group and whole classroom instruction.
UNC is committed to the development of teachers who are prepared to work with all students in order to maximize P-12 students' potential. To achieve this we require our candidates take and pass courses that deal with diversity in both the Liberal Arts and Education components of the program. Candidates become competent in working with culturally linguistically diverse (CLD) students and students with special needs, all programs require at least six credits of coursework focusing on CLD and three credits of coursework focusing on special education. Our field experiences incorporate strategies for working with diverse student populations and involve candidates in using strategies that benefit all students. Additionally, we encourage future UNC students to explore the Cumbres program. Cumbres is a scholarship and support program for students who are planning to become ESL teachers. Our goal is to support, encourage and prepare you to be an effective and compassionate teacher of English learners. You can learn more here.
UNC carefully selects all mentors and classroom teachers who work with our candidates. We also carefully select the schools in which we place our candidates. Our university faculty are rewarded for modeling high-quality teaching. During field experiences each teacher candidate will work closely with a school mentor teacher and a faculty supervisor who model good teaching and provide constructive guidance that facilitates the professional growth of the candidates. While we hold our candidates to high expectations, all this work is completed in a supportive environment. We want our candidates to be successful.
Monitoring program and graduate quality is an important feature of UNC's programs. We collect and use performance data to inform program improvement. We survey various groups (students, graduates, and employers), analyze the performance of our candidates in their coursework and on licensure tests, review data on the teaching performance of our faculty, and incorporate feedback from external agencies into our data-informed decision making. Feedback from school districts is critial to ensuring our programs are relevant and current for the needs of our school partners. School personnel serve on our committees and are invited to campus regularly to share their needs and perceptions of our programs.
Stats
Gender
Male
Female
22%
78%
Ethnicity
American Indian or Alaskan Native
Asian
Black
Hispanic/Latino
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
White
Two or more races
0%
2%
2%
22%
0%
71%
3%
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