Secondary Education, M.A.T., English/Language Arts Concentration (Traditional Program)

This program is for those with a baccalaureate degree and undergraduate coursework in English who seek Illinois secondary education licensure. Graduates will be eligible for a Professional Educator License endorsed for secondary education/ English/Language Arts (grades 9 to 12). Visit Licensure and Endorsement at NLU for more details.

For more information on state licensure and certification information please visit NLU’s Public Disclosures page. 

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):

1.      Develop and practice a philosophy of education based on self-reflection.
 
2.      Use knowledge of students to design a respectful learning community in which learning experiences are engaging, challenging, and meet the diverse needs of all learners.
 
3.      Develop instructional practices that facilitate higher-order thinking and depth of student understanding.
 
4.      Design and use formative and summative assessments that align with learning outcomes, inform instruction, and measure multiple forms of evidence. 
 
5.      Provide ongoing, meaningful performance feedback to enhance student learning.
 
6.      Use current technology that is appropriate to the instructional outcomes, complements content-specific material, and actively engages students.
 
7.      Exhibit a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of being a teacher.

In addition to National College of Education Graduate Admissions Requirements, applicants must:

  • Have a grade point average of 3.0 or better in English coursework
  • Have 32 semester hours of coursework in English (12 semester hours of upper division courses must be completed with a grade of "B" or better)
  • Pass the Content Test in English/Language Arts

In addition, candidates must fulfill all of the areas listed below:

  • 9 SH in Writing Skills: 6 SH of Composition (Comp I/II, advanced writing courses or writing-intensive courses) and 3 SH of Creative Writing
  • 17 SH must be in Literature: one course in each of the following areas:
    • Introduction to Literary Criticism
    • American Literature
    • English Literature
    • Non-Western or Ethnic American Literature
    • Shakespeare
    • Poetry or Adolescent Literature
  • 6 SH can be in writing, literature, speech or journalism

Program Details:

  • Requires 34 SH for completion
  • Requires student teaching. Student teachers spend a minimum of 11 weeks in the classroom at an assigned school.

Required Courses

MAT Core - 4 SH

EPS 511Human Learning and Development in Instructional Contexts

2

FND 510Social Justice Perspectives on the History and Philosophy of American Education

2

Secondary Education – English Requirements - 24 SH

CIL 505Methods and Materials for Teaching English as a Second Language

3

RLP 540Teaching Content Area Literacy at the Middle and Secondary Level

3

SEC 502Introduction to Teaching at the Secondary Level

3

SEC 512Methods of Teaching English at the Secondary Level

3

SEC 581BSecondary Education Practicum

3

SEC 590BStudent Teaching Seminar

6

SPE 500Introduction to and Methods of Teaching Students with Disabilities

3

 

Secondary Education Elective Options - 6 SH

Choose one pair of the courses below:

CIL 500Foundations of ESL and Bilingual Education

3

and

CIL 510Assessment of ESL and Bilingual Education Students

3

or

MGE 501Introduction to Middle Grades Education: Young Adolescents in Context I

2 TO 3

and one of the following courses

MGE 509Integrated Curriculum in the Middle Grades

1 TO 3

MGE 510Methods of Teaching Middle Grades Science

3

MGE 512Methods of Teaching Middle Grades English/Language Arts

3

MGE 514Methods of Teaching Middle Grades Mathematics

3

MGE 518Methods of Teaching Middle Grades Social Studies

3

or

RLW 541Teaching Writing

2 TO 3

and

RLL 520Survey of Youth Literature, PreK-12

3

or

RLR 502Teaching Comprehension and Content Area Reading

3

or

SPE 501Educational and Diagnostic Assessment of Exceptional Children and Adolescents

3

and

SPE 506Frameworks, Perspectives, and Collaboration in Special Education

3

Note: If selected, MGE 501, MGE 509 and RLW 541 must be taken for 3 semester hours.

The following courses are required for licensure:

CIL 505Methods and Materials for Teaching English as a Second Language

3

EPS 511Human Learning and Development in Instructional Contexts

2

FND 510Social Justice Perspectives on the History and Philosophy of American Education

2

RLP 540Teaching Content Area Literacy at the Middle and Secondary Level

3

SEC 502Introduction to Teaching at the Secondary Level

3

SEC 512Methods of Teaching English at the Secondary Level

3

SEC 581BSecondary Education Practicum

3

SEC 590BStudent Teaching Seminar

6

SPE 500Introduction to and Methods of Teaching Students with Disabilities

3

Note: Candidates may become licensed prior to completion of the M.A.T. degree, and have six years from the beginning of coursework to complete the degree. Candidates are strongly advised to complete their degree.

Secondary Education Student Teaching Enrollment Requirements

Admission to and continuance in student teaching are contingent on the following actions.

Candidates must:

  • Be accepted into the graduate program of National College of Education
  • File, by the designated deadline, the application form for student teaching
  • Submit to their advisor a report of a TB test taken within 90 days of the student teaching placement, results of criminal background check and acknowledgement of Mandated Reporter status form
  • Turn in a signed log of all the pre-clinical hours specified in their pre-clinical hours required for the program
  • Complete all of their licensure courses except for SEC 590B (Student Teaching)
  • Pass all methods courses at National Louis University with a grade no lower than a B
  • Participate in faculty assessment and receive approval of his or her portfolio (Livetext)
  • Provide evidence of emotional stability, adequate personality adjustment and competency as indicated by licensure coursework and departmental assessments