Secondary Education (MAT)

Areas of Study*

Program Entry Courses (9 credit hours): Prerequisites to Professional Courses and admission to the College of Education.

• EDUC 6435 (3 credit hours) Introduction to Education
  The student will explore the origins of standards-based education in our American educational system.  It introduces students to the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors of effective teachers.  The course also provides background to the context of contemporary education through an examination of historical, philosophical and political influences.
• EDUC 6045 (3 credit hours) Theories of Learning and Cognition
  The student will be introduced to learning theory and research on cognition.  Emphasis will be placed on connecting principles of learning theory to classroom practice and the concept of developmentally appropriate instruction.
• EDUC 6040 (3 credit hours) Classroom Teaching Skills
  The student will explore the variety of skills necessary for effective classroom instruction. Enrollment is limited to graduate students working toward initial certification. Required for admittance to the College of Education.

Upon completion of the Program Entry Courses, Education Studies students must be admitted to the College of Education to continue and enter the MAT Secondary education program as Teacher Candidates before enrolling into the Professional Courses. See Transition Points in the MAT Secondary Program section in the Graduate Catalog for more information.

Professional Courses - 21 hours

• EDUC 6415 (3 credit hours) Professional Responsibility and Ethics for Teachers
  The student will develop an understanding of and commitment to Illinois Teacher Code of Ethics. Through case examinations, candidates will consider how school law impacts the life of the classroom.  The development of professionalism and teaching with integrity will also be explored.
• EDUC 6425 (3 credit hours) Psychology and Methods of Teaching the Exceptional Learner
  The student will focus on the identification and characteristics of exceptional learners; applicable laws and policies; educational program development based on empirically-supported instructional techniques for diverse learners; appropriate assessment and record-keeping procedures; and transition planning for students with Individualized Educational Plans.
• EDSC 6570 (3 credit hours) Teaching at the Secondary Level
  The student will take an in-depth look at aspects related to the secondary school environment, functioning in a professional manner, and the instructional methods involved in developing curriculum, assessment, and classroom management strategies for all students, including those students who have special needs.  Under the guidance of an experienced teacher and a qualified university faculty member, the clinical component for this course is a supervised experience in an approved parochial or public school setting. 
• EDUC 6445 (3 credit hours) Introduction to Research for Pre-Service Teachers
  The student will be introduced to the purposes, scope and design of Educational research.  The intended outcomes of the course would be to understand the role of research in educational design and decision making, to create consumers of research within the pre-service teaching community, and to learn how to incorporate appropriate research practices into instructional settings.
• EDSC 6230 (3 credit hours) Literacy Instruction in Content Area
  The student will explore the teaching of reading and writing to secondary education students.  Emphasis on language acquisition; instructional approaches; reading processes; writing; reading materials; assessment; vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency strategies; analyzing, evaluating, synthesizing, and summarizing information; integrating reading, writing, and oral communication; collaborating with others; and stimulating discussion in the content areas.  Admission to Teacher Candidacy is required.
• EDUC 6060 (3 credit hours) Classroom Management and Assessment
  The student will explore appropriate classroom management strategies and provides an introduction to classroom assessment and evaluation. Full day course experience required with on-site field experiences. Enrollment limited to graduate students working toward initial teacher certification.

Professional Instructional Methods course in the content area (Choose 1 based on content endorsement):

• EDSC 6606 (3 credit hours) Teaching Mathematics: Middle and Secondary Schools
  The student will develop an understanding of mathematics content and the methodology necessary to teach middle and high school students.  Field experience required.
• EDSC 6619 (3 credit hours) Teaching Social Studies: Middle and Secondary Level
  The student will develop an understanding of social studies content and the methodology necessary to teach middle and high school students. Field experience required.
• EDSC 6618 (3 credit hours) Teaching Science: Middle and Secondary Schools
  This course develops the pre-service teachers understanding of science content and the methodology necessary to teach middle and high school students.  Field experience required.
  Student Teaching Internship Semester - 3-6 hours
• EDUC 6985 (0 credit hours) Student Teaching Seminar
  • Focus on portfolio related issues, skills, and areas of knowledge, specifically in preparation for submitting the student teaching summative assessment.
  • Fee: Required
  • Prerequisite: Enrolled in Student Teaching internship or Capstone

• EDSC 6602 (3 credit hours) Teaching English: Middle and Secondary Schools
  The student will develop an understanding of English and Language Arts content and the methodology necessary to teach middle and high school students. Field experience required.
• EDUC 6922 (6 credit hours) Student Teaching: Secondary Education
  The Student Teaching Internship is an assignment to teach for 16 weeks in a secondary setting in the candidate’s subject endorsement area under the guidance of a classroom cooperating teacher. The intern will be supported and evaluated by the university supervisor. Candidates must meet the requirements for Transition Point Two: Admission to the Student Teaching Internship Semester to begin the internship. Subsequently, candidates must meet the requirements for Transition Point Three: Completion of the Student Teaching Internship Semester. Attendance at scheduled Summative Portfolio Assessment seminars and Colloquium is required.
  or
• EDUC 6925 (3 credit hours) Capstone Student Teaching: Secondary Education
  An accelerated pathway for eligible teaching candidates that will waive the traditional, supervised student teaching experience in favor of a MAT Capstone Course where the approved teacher candidate will teach in their own classroom under the guidance of an authorized school official in lieu of the 16-week student teaching internship course. This course for students in the accelerated pathway will be a 3-credit hour course including completion of the Summative Portfolio Assessment and a Positive Impact Presentation (PIP) and all other requirements as outlined by ISBE. Prerequisite: Provisional and final approval by the Director of the Office of Field Experience and the division chair. B or higher in EDSC-6602, EDSC-6605, EDSC-6606, EDSC-6618, EDSC-6619, EDEL-6908, EDEL-6910 or EDEL-6918. Pass/Fail only.

The College of Education Student Manual provides details and guidelines for meeting the criteria for successful completion of the Internship Semester and the process for obtaining the Illinois Professional Educator License. Successful completion includes

• Satisfactory completion of the Internship by meeting or exceeding all assessment benchmarks.
• Prepare and present documentation of positive impacts on student learning from your internship teaching (Positive Impact Presentation).
• Complete all State required assessments at the time of the internship (Content Area Test).
• Summative Portfolio
• Positive Impact Presentation (PIP)

Capstone Experience

• Positive Impact Presentation
• edTPA – portfolio to be submitted and achieve a passing score prior to licensing.

 Clinical Experience (Pre-Professional Hours)

• 100 hours – all pre-professional hours are embedded in the MAT coursework and must be completed prior to student teaching).

Each course will describe the number of hours required to be completed in classrooms and the nature of the experience that a candidate must complete.

Lutheran Teacher Diploma (Optional) 20 hours: Meets Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) Theology requirements to enter the commissioned ministry for educators

• THY 2000 The Old Testament
• THY 2200 Faith of the Christian Church
• THY 3100 The New Testament
• THY 3200 Christian Life
• THY 3300 History of Christian Biography
• THY 4410 World Religions
• EDUC 4900 Lutheran Teachers: Vocation and Methods

Subject Area Endorsements for Secondary Education

Please see Academic Advisor for details. 

Seminar in Higher Education (EDU 6015)

In addition to the base program curriculum, international students attending face-to-face classes on the CUC campus are required to take the Seminar in Higher Education, a 3-credit course. This requirement will not apply to international DBA students studying exclusively online.