Why Consider Education at UNC?
The 
University of Northern Colorado (UNC) was founded in
1889 as the State Normal School. It met a vital need to train qualified
teachers in the growing state of Colorado, which was then less than 15
years old. More than a century and four name changes later, the institution
has grown to become a comprehensive Carnegie Doctoral Intensive University.
As one of the largest Colleges of Education (CEBS) in the U.S., we are
big enough to offer the programs you want but small enough to give you
the personalized attention you deserve. Education is at the heart of our
university and we know the best ways to prepare educational professionals
since that has been our calling for more than 100 years.
Our Legacy of Excellence is Your Foundation for Success
At our centennial in 1989 only 4 universities in the United States surpassed us in the total number of teachers trained. All current UNC programs are clustered around an institutional mission devoted to teacher education. Early on, our dedication to reaching the highest levels of educational excellence, coupled with the generation and dissemination of new pedagogical knowledge, earned UNC the name “Columbia of the West.” More recently, in 1985, the Colorado Legislature took the unique step of designating UNC as “the primary institution for undergraduate and graduate teacher education in the state of Colorado.”
Be Part of the UNC Success Story, Where Faculty Know Your Name
The CEBS has almost 80 full-time faculty members who join with faculty from 4 diverse colleges and our school partners to affect our democratic society through training for the enterprise of education and related services. In a unique collaborative partnership, faculty members from across campus who are dedicated to public education, are appointed by UNC President Kay Norton to serve as part of our Professional Education Unit (PEU). Education is serious business on our campus. Currently, the PEU consists of 287 committed faculty members. With a UNC faculty-student ratio of 1:21, we know you--not your student identification number.
Students are our Priority,Teaching is our Pleasure
In almost every case actual professors teach your classes, not teaching assistants. And this personalized attention shows. On instructor ratings 75% of CEBS faculty were rated in the “Above Average” to “Excellent” ranges by students on the item “instructor is an excellent teacher,” and 100% of CEBS faculty were rated in the “Above Average” to “Excellent” ranges by students on the item “I learned a lot in this course.” We offer 55 approved licensure programs (28 graduate and 27 undergraduate), and at least 25% of the students who attend UNC pursue a career related to public education. But we do not offer education from an ivory tower. Some 56 school partners in Colorado and across the U.S. join with us to train teachers. Our PEU conceptual framework stresses (1) Competence in Caring, (2) Mastery of Subject Matter, (3) Understanding Education as a Collaborative Enterprise, and (4) Continuous Inquiry for Renewal. We believe in education as a transformational process.
Of course the choice of study is yours: from biology to chemistry, communications to geography, mathematics to music, physics to theatre arts, reading to educational psychology, special education to educational technology, and visual arts to elementary education, we offer more that 50 programs that lead to licensure. Or you can train to lead educational change as a school counselor, special education director, school psychologist, counselor educator, statistician, principle or superintendent. Whatever your choice, our graduates impact society in many powerful ways.
Research is our Passion, Leadership our Honor
In the past 5 years, faculty members in our PEU have produced 1,734 published articles and have been involved in 4,529 professional scholarly presentations around the world. Many of these projects have been developed by our faculty-student teams. During the past 3 years, faculty members within the CEBS have collectively served on 42 professional editorial boards and received numerous international, national, and local awards.
Choose a Location and Learning Format that Fits your Lifestyle
UNC offers more than 2,000 courses annually and approximately 13,000 candidates attend classes at campuses in Greeley, Denver, Colorado Springs and via the World Wide Web. Our day, evening, summer, and weekend programs, as well as our nontraditional post-baccalaureate and urban education programs, meet the needs of a variety of individuals in a traditional classroom setting. Nontraditional classes are also offered on-line or through a blend of configurations including distance delivery, Blackboard, e-college, and on-line at UNC. Approximately 60 off-campus courses are offered each semester with some 1,920 candidates enrolled in these programs.
Nationally Ranked Programs and Professors
Many of our programs are nationally ranked as some of the top programs in the U.S. Recent rankings have highlighted our programs in educational leadership, secondary education, elementary education, school psychology, theatre arts, and special education. It is always nice to be listed next to the University of California-Berkeley or Harvard University. Our faculty members have won prestigious awards and are sought after to write books, direct concerts, review programs, act in plays, accredit universities, and lead national organizations. But most importantly they are sought after to TEACH. For these reasons, our students come from 49 states and 50 foreign countries. We proudly host the National Center on Low-Incidence Disabilities, and support the editors of 2 national journals: School Psychology Quarterly and Learning and Individual Differences.
Learn with the Best and Brightest for Less
More of the UNC budget is allocated towards student instruction
than any other public university in Colorado. Our new freshmen are some
of the best students in the west with 32% displaying a high school GPA
of 3.50 or higher and 24% graduating in the top 
20% of their high school
classes. A 4-year study of teacher education placements indicated that
95% to 100% of our candidates were placed each year and at the graduate
level, 99% of master’s and doctoral candidates and 100% of specialist
candidates were placed in jobs in their field. We host one of the largest
teacher placement and recruitment fairs in the country each year with
some UNC students receiving employment offers the day they interview.
At UNC, more students complete teacher education or related programs than
any other areas of study.
How will You Shape the Future?
Contact UNC at http:www.unco.edu or call (970) 351-1890, 351-2817 or visit the College of Education and Behavioral Studies website at http://www.unco.edu/coe/ to learn about our many outstanding programs. What will you choose to do with your life?