Become a Licensed Secondary Teacher with this Master's Degree
The Secondary Pedagogy Master of Arts in Teaching – Licensure: Secondary Licensure (Grades 7-12) is a master's degree program allows bachelor’s degree holders to change careers by becoming licensed/endorsed teachers for grades 7-12.
Teach a Subject That You Know and Love
We are very happy to now offer this degree for individuals who are seeking secondary education teacher licensure, and who have already completed a bachelor's degree (or passed a Praxis Exam) in one of the following majors or related fields:
- English / Language Arts
- Mathematics
- Science (Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science or Physics)
- Social Studies (Economics, Geography or History)
This accelerated program is offered in a hybrid format, where you will spend time in schools and some class sessions in either Denver or Greeley, Colorado, and the other semesters are completed online and in a school near you. See the Course of Study tab below for details.
Inspire the Next Generation
With a teaching licensure program from UNC, you'll be a highly valued teacher candidate—UNC is the premier teacher preparation university in Colorado. You'll make a difference in the lives of your students, and establish a career in a field that is always in demand.
K-12 Education Licensure Options
If your bachelor's degree is in Music or Physical Education, you can earn your K-12 teacher licensure via partially online post-baccalaureate licensure programs run by those UNC departments.
Schedule for Courses and Teaching Experiences
- 1st Summer Term: four 6-week courses, taken two at a time (two online courses, followed by one online course and one hybrid course that meets one evening per week in your chosen area (Denver or Greeley).
- Fall Term: A mix of online coursework, and in-person coursework and in-class practicum experience in the Denver or Greeley area. You will spend two days/week working in the schools during the day followed by UNC class time.
- Spring Term: one online UNC course and student teaching.
- 2nd Summer Term: two online courses.
You will be eligible for licensure at the end of the Spring term, and can apply for teaching jobs that begin that Summer/Fall.
Definitions
- Practicum: field experience hours in the classroom. You will be assigned to a school for the Fall semester of the program. This experience includes some teaching responsibilities.
- Student teaching: a full-time teaching responsibility that takes place in the spring semester of the program. You will be required to spend 16 full weeks in a classroom. You may apply to teach in any location you choose: close to home, abroad, or anywhere in between. We do our best to accommodate requests for placement, but there are no guarantees of availability at a requested area/school.
Required Courses (36 Credit Hours)
To see a typical list of courses by term, visit an example Current Students page for this program.
- ECLD 523 Academic Language/Literacy Development for Diverse Learners in School Settings (3)
- EDF 500 Conceptions of Schooling (3)
- EDF 645 Innovative Practice in Contemporary Education (3)
- EDF 648 Foundations of Instructional Methods (3)
- EDF 653 Educational Inquiry Seminar (3)
- EDF 685 Philosophical Foundations of Education (3)
- EDFE 554 Secondary Practicum (3)
- EDFE 555 Supervised Student Teaching (6)
- EDSE 509 Strategies for Students with Exceptionalities (3)
- PSY 500 Educational Psychology for Teachers (3)
- SRM 600 Introduction to Graduate Research (3)
For full details, see the official program listing in the UNC Graduate Catalog.
Comprehensive Exam
The Comprehensive Examination will stem from students’ work in EDF 653 Educational Inquiry Seminar and can take multiple forms, as approved by a student’s advisor and evaluated by a faculty committee.
Get Started/Apply
Additional Resources
- Visit the School of Teacher Education page for this program.