Licensure to teach high school students and PK-12 students in special subjects in Illinois requires both a content major and education pedagogy coursework. The EICS Department offers undergraduate and post-baccalaureate programs for students seeking PK-12 licensure to teach art, music, or Spanish. For preparation to become a physical education teacher, see the Health Sciences & Physical Education section of the academic catalog.
Aspiring 9-12 biology, chemistry, earth science, English, history, mathematics, and physics teachers complete their pedagogical preparation at the post-baccalaureate level through either the Teacher Licensure Program (TLP) or Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program. Students are encouraged to enroll in the CASEP program throughout their undergraduate years. NEIU's policy for Undergraduates Enrolling in Graduate Coursework (see policy here), enables qualified students to begin education coursework as seniors.
Please consult with the Secondary Education Program advisor and content area advisor for guidance to complete the content area major and transition smoothly into the TLP or MAT program. Learn more about the Secondary Education (9-12) programs here.
Policy On Transfer Of Professional Education Courses Into Teacher Licensure Programs
Students who are admitted to a program in secondary or K-12/PK-12 education will be credited with a maximum of 9 semester credit hours of professional education coursework provided that:
-
The specific transfer coursework is deemed to be equivalent in scope and credit hours to the required coursework in the respective NEIU education program as stated in the current NEIU Catalog.
-
The specific transfer coursework has been completed within five years of the time of acceptance into the undergraduate NEIU Goodwin College of Education program, or graduate TLP or MAT Program. (ex. If a student is admitted in 2021, no coursework prior to 2016 can be accepted.)
-
The specific transfer coursework was credited with a “B” grade or better.
Policy on “Field Experience Only” Requests
All students who seek to enroll in clinical experiences or student teaching in any approved secondary education or K-12/PK-12 program are required to be admitted to an undergraduate program, a second BA program, a Focused Program, the Teacher Licensure Program (TLP) or MAT program. No student with a “student-at-large” status will be admitted to clinical or student teaching experience, and no student will be permitted to take a clinical experience or student teaching only.
Focused Program
In accordance with the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Administrative Code Section 25, Northeastern Illinois University offers a Focused Program for teachers who hold current licensure.
The Focused Program allows licensed teachers to obtain additional subsequent endorsements in most subject areas and grade bands, including art, dance, computer science, high school and middle school subjects, and others. An individualized, focused program will be developed based on each student's transcripted coursework and state requirements.
Candidates who complete a focused subsequent endorsement program will be recommended for the endorsement by entitlement. For further information, please contact Ms. Vanessa King at 773-442-5387 or send an email to gcoe@neiu.edu.
Undergraduate Programs for PK-12 Licensure in Art, Music, or Spanish
NOTE: Students who hold a bachelor's degree and who are seeking PK-12 licensure through the Teacher Licensure Program are admitted through the College of Graduate Studies and Research. See the MAT/TLP-Secondary section of this catalog or contact Ms. Vanessa King at v-king@neiu.edu for more information.
The professional education sequence in PK-12 education leads to entitlement for the Professional Educator License (PEL) in one of the following PK-12 licensure programs:
PK-12:
- Visual Arts
- Music
- Foreign Language: Spanish
Please note that the PK-12 Education Sequence alone does not constitute a major at Northeastern.
Undergraduate students seeking PK-12 teacher licensure declare a major in the academic subject area. The PK-12 education program qualifies as “an area of study in addition to the major” and fulfills graduation requirements.
Each licensure or endorsement program involves three types of requirements:
-
Requirements for an academic major;
-
Specific general education requirements (see advisor for details);
-
Professional PK-12 education requirements.
Upon completion of these requirements, students are expected to demonstrate:
-
A depth of knowledge in their chosen academic discipline;
-
Knowledge of the principles of human growth and development and of learning;
-
Knowledge of students with varying racial/ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds;
-
Knowledge of the wide range of abilities and special needs of students; and
-
The ability to apply their knowledge and skills as they develop effective learning experiences for students during the methods and the clinical components of the professional education sequence.
Requirements for an Academic Major
Students seeking the Illinois Professional Educator License (PEL) endorsed for specific areas at grades PK-12 must fulfill all requirements for their academic major. For specific information about major requirements, please refer to the catalog entry for the content area. If you are interested in adding a middle school endorsement, consult with your advisor for further information.
To be licensed in some academic areas, students are required to make prescribed choices among given electives in the academic major and/or they are required to complete additional courses in their academic area. These prescribed choices and/or additional required courses are specified below for each academic major.
Art
The Major in Art for the Bachelor of Arts Degree meets the requirements for PK-12 teacher licensure. To fulfill requirements for licensure, students must select the emphasis in Studio Art.
Music
The Major in Music for the Bachelor of Music Degree including both Emphasis IIa: Secondary Education: Vocal Music and Emphasis IIb: Secondary Education: Instrumental Music meet the requirements for PK-12 teacher licensure. See Music Department, College of Arts and Sciences.
Spanish
The Major in Spanish for the Bachelor of Arts Degree meets the requirements for PK-12 teacher licensure.
Physical Education
Students seeking licensure to teach Physical Education should refer to the Department of Health Sciences & Physical Education section of this catalog.
Admission and Retention Requirements for Undergraduate PK-12 Programs
Consult with advisor for Program Admission Requirements
Level I
Requirements for enrollment in SCED-301 or SCED-311:
- Completed admission to the Goodwin College of Education
- Completion of EDFN-305 and EDFN-306 with a ‘C’ or better
- Completion of a minimum 21 semester credit hours in major
- Declaration of Academic Major and secondary education major/area
- Overall grade point of 2.75 or better.
Level II
Requirements for admission to courses in the SCED 303 series and SCED 304 series (or MUS-393L):
-
Concurrent registration in EDFN-307 if not taken in Level I
-
Completion of or registration in LTCY-301
-
Cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or better
-
Completion of required number of semester hours in major (varies with major). No more than 9 semester credit hours remaining in the major
-
Completion of all application requirements for clinical and student teaching experiences, as specified by the Clinical Experiences and Student Teaching (CEST) Office
Level III
Requirements for admission into the SCED 305 series (Student Teaching):
-
Cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or better
-
Overall grade point of 2.75 or better in professional education sequence courses
-
Completion of required number of credit hours in major (varies with major). No more than six semester hours remaining in the major
-
Completion of all application requirements as specified by the CEST Office
-
Completion of EDFN-307 with a ‘C’ or better
-
Completion of the appropriate course in the SCED 303 series specific to discipline (with a ‘C’ or better), and the appropriate clinical course in the SCED 304 series with a ‘B’ or better or MUS-393L
-
Passing score on the appropriate ILTS Content Area Test
Level IV
Required for Program Completion and Entitlement for Illinois Licensure:
-
Completion of a minimum of 120 semester credit hours
-
Completion of required courses for state licensure
-
Completion of NEIU General Education Requirements
-
Completion of academic major with no grades less than ‘C’
-
Completion of all requirements in level I-III
-
Completion of the appropriate Student Teaching course in the SCED 305 series with a ‘B’ or better
-
Passing score on the Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) for program completion/entitlement.
-
Overall grade point of 2.75 or better.
If a candidate does not meet the requirements outlined in Level 4, he/she may choose to seek degree completion through the discipline in the College of Arts and Sciences provided he/she meets the degree requirements of the individual discipline.
Additional Requirements for Licensure
In addition to the successful completion of the Academic major, students must complete the general education requirements for the Goodwin College of Education. Transfer students and second BA candidates should consult their advisors concerning general education requirements.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Other General Education requirements | ||
| Written communication | ||
| Writing I and Writing II 1 | ||
| Oral communication | ||
| Public Speaking 1 | ||
or CMTC-202 | Voice and Diction | |
| Mathematics 1 | 3 | |
| Any College-Level Mathematics (100-level or above) | ||
- 1
must receive a grade of “C” or higher
Professional Education Requirements
NEIU's K-12/PK-12 Programs require all students enrolled in teacher licensure programs to complete 100 hours of clinical experience in a recognized elementary and/or secondary school prior to student teaching. The professional education requirements are as follows:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDFN-305 | Philosophical And Historical Foundations Of Public Education | 3 |
| EDFN-306 | Education And Individual Differences 1 | 3 |
| EDFN-307 | Psychology Of Instruction And Learning 1 | 3 |
| LTCY-301 | Foundations Of Literacy Instruction In Secondary Grades | 3 |
| SCED-311 | Writing Intensive Program: School Curriculum | 3 |
| SCED-303A | Contemporary Art Education In The Secondary School 2 | 3 |
| or SCED-303F | Teaching Modern Foreign Languages In The Secondary School | |
| or SCED-303I | Methods And Techniques Of Teaching Music In Secondary School:Instrumental | |
| or SCED-303V | Methods And Techniques Of Teaching Music In Secondary Schools:Vocal | |
| SCED-304A | Clinical Experiences In The Secondary School:Art 3 | 1 |
| or SCED-304J | Foreign Language Clinical Experience In The Secondary School | |
| or MUS-393L | Clinical Field Experience | |
| SCED-305A | Secondary Student Teaching And Seminar In Art 4 | 9 |
| or SCED-305J | Secondary Student Teaching And Seminar In Spanish | |
| or SCED-305N | Secondary Student Teaching And Seminar In Music | |
- 1
This course includes ten clock hours of observation and ten clock hours of service experience in an appropriate setting.
- 2
Courses in the SCED 303 series must be taken concurrently with the appropriate clinical experience in the SCED 304 series. Music majors must complete 6 credit hours in the SCED 303 series (SCED-303I and SCED-303V), taken concurrently with MUS 393L
- 3
This course requires 100 clock hours of clinical experience with a cooperating teacher in the appropriate subject at a local secondary school. It must be taken concurrently with the appropriate course in the SCED 303 series. (See Clinical Experiences and Student Teaching section for application procedures)
- 4
This course requires full-time experience with a cooperating teacher in the appropriate subject at a local secondary school. (See Clinical Experiences and Student Teaching section for application procedures)
NOTE: No professional education course may be taken more than twice to achieve an acceptable grade. All students must consult with both the Academic Major advisor and the Secondary Education Major advisor while progressing through the professional sequence coursework, in pursuit of teacher licensure.