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Initial Licensure Program

Program Introduction:
The purpose of the Initial Licensure Program in Elementary and Secondary Education is to attract energetic and motivated individuals with a bachelor’s degree who are interested in becoming classroom teachers. This one-year intensive program is designed to support highly qualified students in their preparation as effective educators at the elementary and secondary levels. Students in teacher education programs at UNLV are expected to:

  • Develop a background of knowledge in general education
  • Increase their background of knowledge in an academic concentration or area of specialization
  • Gain an awareness of the relationship between sociocultural factors and the educative process
  • Develop an awareness of teaching as a profession
  • Understand and identify learners emotional, social, physical and intellectual needs
  • Gain an awareness and appreciation of cultural differences
  • Recognize and understand theories of language acquisition
  • Identify and specify instructional goals and objectives
  • Identify and utilize a variety of appropriate instructional strategies and materials - including educational technologies
  • Recognize and develop evaluation procedures which focus on learner achievement, specified objectives and instructional effectiveness
  • Acquire and apply skills of classroom management and interpersonal relationships which enhance the educational environment and promote student learning.

Prerequisites:

  • Undergraduate degree with overall GPA of 2.75 or higher
  • Praxis I (PPST): passing scores for Reading, Writing, and Mathematics
  • Nevada School Law, U.S. Constitution, Nevada Constitution*

Courses that fufill Law and Constitution requirements:

  • EDU 210 ... Nevada School Law (2 credits)
  • HIST 100 ... Historical Issues and Contemporary Man (4 credits for both U.S. and NV Constitution)
  • POS 101 ... Introduction to American Politics (4 credits for both U.S. and NV Constitution)
  • POS 100 ... Nevada Constitution (1 credit)
  • Test out option. For information: http://www.unr.edu/educ/el/exam.html or forms in the Professional Development Office, CEB 354

Program Requirements:Upon completion of the following requirements, the student will be eligible for the initial license in either Elementary Education (K-8) or Secondary Education (7-12). Applicant must complete the one-year program of study. Should the applicant wish to extend the program beyond one year, contact the Program Advisor via e-mail at professionaldevelopmentoffice@unlv.edu or by telephone at 702-895-1536 for options in revising the course schedule. The student is responsible for knowing and meeting all certification and degree requirements.

Additional Information
For additional information, please contact:
Professional Development Office, CEB 354
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
4505 Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-3005
702-895-1536

Downloadable Information
Professional Development – Initial Licensure Program. PDF Files are in Acrobat Portable Document format, and require the free reader to view. The reader can be downloaded at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Adobe PDF Files can be converted to HTML (web pages) using the free Online Conversion tool on Adobe's Site: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/access_simple_form.html