Elementary Education

The elementary licensure program provides teacher education candidates broad field content knowledge and prepares them as teachers for grades K-6. Candidates must have a major in Liberal Arts with an English, Mathematics or Social Science content area emphasis.

As a student, you will gradually accumulate over 200 hours of classroom experience before beginning student teaching. School districts throughout western Colorado provide opportunities to gain experience with children of all ages and backgrounds in a variety of school settings.

Before students may register for any upper level education courses, they must be formally accepted to the Teacher Education program. Application requirements and prerequisites can be viewed on our program application page or in the Advising Handbook. 

Elementary Education Graduate Program

For individuals who already hold a bachelor's degree, we also offer a post-baccalaureate elementary licensure option that is primarily delivered online and can accommodate placement throughout Colorado. The Initial Teacher Licensure graduate program enables students to obtain their teaching licensure while working towards a Master's Degree.

Colorado Placement

All CMU Elementary Education students must complete field hours in Colorado area schools. Placements are arranged between a local school district and the Center for Teacher Education, and are typically within our 14-county western slope community of school districts. Placements outside of this 14-county region are made on a case-by-case basis and are dependent on several factors including, agreements with cooperating school districts, qualified mentor availability, and student support and supervision. CMU's Education programs meet the requirements for licensure in the state of Colorado, as such, students are required to complete their field hours within the state of Colorado. While graduates have successfully obtained licensure in other states, at this time, CMU does not offer placement outside of Colorado. To find out about licensure requirements for other states, see our State Licensing Resources page.