Education
Make an impact on the next generation of learners by becoming a passionate teacher with an Associate of Arts degree in Elementary Teacher Education from ACC.
If you’re interested in teaching, getting your start at ACC is a great way to enter the education field. We offer an Associate of Arts transfer degree in Elementary Teacher Education that’s designed to be accepted at any public four-year college and university. If you’re interested in teaching at the secondary level, you can earn guaranteed transfer credits in the content area that you want to teach, as well as education foundation courses. Once you’ve graduated from ACC, you can transfer those credits to the Colorado public institution of your choice to complete your Bachelor’s degree and fulfill the requirements to earn your teaching license. If you’ve already earned your teaching license, you can renew it by taking education classes at ACC as well.
What You'll Learn
As a teacher, you must develop the skills needed not only to teach but to foster an environment that makes it easy to learn. By earning your degree in elementary education at ACC or taking classes to transfer for a degree to teach at the secondary level, you will be doing so through:
- Communication
- Information Management
- Personal Development
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Cultural Awareness
- Responsibility and Accountability
Are you wondering which course modality fits your learning and lifestyle? Check out the Course Schedules page for more details on class section numbers, codes and descriptions.
CIP 131202 (DEMT)
The purpose of a statewide articulation agreement is to identify the courses a student at a Colorado public community college must complete as part of an AA/AS degree to be guaranteed to be able to complete the designated baccalaureate degree program at public four-year colleges and universities as designated by the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) transfer agreement.
For more information about this transfer degree please refer to the Colorado Department of Higher Education website.
Admission Requirements
Program Requirements
* Note: Some educator preparation programs require a B- in ENG 1021 as an admission requirement. However, a C- or better meets the general education GT-CO1 requirement.
** Note: Completion of MAT 1220 & 1230 with a C- or higher will satisfy the GT Pathways math requirement at some institutions but not all. At the receiving institution's discretion, students may be asked to complete a GT-MA1 approved course.
- One additional GT-AH2 course (3 credits)
*** Note: Students must pass with a C- or higher BOTH SCI 1055 & 1056 to satisfy the GT Pathways science requirement.
Please Note: if these credits are not required for the major at a receiving 4-year institution, they will be applied to the Bachelor's degree as elective credit towards graduation. Please check with the receiving institution to determine in which way these courses will be applied.
- DAN 1025 - Dance Appreciation GT-AH1 (3 credits)
Nine credits determined by the receiving four-year institution. See below.
Note: Adams State requires both HIS courses to fulfill degree requirements. One HIS course will be used to fulfill the general education requirement.
Students can choose 9 credits from the 13 credits listed.
- DAN 1025 (3 credits)
- One additional GT Pathways course (3 credits)
- NOTE: EDU 2401 is not a required elective at the University of Colorado Boulder but will be accepted in transfer if taken.
- HIS or GEO course (3 credits)
- Any elementary education-related content in HIS, GEO, SCI, MAT, or LIT-prefix course (3 credits); below are some course recommendations:
- LIT - one additional GT-AH2 course OR
Required courses that fulfill General Education Requirements (32 credits)
Written Communication (6 credits)
Mathematics (6 credits)
Arts and Humanities (3 credits)
History (3 credits)
Social & Behavioral Sciences (6 credits)
Natural & Physical Sciences (8 credits)
Additional Required Courses (9 credits)
Electives: 19 credits determined by Colorado Mesa University
- Any GT-AH1 course (3 credits)
- 1 credit of Health & Wellness (HWE)
- 2 credits of Physical Education (PED)
All courses required for this degree must be completed with a "C" or better to be considered for transfer to another Colorado institution. Transferability of courses to colleges or universities outside of Colorado is determined by the receiving institution.
Graduation Requirements
- Apply for graduation online at www.arapahoe.edu/graduation.
ACC academic plans will help guide you through your chosen program. The academic plan will provide you with important information, like which semesters courses are offered if there are any prerequisites or co-requisites for courses, program outcomes, course sequence recommendations, notes for the program, graduation requirements, and other important information. These are updated annually, so we recommend downloading a copy of yours to keep on track to graduation.
Earn recertification and/or re-licensure credit:
- EDU 2341: Multicultural Education (3 credits)
- EDU 2401: Teaching Exceptional Learners (3 credits)
- EDU 2611: Teaching, Learning & Technology (3 credits)
All 3 of these courses will count to the recertification and/or re-licensure credit for certified teachers.
Job Opportunities in Education
Getting Started
If you are planning to become an Elementary Education Teacher, you will complete 41 credits that are guaranteed to transfer to teacher education programs offered by Colorado Public institutions of higher education listed below.
The additional 19 credits that are guaranteed to transfer are unique to each transfer institution, so you need to decide on a transfer college or university to know what to take. If you are working toward a degree, it is required that you contact an advising [at] arapahoe [dot] edu (advisor), 303.797.5664, or kathleen [dot] sutherland [at] arapahoe [dot] edu (Kathleen Sutherland), 303.797.5784, to ensure you choose the right courses for the college or university you transfer to. See the course list for the other 19 credits.
Transfer Options
With your AA in Elementary Education, you can transfer to any of the following colleges / universities: