Northeastern Illinois University is excited to enroll and engage students in its newly formed Secondary Education Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) and Secondary Education Teacher Licensure Program (T.L.P.).
Taught by faculty in the Department of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies and in the Goodwin College of Education, these two programs prepare individuals to become high school teachers in the state of Illinois.
In both programs, students enter in cohorts and are expected to choose from one of four content areas:
- English Language Arts
- Social Science (History)
- Mathematics
- Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Earth Science)
Secondary Education Overview
The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) and Teacher Licensure Programs (TLP) in Secondary Education have been designed for students who wish to obtain initial teacher licensure as part of a master’s degree, or licensure only.
Candidates will enter the program as part of a cohort (in one of four areas: Language Arts, Social Science [History], Mathematics, or Science [Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Earth Science]), and have the opportunity to both work collaboratively with candidates in other disciplines and intensively with those in their own discipline.
Candidates will be eligible to apply for licensure following their third semester of full-time coursework, and have the option of completing their M.A.T. as either full- or part-time students. Candidates who opt for the TLP will finish with licensure, but no degree.
In order to complete either program and attain licensure, students must complete the following components of coursework:
- Professional core foundation courses
- Content-specific curriculum courses
- Student teaching internship and seminar
- M.A.T. research and elective courses (for those who seek the master's degree)
Credit Hours Required
The Secondary Education Master of Arts in Teaching requires 37 credit hours of coursework and field experience, leading to licensure and a master's degree. View course catalog.
The Secondary Education Teacher Licensure Program requires 31 credit hours of coursework and field experience, leading to licensure. This pathway does not lead to a master's degree; however, there is a pipeline for those who are interested.
Course Schedule
One of the benefits of the Secondary Education programs is the predictable schedule which allows students to only need to be on campus two days a week for the Secondary Education coursework.
Full-time students who begin in the fall will follow a Tuesday-Thursday schedule; full-time students who begin in the spring will follow a Monday-Wednesday schedule. Part time students will alternate their schedule, depending on where they are within the sequence of courses.
Each course meets one time per week in the evenings in one of two time slots—4:15-6:55 p.m. and 7:05-9:45 p.m. Student Teaching seminars typically meet at 5:30-8 p.m. at NEIU's El Centro location to accommodate teaching schedules. Some courses may be offered online.
Admission Requirements
In addition to NEIU's admission requirements through the College of Graduate Studies and Research, students interested in the program must provide the following:
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited university as documented by submission of official transcripts, with undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or greater on a 4-point scale
- Undergraduate major in subject area of desired endorsement or equivalent coursework to meet ISBE requirements for desired endorsement area. (Candidates who require no more than two additional content-area courses may be conditionally admitted but must fulfill their content-area requirements prior to student teaching)
- Admission to the College of Graduate Studies and Research (CGSR)
- 1-2 page statement detailing reasons for applying to the program in their desired content area
- 15-30 minute personal interview
Cost and Financial Aid
View the estimated costs for graduate students and contact financial-aid@neiu.edu
When considering the tuition cost per credit hour, please note that the Secondary Education program's first block of courses is 12 credit hours and the second block of courses is 10 credit hours. Graduate students are considered full time while taking nine or more credit hours in one semester.
Benefits and Career Opportunities
Students who attain licensure through the Secondary Education Program can expect:
- Return on investment through an affordable education
- Classes taught by highly qualified faculty in small classroom settings
- Authentic field experience in urban high schools and communities
- Predictable schedule and personalized faculty attention.
- Licensure to teach at the high school level in Illinois
- Exposure to other career paths, such as teaching abroad and curriculum development
Contact Us
Please contact Vanessa J. King, Student Support Specialist, at v-king@neiu.edu or fill out the Request for Information form below.
