Offered in: Chicago

The secondary education program is designed for students who wish to become teachers in grades 9-12 in Biology, Business, Chemistry, English, History, and Mathematics. An undergraduate degree in one of these areas is recommended, but the program helps students to obtain the necessary content knowledge coursework required if the degree is in a different area.

The requirements for the Illinois teaching license for grades 9 through 12 are integrated with the program. Additional courses must be taken to earn an endorsement to teach at the middle school level. 

Admission

Applicants to the academic program must have a minimum grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale for the entirety of their undergraduate course work and a minimum of 120 semester hours of credit at the undergraduate level. Students can earn admission without an undergraduate major in biology, chemistry, business, English, history, or mathematics, but must complete the equivalent of an undergraduate major in one of these areas in order to earn licensure and the MA degree in secondary education. 

Students are formally admitted to the teacher licensure program when they earn a passing score on the required ILTS content exam, provided that they have a minimum 3.0 GPA in all graduate courses and have demonstrated professional dispositions in the education courses required prior to the last year of study. Formal admission is required to enroll in courses offered in the last year of the program.

Students who do not earn a passing score on the required ILTS content exam by the deadline of September 1 will not be eligible to enroll in the courses required during the last year of the program. In this situation, students will be advised to complete or re-take courses in the content area before attempting again to pass the ILTS content exam. Should a passing score be earned at a later date, students will be able to complete the last year of the program through an extra year of graduate study.

Requirements

To be awarded the MA in secondary education, students must successfully complete a 33 semester hour program of study. 

To earn the teaching license, students must complete the coursework required for the MA degree, as well as an approved student teaching experience, a minimum of 80-100 clock hours of pre-student teaching field experiences, 32 semester hours in academic major approved programs, and any additional course work or tests needed to satisfy Illinois State Board of Education requirements. 

All graduate students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in their graduate courses, and no grade below C is acceptable for licensure or the MA degree.  

At the time of admission, advisors review transcripts and evaluate all coursework completed at other colleges or universities. Advising plans are developed and any deficiencies related to licensure requirements are noted. If additional coursework is needed, the student's advisor will indicate the coursework needed to gain major equivalence for licensure. Each student must confer with their assigned advisor before enrolling in the program and during each advising period to ensure that all requirements are being successfully completed. The following courses are required to earn licensure and complete the MA in secondary education:

Field and clinical experiences

Field experiences in secondary education take place in Instructional Coaching 1 & 2 and involve urban and suburban placements that must include diverse learners. Experiences take place in high school settings and involve teacher candidates in individual, small group, and whole-class instructions, observations, and participation in community-based activities, 80-100 hours of field experiences are required prior to student teaching.

Placement in student teaching sites is planned with consideration of each student's needs and interests. A Department of Education faculty member as well as a resident, experienced teacher supervises each student. A formal application is required approximately two semesters in advance of student teaching. 

To enroll in the final year of study (which includes both field experiences and student teaching), a student must have passed the appropriate ILTS Content Test. In addition, all students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in their graduate courses and a 3.0 GPA in their academic content area (with the exception of Math and Science, where a 2.7 minimum GPA is acceptable in the content area). All courses required for teacher licensure must be completed with grades of C or higher.

Student teaching must be passed with a C or higher. 

The edTPA test will be taken during student teaching. This test is required for licensure. No other course may be taken, nor may a student be employed during student teaching.

In addition to the requirements outlined in this academic catalog, students in the Secondary Education program are obligated to become familiar with and comply with, all requirements outlined in the Initial Licensure Field Experience & Student Teaching Handbook in order to receive a passing grade for field experience and student teaching courses proceeding to licensure. Students enrolled in field experience and student teaching courses will receive the handbook from the Director of Field Placement.

CONTENT REQUIREMENTS

Students who would like to earn a license to teach Secondary Education must choose one of the following content areas for the endorsement; Biology, Chemistry, English, History, Math, or Business. Each content area has a specific set of courses students must enroll in to meet the state standards to earn licensure. Please consult with the Department of Education advisor for further information.

Licensure requirements

In order to qualify for Roosevelt University’s recommendation for the Illinois teaching license and Secondary Education endorsement, students must meet all academic major and general education requirements that are in effect at the time of their application. Students must have also completed 32 semester hours of specific course content.

Students must consult with their education advisor to determine which academic major and general education courses are acceptable toward fulfillment of licensure requirements. Because requirements for licensure, graduation, and continuing enrollment are subject to change, graduates must consult frequently with their education advisors. The advising plan developed at program admission provides the most up-to-date and authoritative information with respect to all program and licensure requirements.

Before issuing a license, the Illinois State Board of Education also requires satisfactory scores on the Educator Teacher Performance Assessment Portfolio (edTPA).

Your degree map is a general guide suggesting courses to complete each term on the academic pathway to your degree. It is based on the most current scheduling information from your academic program. Your program’s degree map is reviewed annually and updated as schedules change (although you retain the same course requirements as long as you are continuously enrolled in your degree program).

Always work closely with your academic advisor to understand curriculum requirements and scheduling, as each student’s academic plan can look slightly different.