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/
Contact: Center for Urban Education
Location: 1059 Alton Way #758, Denver, CO 80230
Telephone: 303.637.4334
Website: www.unco.edu/cebs/urban-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 three parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
The curriculum for this non-licensure program consists of courses related to education theory, practice, and pedagogy and recommended Liberal Arts Curriculum. The course of study will provide students with a breadth of knowledge related to elementary education and schooling.
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 may 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) are recommended to satisfy the Mathematics requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
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.
- ELIT 290 is recommended to fulfill Arts & Humanities and U.S. Multicultural Studies requirement and will fulfill both LAC requirements.
- PVA 220 is recommended, but not required by the major.
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 and SCI 266 Earth and Life Science are recommended to satisfy Natural & Physical Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Natural & Physical Sciences courses
See Liberal Arts Curriculum
2. Required Major — 62 credits
Take all the following courses:
| ECLD 360 | Second Language Acquisition | 3 |
| EDEC 250 | Diverse Early Language and Literacy | 3 |
| EDEL 101 | Elementary Teaching as a Profession | 1-3 |
| EDEL 220 | Teaching with Writing | 3 |
| EDEL 310 | Reading Assessment Informs Teaching | 3 |
| EDEL 360 | Teaching Foundational Reading Skills | 3 |
| EDF 290 | 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 240 | Integration of Technology into Content and Pedagogy | 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 |
| MATH 283 | Fundamental Mathematics III: Geometry and Measurement | 3 |
| PSY 330 | Child and Adolescent Psychology | 3 |
| PVA 220 | Creative Thinking and StrategiesLAA1 | 3 |
| SCI 265 | Physical Science ConceptsLAS1LASL | 3 |
| SCI 266 | Earth and Life ScienceLAS1LASL | 4 |
| SES 403 | Physical & Health Education for Elementary Teachers | 1 |
| | 300 level or above Education Course | 3 |
3. University-Wide Credits — 27 credits
Complete additional credits to achieve the minimum credits needed for any degree at UNC; for this program, that will typically be 27 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.