Why should you become a College in the Schools teacher?

By becoming a CITS teacher, you will join UMD faculty as a Teaching Specialist. You will:

  • Provide access for your students to gain college credit
  • Collaborate with discipline-specific UMD faculty liaisons
  • Receive coaching on using college syllabi, rubrics and examinations for your classroom
  • Participate in professional development opportunities
  • Collaborate with with peers from other schools regarding best practices, challenges and teaching strategies
  • Have access to UMD online resources such as the computer lab, UMD licensed software, and the library
  • Have access to ongoing assistance from CITS program staff

Interested in becoming a UMD CITS teacher? Learn more about the required qualifications and the application process.

UMD CITS Teacher Qualifications:

 All CITS teachers will be qualified in accordance to the UMD Faculty Qualifications Policy.

At a minimum, all CITS teachers will be required to have the following:

  • Minnesota teacher's license
  • Earned master's degree 
  • Demonstrated excellence in teaching advanced high school students
  • Support from the school principal or a chief administrator

Per UMD Policy, to be qualified, CITS instructors must meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • A PhD or master's degree in the discipline of the field to be taught OR
  • A master’s degree in any field and 18 graduate credits completed in the discipline of the field to be taught, OR
  • A master’s degree in any field and “Equivalent Experience Factors” equal to 18 graduate credits in the discipline of the field to be taught as determined by each college/department.

Apply to be a UMD CITS Teacher

Interested teachers must submit the following application materials via email to [email protected]:

**NOTE:  If you are applying to teach a CITS Foreign Language class, you will need to complete an oral proficiency exam and also schedule a classroom observation with the UMD Faculty Liaison before submitting the application packet. Please contact us at [email protected] for more details.

The application packet is reviewed and approved (or denied) by the UMD Faculty Liaison, UMD Department Head, UMD College Dean, and the UMD Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs. The entire application review time is approximately four weeks. The UMD CITS Coordinator will notify the applicant and the high school principal when the review process is complete along with approval status. 

CITS Teachers who have been approved are UMD Teaching Specialist faculty members.