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Degree Requirements

Students must meet all university requirements for a bachelor’s degree, and in addition, students must complete the general education requirement for teacher certification Initial Secondary Certificate listed below. Completion of this requirement meets the general education requirement.

In addition, students must:

  1. have a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.5 or higher;
  2. earn a grade of “C” or better in all general education courses;
  3. have a G.P.A. of 2.75 or higher for all general education courses;
  4. have a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher in English courses with a grade of “C” or better in each course;
  5. have a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher for EDUC4440, EDCP3101 and SPED4100 with a grade of “C” or 
    better in each course;
  6. earn a grade of “B” or better in EDUC2310, EDUC4465, ENGL4100, ENGL4205, ENGL4570, ENGL 4575 and ENGL4580;
  7. earn a grade of “B” or better in EDUC4999: Student Teaching;
  8. complete a minimum of 100 clock-hours of supervised pre-student teaching experiences;
  9. provide evidence of successful completion of Illinois and U.S. Constitution examinations;
  10. complete at least one three-hour course in non-western or third world cultures;
  11. show evidence of having passed the Assessment of Professional Teaching;
  12. meet any additional requirements listed in the “Teacher Certification” section of this catalog; and
  13. receive a positive recommendation for the Secondary Education Student Progress Committee.

I. General Education Requirement for Teacher Certification, Standard Secondary Certificate, English (42 Hours)

The following courses can be taken at either the lower-division or upper-division level: 

Written Communication (6)
Oral Communication (3)
Humanities(English, Foreign Language, History and/or Philosophy) (6)
Fine Arts (Art, Music, and/or Theater) (3)
Non-Western/Third World Cultures (3)
Mathematics (3)
Biological and Physical Science (including one laboratory course) (7)
U.S. History (3)
U.S. Government (3)
Introduction to Psychology (3)
Health (2) 

II. English Core (54 Hours)

The following courses can be taken at either the lower- division or upper-division level: 

English Literature I (3)
English Literature II (3)
Studies in Mythology (3)
American Literature I (3)
American Literature II (3) 

The following courses must be taken at the upper-division level: 

ENGL 3330 Studies in Literature (3)
ENGL 4100 Advanced Composition (3)
ENGL 4200 Literary Criticism (3)
ENGL 4205 Modern English Grammar (3)
ENGL 4505 Major English Authors (3)
ENGL 4510 Major American Authors (3)
ENGL 4515 Major Black Authors (3)
ENGL 4520 Contemporary Literature (3)
ENGL 4550 Shakespeare's Plays (3)
ENGL 4600 Rhetorical Theory and Practice (3) 

III. Professional Education (27 Hours)

The following courses can be taken at either the lower- division or upper-division level: 

EDUC 2310 Foundations of Education (3)
SPED 4100 Survey of Students with Exceptionalities (3) 

The following courses must be taken at the upper-division level: 

EDCP 3101 Introduction to Educational Technology (3)
EDUC 4440 Educational Psychology in Action (3)
EDUC 4465 Methods of Teaching English (3)
ENGL 4570 Writing Theory/Practice in the Secondary Classroom (3)
ENGL 4575 Reading Theory and Practice in Secondary Schools(3)
ENGL 4580 Read & Rap: Literature for Young Adult Readers (3)
EDUC 4999 Student Teaching (12) 

IV. Total -123 Hours