Best Teaching Schools and Degrees in New Mexico

Anyone looking to become a teacher in New Mexico must complete a teacher preparation program from an accredited school in order to be eligible for employment in the state. The guide below is designed to provide key information to help you research the various options for pursuing a teaching degree in New Mexico. Fortunately, there are several colleges and universities that offer degree programs. In order to find the teaching school in New Mexico that meets your career goals, take a look at our list of accredited teacher preparation programs as well as student reviews. Whether you are a first-time college student or are looking to start a new career as a teacher, use this guide to help you find the best program for your individual needs.

School Facts:

There are 29 colleges and universities with teacher degree programs in New Mexico.¹
10 colleges and universities offer a master’s or advanced degree in education.¹
Highest graduation rate*: Navajo Technical University, 72%.¹
Highest transfer-out rate*: Santa Fe University of Art and Design, 38%.¹
Highest net price per year*: Santa Fe University of Art and Design, $28,006.²
Lowest net price per year*: Northern New Mexico College, $8,736.²
Annual undergraduate tuition range for teaching degree programs in New Mexico*: $5,672-$28,836.²
2 Schools ranked in US News National Universities Rankings in 2013 (top 200): University of New Mexico (179), New Mexico State University (189).
3 Schools ranked in Forbes Top Colleges List (top 500): New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (350), University of New Mexico-Main Campus (380), New Mexico State University-Main Campus (422).
5 not-for-profit teacher programs are accredited by the NCATE, TEAC, or CAEP (see below).*

*For 4-year colleges and universities with teacher degree programs.

Profiles of Well-Known Schools

University of New Mexico: The University of New Mexico is home to the UNM College of education that houses the departments of Educational Leadership and Organizational Learning, Educational Specialties, Health, Exercise and Sports Science, Individual and Family Education, Language, Literature and Sociocultural Studies, and Teacher Education. The department fuses together leading theory and practical skill development to train and develop the state’s best educators. The University of New Mexico offers undergraduate and graduate level programs designed for current and future educators. The teacher preparation programs provide students with the option to choose from k-8 or secondary education. In addition, students can select from a wide variety of concentration areas including special education, literacy, physical education, history, mathematics, and more.

New Mexico State University: New Mexico State University is a public state-funded university and serves as one of New Mexico’s flagship institutions along with the University of New Mexico. Located in Las Cruces, the university is home to the College of Education that strives to train innovative leaders and educators who can go out and make an impact in the state, country and world. The College of Education houses several academic units including Counseling and Educational Psychology, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Management and Development, Special Education and Communication Disorders, and Human Performance. Students can select from a wide range of academic offerings that lead to a variety of careers such as k-12 teaching, counseling, educational administration, school psychologists, reading specialists, and more.

Top-Rated Teacher Preparation Programs

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) evaluated 1,100 US college programs that prepare aspiring teachers for a career in the classroom (Teacher Prep Review 2013 Report). According to the NCTQ rating system, no teaching programs in New Mexico made the “honor roll” of 3 stars or higher. Read more about the NCTQ Teacher Prep Review 2013 Report.

The following teacher preparation programs in New Mexico received the highest ratings by the National Council on Teacher Quality:

The following reviewed schools were cited as problematic (no stars):

Teacher Preparation Programs Accredited by the NCATE, TEAC, or CAEP

Eastern New Mexico University
New Mexico Highlands University
New Mexico State University
The University of New Mexico
Western New Mexico University

Read more about the CAEP, NCATE, and TEAC accrediting bodies.

School Programs for Becoming a Teacher in New Mexico

Request free information from the following schools to learn more about your options for choosing a teacher degree program. We recommend you: Request information from one or more of these schools

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Schools with Teaching Degree Programs in New Mexico

Note: Student Reviews are based on the experiences of a few individuals and it is unlikely that you will have similar results. Please review the “Data, Student Reviews and Other Information” section in our Terms of Use and Disclaimers.

Central New Mexico Community College
525 Buena Vista SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
(505) 224-3000

Clovis Community College
417 Schepps Blvd
Clovis, NM 88101-8381
(505) 769-2811
www.clovis.edu

De Wolff College Hair Styling and Cosmetology
1500 Eubank N E
Albuquerque, NM 87112-4413
(505) 296-4100

Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus
1500 S Ave K
Portales, NM 88130
(575) 562-1011
www.enmu.edu

Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell Campus
52 University Blvd
Roswell, NM 88203
(505) 624-7000
www.roswell.enmu.edu

New Mexico Highlands University
University Ave
Las Vegas, NM 87701
(505) 425-7511
www.nmhu.edu

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
801 Leroy Place
Socorro, NM 87801
(800) 428-8324
www.nmt.edu

New Mexico State University-Alamogordo
2400 North Scenic Drive
Alamogordo, NM 88310
(575) 439-3600
www.nmsua.edu

New Mexico State University-Carlsbad
1500 University Dr
Carlsbad, NM 88220
(575) 234-9200
www.carlsbad.nmsu.edu

New Mexico State University-Dona Ana
3400 S Espina
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
(575) 527-7500
www.dabcc.nmsu.edu

New Mexico State University-Grants
1500 Third Street
Grants, NM 87020
(505) 287-7981
www.grants.nmsu.edu

New Mexico State University-Main Campus
2850 Weddell Street
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
(575) 646-0111
www.nmsu.edu

Northern New Mexico College
921 Paseo de Onate
Espanola, NM 87532
(505) 747-2100
www.nnmc.edu

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute
9169 Coors Rd NW
Albuquerque, NM 87120-3101
(505) 346-2347
www.sipi.edu

University of New Mexico-Main Campus
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
(505) 277-0111
www.unm.edu

Student Review: “While I’m still in the program, the capabilities that this program provides for continual learning are fantastic. I love that not only am I learning general education information, but learning about so many disabilities, the ways to differentiate instruction due to disabilities, and all of the observation time I’m getting in the schools. Sometimes it seems that there’s just so much information being packed into once a week courses so that there’s no way to learn it all. But getting to at least touch on it all is really fantastic. I really enjoy having instructors that use differentiated methods to teach us how to use them ourselves – it’s something no book could tell us. I think the staff UNM has are really experts in their field.” -Jennifer B., student at University of New Mexico

University of the Southwest
6610 Lovington Hwy
Hobbs, NM 88240
(505) 392-6561
www.usw.edu

Western New Mexico University
1000 W. College Ave
Silver City, NM 88061
(505) 538-6336
www.wnmu.edu

References:
1. National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator: https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
2. Niche College Search: https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/best-colleges-for-education/

New Mexico Teacher Colleges and Degrees Online Guide

Profiles of Well-Known Schools

Top-Rated Teacher Preparation Programs

Teacher Preparation Programs Accredited by the NCATE, TEAC, or CAEP

School Programs for Becoming a Teacher in New Mexico

Schools with Teaching Degree Programs in New Mexico