You can apply to the Masters in Education program in the College of Education to earn your certification, or you can enter a graduate degree program in the appropriate academic department (only History or English).

Certification in Mathematics is available only through the Mathematics department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Secondary teacher certification in all subjects at UIC is available only in conjunction with earning a master’s degree.  Thus, to be eligible for certification, you must first be admitted to a degree program.  Upon successful completion of all requirements, students earn the degree and state certification.

I.  APPLICATION MATERIALS AND PROCEDURES

The information that follows pertains to Secondary Education in the Master's in Education program in the College of Education.

To apply to the graduate program in Instructional Leadership - Secondary Education, the following admission materials must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

• A completed application with the appropriate application fee. You may complete the application online, print the online application and submit it filled out by hand or request a paper version from the Admissions Office and complete it by hand (if you do not have internet access). We recommend that you complete the application online because it will allow for the quickest processing of your application. The correct program code is 20FS8547MED, the Program of Choice is Instructional Leadership and the Specialization is Secondary Education.
• Official transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate degrees and course work.  The university does not make exceptions to this requirement because of the age or nature of the course or degree work.  Transcripts must be sent directly from the institution to the address listed below in order for them to be considered official.  AGAIN, YOU MUST SEND A TRANSCRIPT FOR EVERY INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION YOU HAVE ATTENDED.
• An applicant whose native language is not English is required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). This test is administered by the Educational Testing Service, Box 899, Princeton, New Jersey 18540. A minimum score of 550 (paper test) or 213 (computer test) is required for admission to the Education specialization. The new TOEFL iBT requires a total score of 80 with minimum scores of 21 in Writing, 20 in Speaking, 17 in Listening, and 19 in Reading.
• Proof of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, a grade point average of at least a 3.00 (A=4.00) for the final 60 semester hours of undergraduate study, a 3.00 (A=4.00) grade point average on all post baccalaureate or graduate coursework combined and a GPA of 3.00 (A=4.00) in the undergraduate major (this will all be verified from your GPA calculations in your application and your transcripts sent to Admissions).

Office of Admissions and Records - M/C 018
University of Illinois at Chicago
1100/1200 Student Services Building
1200 West Harrison Street
Chicago, IL 60607-7161

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To apply to the graduate program in Instructional Leadership - Secondary Education, the following admission materials must be submitted to the Office of Student Services in the College of Education at the address listed below:

• A goal statement 3-4 pages in which you describe your attitudes about and interest in education, experience working with youth, teaching area and goals for the M.Ed. program.
• Three letters of recommendation which, taken together, address your academic qualifications and ability to carry on graduate degree studies and also address your experience and/or potential as an educator.  Letters may be from current or former professors or from persons who know you through various employment or volunteer activities.
• Passing scores on the Illinois Basic Skills Test
• Proof of 18 semester hours of coursework in the designated teaching field
• An Interview with a member of the Secondary Education faculty may be required of some applicants. If you will be required to meet with a faculty member you will be contacted by the Department directly.
• Your goal statement, test results and three letters should be submitted to the following address:

Mr. Michael Herkes
College of Education -- m/c 147
Office of Student Services
University of Illinois at Chicago
1040 W. Harrison Street
Chicago, IL 60607-7133

• No application will be processed until all credentials are received by the relevant deadlines as published by the university’s Office of admissions and Records.  Please allow ample time (at least 8 weeks) for the submission of all credentials.

Note: Students are admitted to secondary education in the College of Education only in the Fall semester.  We regret any inconvenience this may cause you.  However, it is important that our admitted students work together as a cohort throughout the duration of their program.  Applicants who have a semester or two available for study between the date of their application and the fall semester in which they propose to enter the program might consider pursuing additional course work in the subject they hope to teach (or in other subjects they may also be interested in teaching at the middle or high school level).  They might also seek opportunities to work with youth in some capacity.

NOTE: Admissions to secondary teacher education in the College is competitive.  Consequently, we urge you to prepare your application with care and thoughtfulness.  As outlined above, we pay close attention to four aspects of the application: your academic record, your goal statement, your letters of recommendation, and your previous work experience.  Our admission decisions are based on all of these aspects; no single criterion determines admission.  We recommend that you be as clear as you can in your goal statement about why you want to become a teacher at the middle or high school level.  You should explain why you want to teach the particular subject in which you will be seeking certification.  Finally, you might highlight any experiences that will help the admissions committee understand your background and your interest in teaching.  We suggest that you seek letters of recommendation from individuals who can attest to your potential as an educator.

Under normal circumstances, we begin making admissions decisions during the Spring semester prior to the Fall term in which applicants seek to enter the program.  Admissions continue through the Summer until we reach our maximum enrollment.

II. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

In order to be certified in secondary education through the Master of Education program, you must complete both the degree and certification requirements. These two goals are pursued simultaneously. However, for clarity, the two sets of requirements are outlined individually below.

A minimum of 34 semester hours of course credit are required for the degree of which at least 9 hours must be at the "500" level. Independent Study Courses and any 597 or 598 courses do not count towards the required 9 hours of 500 level coursework for the M.Ed.

A. Foundations Core (11 semester hours):

1. ED 402 (Philosophy of Education and Urban School Policy) or ED 403 (Policy Issues in the History of American Education)
2. ED 445 (Adolescence and the Schools) or ED 421 (Advanced Educational Psychology)
3. ED 430 (Curriculum, Instruction and Evaluation in Education)
4. ED 429 (Practicum in Secondary Classrooms)

B. Educational Specialization (14 semester hours):

1. SPED 410 (Survey of Characteristics of Learners with Disabilities)
2. CIE 504 (Advanced Middle and High School Literacy)
3. ED 580 (Colloquium on Diversity in Educational Practice)
4. ED 432 (Instruction and Evaluation in Secondary Education)

C. Teaching Area Specialization/Electives

9 semester hours of coursework taken after consultation with your Advisor.

NOTE: Courses are offered in the evenings. However, clinical experiences, as well as the entire semester of student teaching requires availability during the day.

For further information regarding degree requirements contact Mike Herkes in the Office of Student Services at 312-996-4536.

III. CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

APPLICATION FOR CERTIFICATION CURRICULUM

Upon admission to the degree program, an additional application must be made to participate in the secondary teacher certification program. Application for certification may be made through The Council on Teacher Education Office in room 3015 EPASW, (312) 355-0714.

REQUIREMENTS FOR SECONDARY CERTIFICATION

1. Acceptance into the certification program through the procedure listed above.
2. A degree from an accredited U.S. institution OR successful completion of general education requirements, as specified by program personnel
   (An appointment with the certification officer for an evaluation of previous coursework can be made after acceptance into the degree program)
3. Requirements for the Teaching Discipline
   A student seeking secondary education certification through entitlement at the University of Illinois at Chicago must complete the requirements for the major field of study as described in the appropriate section of the current undergraduate catalog. An evaluation of previous course work toward these requirements will be performed by a faculty advisor in the respective department. This faculty advisor will also inform the student of the required methodology course(s) in the teaching major and oversee the student teaching experience.
4. Student Teaching - 12 semester hours
   Practicum with seminar, one semester of full-time supervised practice teaching (course numbers vary with teaching discipline); see an advisor for prerequisites to student teaching.
5. Completion of a minimum of 145 hours of pre-student teaching fieldwork experiences. These hours will be completed in conjunction with the secondary education course work outlined above.
6. Completion of three state certification examinations:
   The Basic Skills Test - prior to admission
   Content Area Test(s) - prior to student teaching
   Assessment of Professional Teaching - prior to certification
7. Completion of assessment requirements for the program, including a standards and student teaching portfolio.

In addition to the Secondary Education Certification, students may concurrently pursue state of Illinois Approval as an English as a New Language Teacher (formerly Bilingual/ESL) and/or a Middle School Endorsement. The Office of Student Services has a list of the required courses in these areas.

Questions regarding the requirements for certification should be directed to the faculty advisor or the certification officer.

NOTE: The Illinois State Certification Board may not issue a teaching certificate to an individual who has been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor. If the student has been convicted, he or she should bring this to the attention of the advisor.

If you have any questions about this program, feel free to contact Mike Herkes at (312) 996-4536 or by email at mherkes@uic.edu.

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If you are having any problems with this web page or any of the links, please email Mike Herkes . This page was last updated on 04/06/2007 .