SECONDARY EDUCATION (MA/MED)
Inspire and prepare youth for success
Apply your passion for teaching and become an advocate for young people with a Secondary Education MA/MEd from DePaul. High school teachers are not only subject matter experts, but they also offer much more as teacher-leaders who transform student lives. In this program you’ll use your expertise to present engaging and interactive methods to motivate students and ignite their desire to learn.
You have the option to pursue an initial Illinois Teaching License (PEL) with a Secondary Education (grades 5–12) endorsement, or if you are already a licensed teacher, you can add a Secondary Education (grades 5–12) endorsement to your PEL. Choose from one of the following content areas:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- English
- Environmental Science
- History
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Social Sciences
- Visual Arts
Courses are held weekday evenings at DePaul's Lincoln Park Campus, online, or as a hybrid of both. Field experience and student teaching requirements are fulfilled during weekdays. The program can be completed in two years.
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Connect to the classrooms of Chicago
You’ll gain practical skills in field experiences in Chicago Public Schools, charter schools and private schools in the city. Designed to provide you with the theory and practice necessary to succeed in any classroom, the program culminates with 10-weeks full-time student teaching.
Application Deadlines
Applications are reviewed on a continuous basis. Priority deadlines for scholarships are as follows:
- Fall: August 15
- Winter: December 1
- Spring: March 1
- Summer: May 1
Admission Requirements
Submit an online application, official transcripts, letters of recommendation, résumé and personal statement.
Required Courses
You’ll take a total of 56 quarter hours, complete field experiences and student teaching, meet content area requirements and pass state licensure exams. The MA, requires an additional course and thesis.
92%
of master’s graduates from the College of Education were employed, continuing their education or pursuing other goals within six months of graduation.
$50k
The average reported salary for Secondary Education graduates was $50,000.
Insights from experts in secondary education
Professor Christopher Worthman teaches an Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program at Cook County Correctional Facilities. The course, “Deconstructing the School-to-Prison Pipeline,” brings DePaul students to the jail for a university class with incarcerated individuals. Worthman also coordinates an international educational program that unites faculty from universities in Mexico, Ecuador, Honduras, and other countries; the program has prepared nearly 250 faculty members to internationalize their curriculum in the past 11 years.
“In my current position, I have been able to incorporate everything I‘ve learned from my previous years in teaching with my time studying at DePaul. I’ve been able to build my network, refine my pedagogy, learn new standards and skills because of my coursework at DePaul and my teaching experience. I developed a deeper understanding on how to navigate the system of education because the program had us constantly engaging in classrooms throughout the city.”
Pedro (MEd ’13)
English teacher, Francis W. Parker School
Alumni Network
Your degree connects you with DePaul’s community of more than 195,500 alumni, 122,500 of whom are in the Chicago area. Alumni have gone on to work as school administrators, such as department chairs, curriculum specialists or assistant principals. You’ll also have the credentials to work as an adult education teacher, a community educator or tutor, an education consultant or in textbook publishing.
Scholarships
Scholarships such as the The John and Frances Beck Endowed Scholarship are available to graduate students in the College of Education, based on academic standing, degree program and financial need. Learn more about the financial aid and scholarship opportunities available to you.
Secondary Education Program Admission Requirements
Admission Eligibility
DePaul offers two program options in Secondary Education: Secondary Education master's degree and Secondary Education Endorsement. To be eligible to enroll in either of these programs, students must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
Application Requirements
A complete application to the Secondary Education program will include the following materials:
- Graduate admission application
- Official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended
- Résumé
- Two letters of recommendation (from work supervisors or academic references)
- Personal statement that briefly states your reasons for wanting to enter the Secondary Education program at DePaul University and speaks to your potential for becoming a teacher (minimum 750 words)
- $40 application fee
Applicants who have earned a degree outside of the U.S. or who will be considered international students must submit additional materials. Visit our International Students page for more information.
Applicants can upload supplemental application materials, send requests for letters of recommendation, and pay the application fee through our online application system.
Application Deadlines
The Secondary Education program admits new students every quarter: fall, winter, spring and summer. It offers rolling admission, but the regular deadlines are set to assure students full consideration for admission and financial aid. The program will continue to accept and process applications after the regular deadline if space is available.
|
Term |
Regular Deadline |
|---|---|
|
Fall |
August 15 |
|
Winter |
December 1 |
|
Spring |
March 1 |
|
Summer |
May 1 |
Applicants typically receive an admission decision 3-4 weeks after submitting a complete application.
Information Sessions
Learn more about the Secondary Education graduate program and meet with program faculty at an upcoming information session.
Degree Requirements
Students entering the program must be able and willing to devote themselves to a program requiring a minimum of 100-110 hours of daytime field experiences in schools. These school-based clinical hours are completed in conjunction with methodology courses that require students to spend daytime hours in schools. In addition, the student must spend a minimum of 10 weeks in full-time student teaching.
The program includes five distinctive features:
- Becoming a teacher is viewed as a developmental process continuing at least through the first year of teaching
- Multiculturalism is infused throughout the curriculum
- Field experiences are an integral part of the curriculum
- Students are exposed to a variety of educational theories
- The program includes a research component as a basis for further professional development.
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