Program Overview
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
Contact: School of Teacher Education
Location: McKee 216
Telephone: 970.351.2908
Fax: 970.351.1877
Website: www.unco.edu/cebs/teacher-education/undergraduate-programs/elementary-education/
Advising Information:
Students must consult with a major advisor each semester prior to registering.
To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
The program consists of four parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- Academic Tracks
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
The curriculum consists of recommended Liberal Arts Curriculum requirements, courses in professional teacher preparation, courses in elementary education theory, practice, and pedagogy and courses in Liberal Arts Curriculum content to ensure teachers have the breadth of knowledge needed to be an elementary teacher. Academic tracks provide candidates with more in-depth study of academic disciplines.
Program Admission Requirements:
Academic Good Standing
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits
To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the required major credits.
Any additional coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.
Written Communication — 6 credits
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
These courses are recommended but not required by the major.
See Written Communication courses
Mathematics — 3 credits
MATH 181 (3) and MATH 182 (3) or MATH 185 (3) or MATH 186 (3) are recommended to satisfy the Mathematics requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements. (Note: Students in the Mathematics track should take MATH 185 and MATH 186.)
See Mathematics courses
Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits
To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.
The following courses are recommended to satisfy the Arts & Humanities requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
- ELIT 290 Survey of Culturally Diverse Literature for Children
- ART 190 Art Appreciation or MUS 140 Introduction to Music or THEA 130 Introduction to the Theatre
Note: ELIT 290 will also fulfill the Multicultural Studies designation.
For students choosing the CLD track: A 200-level world language course (3) will satisfy the additional course requirement in this category with International Studies designation and the CLD track requirement. MAS 110 will satisfy the additional course requirement in this category with a Multicultural Studies designation and the CLD track requirement.
- MAS 110 Contemporary Chicano Literature
Please work with your academic advisor to choose courses in the Social & Behavioral Sciences and History categories that are recommended to better prepare students for Elementary teaching and successful Praxis testing, but not required by the major.
See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses
Natural and Physical Sciences — 7 credits
SCI 265 is recommended to satisfy Natural & Physical Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
Students in the Science track should select SCI 266 to fulfill both LAC and track requirements.
Please work with your academic advisor to choose a course in the Natural & Physical Sciences category that is recommended to better prepare students for Elementary teaching and successful Praxis testing, but not required by the major.
See Natural & Physical Sciences courses
See Liberal Arts Curriculum
2. Required Major — 72 credits
Take all the following courses:
| ECLD 360 | Second Language Acquisition | 3 |
| ECLD 455 | Approaches to Content Literacy for Diverse Learners | 3 |
| EDEC 250 | Diverse Early Language and Literacy | 3 |
| EDEL 101 | Elementary Teaching as a Profession | 2 |
| EDEL 220 | Teaching with Writing | 3 |
| EDEL 310 | Reading Assessment Informs Teaching | 3 |
| EDEL 339 | Assessment Data for Elementary Classrooms: Large Sets | 1 |
| EDEL 360 | Teaching Foundational Reading Skills | 3 |
| EDEL 420 | Elementary School Mathematics Methods | 3 |
| EDEL 425 | Elementary School Social Studies Methods | 3 |
| EDF 370 | Social Foundations of Education | 3 |
| EDSE 201 | Culture of Special Education | 3 |
| EDSE 325 | Behavioral Dimensions of Students with Exceptionalities I | 3 |
| ELIT 290 | Survey of Culturally Diverse Literature for ChildrenLAA2LAMS | 3 |
| ET 340 | Integration of Technology into Content and Pedagogy | 2 |
| ART 190 | Art AppreciationLAA1 | 3 |
| | or | |
| MUS 140 | Exploration of Music through American IdentitiesLAA1LAMS | 3 |
| | or | |
| THEA 130 | Introduction to the TheatreLAA1 | 3 |
| HIST 224 | History of Colorado | 3 |
| | or | |
| HIST 230 | Class and Culture in America | 3 |
| | or | |
| HIST 290 | American Immigration | 3 |
| | or | |
| GEOG 200 | Human GeographyLAB2 | 3 |
| | or | |
| GEOG 224 | Exploring Colorado | 3 |
| | or | |
| GEOG 250 | The Making of the American LandscapeLAB2 | 3 |
| MATH 181 | Fundamentals of Mathematics I: Number and OperationsLAX1 | 3 |
| | and | |
| MATH 182 | Fundamental Mathematics II: Algebra, Probability and Data AnalysisLAX1 | 3 |
| | or | |
| MATH 185 | Number Sense and AlgebraLAX1 | 3 |
| | and | |
| MATH 186 | Elements of CalculusLAX1 | 3 |
| MATH 283 | Fundamental Mathematics III: Geometry and Measurement | 3 |
| PSY 347 | Educational Psychology for Elementary Teachers | 3 |
| PVA 310 | Arts Integration Elementary School | 3 |
| SCED 475 | Teaching Science in the Elementary School | 3 |
| SCI 265 | Physical Science ConceptsLAS1LASL | 4 |
| SCI 465 | Principles of Scientific and Engineering Practices | 2 |
| SES 403 | Physical & Health Education for Elementary Teachers | 1 |
3. Academic Tracks — 12-16 credits
Choose one Academic Track from the list below:
- Cultural and Linguistic Diversity
- Education New Literacies
- Mathematics
- Performing and Visual Arts
- Science
- Social Studies
- Special Education
Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Track
Students selecting the CLD track must successfully complete 15 course credits in addition to the Liberal Arts Curriculum and Required Major Credits required of all Elementary Education majors.
Take the following 4 courses:
| ECLD 380 | Introduction to Linguistics for ESL/CLD Educators | 3 |
| ECLD 400 | Methods and Approaches of Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students | 3 |
| ECLD 401 | CLD Practicum | 3 |
| | Any level of world language | 3 |
Take one 200 level World Language as part of LAC requirement or a world language course at any level as additional credits.
Take one of the following two courses:
| MAS 275 | Education of Mexican American Students | 3 |
| WLC 390 | History and Philosophy of Multilingual Education | 3 |
Education New Literacies Track
Students selecting the New Literacies track must successfully complete 12 course credits in addition to the Liberal Arts Curriculum and Required Major Credits required of all Elementary Education majors.
Take the following courses:
| EDNL 321 | Literacy in the Digital Age | 3 |
| EDNL 322 | Digital Literacy and Multimodal Texts | 3 |
| EDNL 423 | Multimodal Design: Language Arts | 3 |
| EDNL 424 | Multimodal Design: Literacy, Invention and Learning | 3 |
Mathematics Track
Students selecting the Mathematics track must successfully complete 12 course credits in addition to the Liberal Arts Curriculum and Required Major Credits required of all Elementary Education majors. Students in the Mathematics track must take MATH 185 and MATH 186 OR MATH 181, MATH 182, and MATH 186 in LAC Mathematics.
Take the following courses:
Performing and Visual Arts Track
Students selecting the PVA track must successfully complete 12 course credits in addition to the Liberal Arts Curriculum and Required Major Credits required of Elementary Education majors.
Take four 3-credit courses from the list below for a total of 12 credits. Courses may be chosen from one Prefix Area or be a combination of two or three areas.
Art and Design:
| ART 183 | 2D Design | 3 |
| ART 184 | 3D Design | 3 |
| ART 234 | Drawing I | 3 |
| ART 248 | Introduction to Art Education/Art for the Exceptional Child | 3 |
| ART 440 | Foundations of Art Education | 3 |
| ART 441 | Cultural Studies in the K-12 Curriculum | 3 |
| ART 442 | Curriculum and Instruction in Art: Studio Strategies | 3 |
Music:
| MUS 140 | Exploration of Music through American IdentitiesLAA1LAMS | 3 |
| MUS 143 | Musical Styles and ContextLAA1 | 3 |
| MUS 150 | History of Rock and RollLAA1LAMS | 3 |
| MUS 210 | Introduction to Music Education | 1 |
| MUS 247 | Music as Cultural IdentityLAA1LAIS | 3 |
| MUS 296 | Jazz Music: History and AppreciationLAA1LAMS | 3 |
| MUS 310 | Teaching General Music in Elementary Schools | 2 |
Theatre:
Science Track
Students selecting the Science track must successfully complete 16 course credits in addition to the Liberal Arts Curriculum and Required Major Credits required of all Elementary Education majors.
Take the following courses:
| SCI 266 | Earth and Life ScienceLAS1LASL | 4 |
| SCI 365 | Advanced Physical Science Concepts | 4 |
| BIO 365 | Advanced Life Science Concepts | 3 |
| ESCI 365 | Advanced Earth Science Concepts for Elementary Teachers | 3 |
| SCED 381 | Science Education Teaching Assistant | 2 |
Social Studies Track
Students selecting the Social Studies track must successfully complete 12 course credits in addition to the Liberal Arts Curriculum and Required Major Credits required of all Elementary Education majors.
Take one 3-credit course from each of the social studies disciplines as listed below, for a total of 12 credits:
Economics:
| ECON 203 | Principles of MacroeconomicsLAB1 | 3 |
| ECON 205 | Principles of MicroeconomicsLAB1 | 3 |
Geography:
History:
Political Science:
Special Education Track
Students selecting the Special Education track must successfully complete 12 course credits in addition to the Liberal Arts Curriculum and Required Major Credits required of all Elementary Education majors.
Students must take the three following courses:
| EDSE 203 | The Individualized Education Program and the Collaborative Process | 3 |
| EDSE 320 | Assessment in Special Education | 3 |
| EDSE 460 | Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students with Disabilities | 3 |
Then choose one of the following courses:
| EDSE 326 | Behavioral Dimensions of Students with Exceptionalities II | 3 |
| EDSE 431 | Introduction to Early Childhood Special Education | 3 |
| EDSE 442 | Language and Literacy for Students with Severe Delays | 3 |
| EDSE 443 | Support Systems in Special Education | 3 |
4. University-Wide Credits — 1-5 credits*
Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for any degree at UNC; for this program, that will typically be 1-5 credits.
*Note: Students who apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum and the major requirements will have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree. See your advisor for details.