Upon first entering a teacher-education program, students may need to take field-experience courses such as those required from the University of Northern Colorado (unco.edu). Although supervisors for the experiences often assign grades and activities, students spend their time in professional teachers' classrooms. Students observe classroom structures and activities and may contribute by working with groups or grading papers. To achieve a final grade, students often submit a portfolio outlining personal activities during the experience and analyzing or evaluating the cooperating teacher's actions. UNC requires 30 clock hours for each credit, and students may take several levels of the field experience course. The University of Iowa (osu.edu) allows students in some programs to clock more than 100 hours for credit.
Many courses in the field of education require students to observe regular classrooms or work directly with K-12 students. Instructors of education courses often believe hands-on experience is an invaluable tool for understanding concepts, so "homework" may consist of field work. For example, a methods-class instructor may require students to visit a middle-school reading group for five hours through the semester, and grammar-class professor may require a visit to a high school teacher lecturing on diagramming sentences. Although such activities are not separate college classes, education students need to be aware of the potential for such requirements.
Requirements for teacher licensure vary from state to state, but all U.S. states insist upon practice teaching before granting a license. The student-teaching experience generally lasts 12 to 15 weeks at the end of the student's academic program. During this experience, the students teach full time in a regular classroom under the direct supervision of the cooperating teacher. A university supervisor directs the experience. Students may need to complete a portfolio and self-evaluation to receive credit for this course.
Many graduate programs include writing and research projects. Some schools allow master's students in education to develop a master's thesis that may stem from straight research or involve creation of an experiment or project. Similarly, Ph.D. candidates write a dissertation. The number of credits awarded for these papers varies, but typically classes run at least three credits. While master's programs often allow students to choose a thesis option, Ph.D. programs typically require students to write, present and defend a dissertation.