University of North Carolina at Charlotte

You will begin your training at UNC Charlotte in year one. In addition to university general education credits, you will take Public Education and Schooling in the US and Exceptionality in Schools & Society during your first two semesters. You will have the opportunity to participate in early clinical experiences at a variety of schools, work with your advisor to establish professional goals and create a four-year academic plan, and determine what grade level/subject fits you best.

You will continue to take general education courses, and as you approach the 30 credit hour mark, also make plans to declare your major. You may elect to declare an academic minor in the Cato College of Education, which leads to additional teacher licensing areas.

Most students enter their professional education courses, including courses focused on instructional design, cultural competence, child development and teaching practice. Students participate in a variety of clinical experiences in regional schools and practice what they are learning in their professional education coursework.

Students continue to take professional education coursework and focus their clinical experiences within the context of a year-long internship. Fourth-year students spend one to two days a week at their internship site in semester one and move into full-time student teaching with their clinical educator in the second semester. They also use university-provided resources to prepare for and take licensure exams as required by the State Board of Education.  

One of the primary goals of the Cato College of Education is to give you genuine, hands-on classroom experience before you graduate. From your first course in the program, you are involved in clinical experiences at a variety of different schools and are able to work with master teachers to rehearse and practice the concepts you are learning in the classroom. In their final year in a program, you will participate in a year-long internship experience. In the first semester, you are in the classroom approximately one to two days per week, getting to know the school and classroom climate and continuing to practice what you are learning. This culminates in a 16-week student teaching experience during the second semester. You willwork closely with trained clinical educators, site supervisors and university faculty to rehearse best practices and gain confidence and experience.

As a part of the internship experience, you are assigned a current practicing teacher, referred to as a clinical educator, to work alongside over the course of the year. Additionally, a site supervisor is assigned to you to help coach and guide you throughout the process—particularly during student teaching. The site supervisor visits the school frequently and will provide you with feedback as you work to hone your skills. The clinical educator and site supervisor collaborate to work closely with you and will help you develop into impactful educators.

The Cato College of Education is committed to continuous improvement and is working to make sure that you have the best experiences possible. Our Office of School and Community Partnerships (OCSP) has identified schools in local districts, based on data, to form a partner school network that will house the core of student clinical experiences. The partner school network is a collection of principals and school leaders. During Student teaching, you will be placed within the partner school network, and UNC Charlotte will provide summer training for the teachers that work alongside you. Site supervisors affiliated with the Cato College of Education will be placed at the partner schools to help supervise and coach you as you practice.