Classroom Apprenticeship
You will spend time each week in a classroom teacher apprenticeship position – all
four years. You'll receive pay as well as college credit for this experience. This
means that right from the beginning you are part of the school environment as a working,
contributing staff member, meaning that you can apply what you learn in your courses
to see which methods work best for you. During the entire four years, you will also
be mentored by a retired master teacher who offers guidance and support for the classroom
apprenticeship experience.
Academic Classes
The four-year course of study includes a variety of subjects that contribute to a
well-rounded college education and preparation for the most challenging of school
classrooms. You will spend either weekday afternoons or evenings (depending on your
enrollment choice) in academic classes at the UNC Denver Center at Lowry.
Focus on One Course at a Time
A unique feature of the Center for Urban Education program is the scheduling of classes.
You will focus on one academic class at a time. For example, you will complete a math,
English, or history, etc. class every five weeks. This enables you to focus more clearly
on the work at hand and come away from each classroom experience richer in what you
have learned. Along the way, you will also periodically attend small teacher training
workshops.
UNC's Renowned Early Childhood Education Program Brought to You in Denver
The Early Childhood program blends a liberal arts and early childhood education foundation
with Professional Teacher Education Preparation (PTEP).
A four year course of study is tightly designed to help you complete this bachelor's
degree. View the example 4-year plans of study:
For full details, see the official program listings in the UNC Undergraduate Catalog:
Admission Requirements
You must meet the UNC undergraduate admission requirements for the academic year for
which you are applying. See the UNC Catalog for current admission requirements.
International Student Eligibility
International students can attend UNC Extended Campus programs. In order to be issued
an F1 visa to come to the states, U.S. immigration requires that international undergraduate
students be in the classroom setting (not attending online) for 9 out of 12 credits
each term for which they attend courses in the U.S.
**In some countries, the scholarships and government support available to you for
U.S. education may have additional restrictions on how many credits you can take online
and count towards your degree program. If you have a sponsor for your U.S. educational
experience, please check with them when applying to a program that has a portion of
the courses offered only online. Some also have restrictions on the area of study
you choose.
Applicants must demonstrate English proficiency in order to be considered. Possible
ways to demonstrate proficiency:
- Qualifying test scores: TOEFL iBT: 70; IELTS: 6.0; PTE: 50
- Completion of a degree in the U.S., or from an English speaking country (parts of
Europe, Canada), within the last two years.
Students who attend this program at our off-campus centers will have immigration documentation
tied to that location. If you will need to complete our Center for International Education's
Intensive English Program courses language training (due to not meeting the minimum language proficiency), those courses
are only offered at the Greeley campus. If you need this training, but will then attend
your program coursework off-campus, your initial immigration documentation will be
for Greeley, and a new I-20 document will be issued when you transition to the off-campus
center for your program courses.
Transferring Credit
Transferrable college credit may shorten the time you spend in academic courses at
the Denver Center. Your Program Coordinator can advise you on how transferred courses
will impact your required coursework each term. Transferred credit won't impact the
classroom apprenticeship experience requirements, which are a critical portion of
your preparation in this program.
UNC Transfer Policies
Students are considered transfer students if they have completed any college-level
coursework after completing high school. As part of your UNC application, you will
need to submit official transcripts from all institutions attended.
Please visit the Transfer of Credits pages on the UNC Office of the Registrar website for information about:
- How many credits can transfer
- Requirements of credits transferred, such as your earned grade and institutional accreditation
- The transfer evaluation process
- Transferology – this service allows you to view our published course equivalencies for your previous
courses. This can be done for free before you apply to UNC.
- For those students who have taken or are taking supporting courses at a Colorado public
two-year institution, see the Transfer Articulation Guides.
Waiver of Liberal Arts Core (LAC) Requirements
Individuals with an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or a Bachelor’s degree
(regardless of date of completion) from a regionally accredited institution will have
their Liberal Arts Core requirements waived. See the Undergraduate Catalog for more
information about LAC waiver and transfer evaluation policies.
Note: this program requires completion of SOC 120 and SPAN 103 even if overall LAC requirements are waived by UNC.
Tuition
This program is supported by Extended Campus but is state-funded (similar to our Greeley
campus programs), which means:
- Eligible Colorado Residents will receive the in-state tuition rate and a COF (College Opportunity Fund) stipend of $40/credit hour.
- Significantly lower student fees – the $40/credit hour off-campus program fee funds
key services for you at the Center, but remains significantly lower than the on-campus
fee structures.
- Certain courses may carry specific course fees for additional services and materials.
The following tuition is for the 2020-21 academic year (which runs Fall, Spring, and
Summer terms). Tuition for the 2021-22 academic year will be determined mid-June 2021.
Colorado Residents
$344/credit hour
- $40/credit hour COF stipend
+ $40/credit hour program fee
= $344/credit hour*
* UNC also features a reduced cost per credit hour for enrolling above full-time (12
credit hours). Credit hours 13-16 each term are priced at only $90/credit hour including
the program fee.
Non-Residents (Out-of-State)
$791.50/credit hour
+ $40/credit hour program fee
= $831.50/credit hour
* UNC also features a reduced cost per credit hour for enrolling above full-time (12
credit hours). Credit hours 13-16 each term are priced at only $180/credit hour including
the program fee.
Colorado Asset
Colorado Asset allows qualified undocumented students to pay in-state tuition to attend
the University of Northern Colorado. Learn more about the ASSET program and UNC resources for DREAMers.
Financial Aid
Students who cannot pay for tuition alone are encouraged to apply for federal financial
aid. Students must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The FAFSA priority filing date for each academic year (a Fall-Spring-Summer cycle
which begins each August) is March 1, although the form is now available by October
1 of the previous year and requests tax information from the year prior. For example,
the FAFSA form for aid for the 2021-22 school year is released on Oct. 1, 2020, and
is based off of 2019 tax return information.
Late submissions of the FAFSA are still accepted throughout the school year but you
may not be considered for the maximum amount of aid. If the March priority deadline
has passed for the upcoming/current school year, we encourage you to apply for FAFSA
consideration as soon as you enroll for your first courses. Depending on the time
of year, you may be able to submit an application for the current academic year and
an early/priority application for the following academic year.
Bachelor's students must be enrolled in in a minimum of 6 credits per academic term for financial aid eligibility. Full time
enrollment is based on 12 credits per term.
To apply for federal financial aid assistance
Fill out the FAFSA form at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa
For more specific help, Extended Campus degree-seeking students may contact Adrina
Pawlak in Financial Aid at OFA.Extended@unco.edu, 970-351-4862, or via the UNC Financial Aid website.
Students can also find helpful information such as the Guide to Federal Student Aid
at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/resources. Most of the resources are available in English, Spanish, and Braille.
Student Health Insurance
The University of Northern Colorado offers a Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP)
to all degree-seeking students who enroll in courses on our main UNC Campus, an Extended
Campus Center, or Online.
Degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolled in 9 or more credit hours will automatically
receive this benefit each term. SHIP premiums will appear on your semester bill. If
you have comparable insurance coverage, and do not want to be charged for SHIP coverage,
you must opt out of this plan each Fall via an online waiver process.
Please visit the UNC Student Health Insurance pages for more information about the insurance plan.
