Secondary Education (BA and BS)
Make a lifelong impact on your students
The Secondary Education program prepares you to teach 5th through 12th grade in a variety of urban and suburban education settings, including public and private middle schools and high schools. You can graduate with a State of Illinois license to teach designated subject-area content (listed below). The program also provides you an opportunity to receive a Diploma Year Program Award (IB certification) to teach in International Baccalaureate schools world-wide.
As part of the secondary education major, you’ll learn educational theories and effective teaching practices, including how to design and implement curriculum; participate in extensive field experiences at multiple schools, and student-teach for 10 weeks.
The secondary education major program, in preparing you to meet Illinois State Licensure requirements, combines education courses from the College of Education with subject-area courses. Through the program, you have two options for becoming a licensed 5th- through 12th-grade teacher:
- complete the secondary education major degree and a second major in the subject area you intend to teach (double major), or
- complete as part of your secondary education major degree coursework in the subject area you intend to teach.
You can earn either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Education, depending on your subject area.
Classes
Coursework
- Assessment Issues
- Curriculum Development
- Educational Foundations
- Instructional Delivery
- Instructional Strategies
- International Baccalaureate
- Pedagogy and Theories of Teaching and Learning
- Research Methods
Resources
Concentrations/Tracks
- English (BA)
- History (BA)
- Mathematics (BA)
- Social Science (BA)
- Visual Art (BA)
- Biology (BS)
- Chemistry (BS)
- Environmental Science (BS)
- Mathematics (BS)
- Physics (BS)
Career Options
Common Career Areas
- Teaching
- Administration
- Education policy
84%
of Secondary Education graduates were employed, continuing their education or not seeking employment after graduation.
Major Requirements for Secondary Education (BA/BS)
See major requirements for each subject area of the Secondary Education (BA/BS)