Post-Bac Program
The History Post-Baccalaureate (Post-Bac) program leads to licensure in Social Studies; it is designed for students who already hold a BA. The program begins in May of one year and ends in May the following year.
Before applying to the program, all History Post-Bac applicants must meet with or otherwise contact the History Post-Bac advisor, Fritz Fischer. After speaking with the History Post-Bac advisor, applicants must apply to the Graduate School, marking on the application that they are applying to the History Post-Bac program. Once the applicant has applied to the Graduate School, the application is processed by History and by the Education program. Applicants should understand that they will be taking mostly education courses in the Post-Bac. Questions about the education portion of the Post-Bac can be sent to Jonathan Shaw.
- Requirements
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Program Requirements
There are a number of prerequisites for this program. In order to be admitted the state of Colorado mandates that students have taken:
- at least 18 credits in History
- at least 18 credits of social science support classes, which must include the following:
- ANT 110: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
- ECON 203: Macroeconomics
- GEOG 100: World Geography
- PSCI 100: American National Government
- 6 additional upper-level credits (2 classes, 200-level or higher) in ECON, GEOG, or PSCI.
Applicants cannot be admitted to the program until they have completed the above prerequisites with at least a B- in all of them. Those interested can certainly apply with one or two classes left to take and can be admitted provisionally, but students who have not completed a majority of the above requirements cannot be admitted. Please contact Jonathan Shaw and/or Professor Fischer for a transcript evaluation if you are unsure if you meet the requirements for admission.
Applicants need to understand that this is a demanding program. In the fall semester, it will not be possible to work full time, and in the spring students will be teaching full-time in the classroom, so no outside employment will be possible. In addition, if at any point in the program a course is failed or if the GPA drops below a 3.0, History has the right to drop students from the entire program. It is not possible to get the MA in History and do the Post-Bac simultaneously, but we can coordinate such a program where students switch off coursework between programs. It will take at least three years with the MA in History. Contact Professor Fischer for more details.
- Apply
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To apply to the History Post-Bac:
- Meet with or contact the advisor, Professor Fritz Fischer to discuss requirements. Students should either send a copy of their transcripts or bring a transcript with them so that he can determine any requirements that might need to be met.
- Assemble official copies of transcripts from ALL community colleges or universities; craft a statement explaining why you want to teach History/Social Studies and why you wish to do the Post-Bac (limit 500 words); these are needed for the Graduate School Application.
- Make arrangements for three letters of recommendation from references who know your work (preferably at least one who knows your academic work). Visit the Graduate School website for more information. During the application process, you will be directed to submission form where you can submit your recommenders' email addresses and contact information. The University will then email them to write letters on your behalf.
- Apply online to the Graduate School and be sure to indicate that the application is for the Post-Bac in History and that you are seeking licensure.
Once admitted to the program, applicants will be contacted by the PTEP (Professional Teaching Education Program) office. All students must attend an orientation session held in May. The Post-Bac program is very structured and must be done in sequence. The program is organized as follows (please be sure to check to make sure the schedule has not changed). Note that the program described below assumes no content area courses must be taken:
By 15 April: EDFE 125 must be completed. This is a checkpoint 0 credit "class" required for admission to the summer courses. It must be complete and a form must be signed by the History Post-Bac advisor and submitted to PTEP for their approval. Visit the School of Teacher Education website to find the form and other EDFE 125 course information. All items must be completed before Professor Fischer will sign the form. Bring the complete packet to his office and then take it to McKee 216. When you see Professor Fischer, he will also work to get you enrolled for two of the fall courses.
- Courses
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The Program
Summer Session 1: (all online)
- EDSE 509: Strategic Studies for Students with Exceptionalities (3 credits)
- EDF 500: Conceptions of Schooling (3 credits)
- Students should arrange to take either the Place or the PRAXIS 2 test for teaching Social Studies for the June test. Students must pass this test by November or will be unable to be placed for student teaching in the spring. Taking the test in June insures that there is time to retake the test in time for placement, should that be needed.
Summer Session 2: (all online)
- PSY 500: Educational Psychology for Teachers (3 credits)
- EDRD 523 Reading and Writing in the Content Areas (3 credits)
Fall Semester:
- EDFE 554: Secondary Practicum (Note that 160 field hours are required in addition to this course. Students must spend two days a week in schools; 3 credits)
- ET 501: Introduction to Applications of Education Technology (on-line; 3 credits)
- EDFE 130: A Checkpoint course, application for full-time applicants teaching; there is a deadline and the form must be signed by the History Post-Bac advisor and submitted to PTEP (0 credits)
- HIST 400: Teaching History in the Secondary Curriculum (1 credit)
- SOSC 341: Teaching Secondary Social Studies (3 credits)
- PRAXIS 2 test or Place test, if not already passed
Spring Semester:
- EDFE 555 Supervised Applicants Teaching (12 credits)
- Full-time student teaching
