The requirements below are those approved by the Illinois State Board of Education December 2015.
Admission Requirements
To be eligible for the Elementary Education Licensure program, students must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
To apply, please submit the following materials to the Office of Graduate Admission:
- A completed College of Education graduate application
- Online application fee
- One official transcript from each college and/or university attended
- Two letters of recommendation from professors or employer
- Resume
- A brief statement which explains your reasons for wanting to enter the Elementary or Middle School program at DePaul and discusses your potential for becoming a teacher.
Content Area Prerequisites
Elementary Education teachers need to have an understanding of the subjects taught in classrooms at the Elementary level. DePaul’s program requires that students in the Elementary program have a minimum of one college-level course in each of the following areas:
- mathematics1
- physical science
- life science
- earth and space science
- history
- geography
- political science/civics
- economics
These courses may be taken at the undergraduate level and may have been included in the student’s bachelor’s degree program. Elementary Education students will be evaluated by an academic advisor after admission to determine if additional coursework is needed. Completion of content area requirements are not prerequisites for admission, however coursework must be completed before student teaching. It is strongly encouraged that applicants meet with an advisor after admission and prior to taking content courses.
- 1
DePaul alumni that have taken MAT 120 or ISP 120 can receive credit towards the math requirement.
Course Requirements
Introductory Courses: 17 Quarter Hours Required
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| T&L 404 | INTRODUCTION TO ELEMENTARY EDUCATION | 4 |
| SCG 403 | HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING: ELEMENTARY | 4 |
| T&L 583 | FIELD EXPERIENCE LAB | 1 |
| T&L 418 | LEARNING THROUGH THE ARTS | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| EDUCATION AND SOCIETY | ||
| SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION | ||
| PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION | ||
Advanced Courses: 35 Quarter Hours Required
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| T&L 412 | EMERGING READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS | 4 |
| T&L 416 | TEACHING AND LEARNING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MATHEMATICS | 4 |
| T&L 583 | FIELD EXPERIENCE LAB | 1 |
| SER 446 | PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION OF THE EXCEPTIONAL CHILD | 4 |
| T&L 413 | READING/LANGUAGE ARTS IN THE INTERMEDIATE GRADES | 4 |
| T&L 583 | FIELD EXPERIENCE LAB (public school setting required) | 1 |
| T&L 415 | TEACHING AND LEARNING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE | 4 |
| T&L 419 | CURRICULUM AND STRATEGIES: SOCIAL STUDIES | 4 |
| T&L 584 | PRE-STUDENT TEACHING FIELD EXPERIENCE | 1 |
| T&L 422 | CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT | 4 |
| BBE 400 | TEACHING ELEMENTARY ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS: THEORY, POLICY AND PRACTICE | 4 |
Student Teaching: 8 Quarter Hours Required
Registration in student teaching requires completion of all requirements and procedures listed in the college core section. EDU 95 indicates to the Illinois State Board of Education that all field experience hours are complete.
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| T&L 585 | ELEMENTARY STUDENT TEACHING (grade of B- or better required) | 6 |
| T&L 586 | ELEMENTARY STUDENT TEACHING SEMINAR (grade of C or better required) | 2 |
| EDU 95 | CLINICAL EXPERIENCE WITH CHILDREN AND YOUTH (non-credit, non-tuition, PA grade required) | 0 |
Licensure Tests
All individuals licensed by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) are required to complete licensure tests specific to their teaching license. Elementary majors must complete the following tests:
- Elementary/Middle Grades Content Area Test (test #305) – assesses knowledge of language arts and literacy, mathematics, science, social sciences, the arts, health, and physical education. Test is required before Student Teaching (deadlines apply).
- EdTPA - assessment conducted during the student teaching experience including video clips of instruction, lesson plans, student work samples, analysis of student learning and reflective commentaries. Students will submit an electronic portfolio to an outside agency for independent evaluation and a fee will be imposed by that agency as part of the assessment.
Field Experiences
Each student seeking licensure from the College of Education/Professional Education Unit must complete supervised field experiences in appropriate lab settings in conjunction with education courses. Students are required to register for one lab for designated paired course. For example, during the first quarter of the program students must register for T&L 404 and SCG 403 plus one field experience lab. During the quarter when students take take T&L 413 and SER 446, a public school that services students with special needs is required. The field experiences must include a variety of grade levels, multicultural experiences, and a minimum of 15 hours in special education settings. All field experiences must be completed prior to final approval for student teaching. Field experience hours should be entered by the student into the FEDS system when completing courses with field experience requirements. For details on requirements, expectations, documentation, & courses in your program that require hours, visit the College of Education website.
Additional Requirements
Please also view the college core requirements under the MA or MED for Elementary Education for additional requirements. Note that the Elementary Education Licensure program listed above does not lead to a degree.