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 lists of top-rated teaching programs, a table of accredited, state-approved teacher preparation programs, and 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.

Quick Facts

There are 27 colleges and universities with teacher degree programs in New Mexico.¹
22 colleges and universities offer an associate’s degree in education.*¹
8 colleges and universities offer a bachelor’s degree in education.*¹
7 colleges and universities offer a master’s or advanced degree in education.*¹
1 school ranked in Kiplinger’s Best College Values 2019.²
No schools ranked in Princeton Review’s Great Schools for Education Majors 2020.³
2 schools ranked in US News & World Report’s Best Graduate Education Programs 2019.⁴
2 schools ranked in US News & World Report’s Best Online Graduate Education Programs 2019.⁵
6 not-for-profit teacher programs are accredited by the NCATE, TEAC, or CAEP.

*For not-for-profit colleges and universities with teacher degree programs.

Top-Ranked Schools with Education Programs in New Mexico

Kiplinger’s Best College Values 2019*

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (#88)

*Institution-wide ranking.

US News & World Report’s Best Graduate Education Programs 2019

University of New Mexico (#127 tie)
New Mexico State University (#157 tie)

US News & World Report’s Best Online Graduate Education Programs 2019

University of New Mexico (#61 tie)
New Mexico State University (#228-299)

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Comparison of Teacher Preparation Programs

We have designed the following table to help you compare teacher preparation programs in New Mexico according to various factors. All of the schools included are not-for-profit institutions approved by the New Mexico Public Education Department for the preparation of teachers. Completing a state-approved teacher preparation program is an important step towards earning licensure.

While accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) is not a requirement for licensure, it is included in the following table as CAEP provides a highly-regarded accreditation that is accepted in many states. Read more about the CAEP, NCATE, and TEAC accrediting bodies. We have also included rankings from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), a research and policy group that scores teacher preparation programs at the national level using key standards chosen to measure students’ preparation for success in teaching. For further information on the NCTQ’s program rankings, please see the notes below the table.

You will also find data on teacher preparation program enrollment, completion, and licensing exam pass rates by institution for the 2017-2018 academic year in this table. These data points are collected from annual US Department of Education records under Title II (Teacher Quality) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which provides for reporting that holds institutions and state departments of education accountable for increasing academic achievement through improvements in teacher quality.

Programs that are not ranked, or for which data is not available, in a given category are denoted as “-“.

State-Approved School	CAEP Accred.?⁶	NCTQ Undergrad Elementary Prog. % (2016)**⁷	NCTQ Undergrad Secondary Prog. % (2017)**⁷	Teacher Prep Prog. Enrollment⁸	Teacher Prep Prog. Completers⁸	Licensing Exams Pass Rate⁸	Net Price***¹
Eastern New Mexico University	Yes	76%	42%	134	36	93%	$9,830
New Mexico Highlands University	Yes	13%	1%	61	65	86%	$12,538
New Mexico State University	Yes	23%	4%	338	110	90%	$9,449
Northern New Mexico College	Yes	3%	—	36	5	82%	$6,891
University of New Mexico	Yes	—	23%	257	188	93%	$11,283
University of the Southwest	No	22%	1%	61	18	95%	$15,723
Wayland Baptist University-Albuquerque	No	—	—	28	5	85%	—
Western New Mexico University	Yes	—	—	90	26	87%	$12,500

*The NCTQ rated undergraduate elementary teaching programs in 2016 and undergraduate secondary teaching programs in 2017 by national percentile based on their overall scores on the NCTQ’s standards for teacher education. Schools that do not provide data on all key standards or that fall below the top 50% of schools nationally are not included by the NCTQ in their ratings. Visit the NCTQ website for more information on its standards and methodologies.
**Net price is per year for undergraduate tuition as calculated by the National Center for Education Statistics based on the cost of attendance (tuition, books, room and board, and related expenses) for students who qualify for in-state tuition and fees, less the average financial aid award (including grants and scholarships).

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.

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School Programs for Becoming a Teacher in New Mexico

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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

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 Pl
Socorro, NM 87801
(800) 428-8324
www.nmt.edu

New Mexico State University-Alamogordo
2400 N 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 St
Grants, NM 87020
(505) 287-7981
www.grants.nmsu.edu

New Mexico State University-Main Campus
2850 Weddell St
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

University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
(505) 277-0111
https://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

Student Review: “My classes in the secondary education teacher preparation program gave me big ideas about the future of American education. Unfortunately, once I actually got into the classroom for my student teaching, I found the reality of teaching to be much different. The program focused heavily on educational theory but lacked in practical experience. My Math for Secondary Educators course was interesting as a math class but focused on advanced topics that aren’t a part of the standard 7-12 curriculum, so I would never actually get to teach them. I also learned almost nothing about classroom management, which I struggled with in the classroom. I did love the program’s emphasis on social justice and multicultural education, as well as ensuring all teachers have a strong introduction to special education and inclusive classrooms. I also like that they scheduled courses conveniently for teachers, with a strong schedule of summer and evening courses–I was able to work full time while finishing my degree.” – Student at University of New Mexico

University of New Mexico-Gallup
705 Gurley Ave
Gallup, NM 87301
(505) 863-7500
https://www.gallup.unm.edu/

Student Review: “I attended UNM-Gallup as an adult returning college student, having left college previously. I was working as an educational assistant and wanted to get my teaching degree. Gallup’s campus offered me what I needed to complete my schooling while working full time and raising a child. There were plenty of evening hours and a daycare on campus. My biggest complaint was with the advising at the Gallup branch. I informed my adviser when I began that I wanted to earn my certification in secondary education. He assured me that, while Gallup currently only had elementary education, the secondary program would be up and running by the time I needed higher level classes. That never happened, so I ended up needing to commute 3 hours to the main campus in Albuquerque for some of my classes. Also, as changes to the program requirements were made, rather than “grandfather” students who had already been enrolled in the program, the school made us earn the newly required credits in addition to the ones we already had.” – Student at University of New Mexico-Gallup

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

An asterisk (*) denotes a two-year or certificate program in education. While a two-year degree will not qualify graduates for teacher certification, it can be a good starting point for a teaching career. To learn more about what you can do with this degree, see our guide to associate’s degrees in education.

References:
1. National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator: https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
2. Kiplinger’s Best College Values: https://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-best-college-values-college-finder/index.php#Tile
3. The Princeton Review. The Best 385 Colleges, 2020 Edition. The Princeton Review, 2019.
4. US News & World Report Best Graduate Education Schools 2019: https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-education-schools/edu-rankings
5. US News & World Report Best Online Graduate Education Schools 2019: https://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/education/rankings
6. Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP): http://caepnet.org/provider-search
7. National Council on Teacher Quality Teacher Preparation Program Review: https://www.nctq.org/review/home
8. US Department of Education 2018 Title II Reports: https://title2.ed.gov/Public/Home.aspx

New Mexico Teacher Colleges and Degrees Online Guide