Teacher Certification
Please note: ALL certification requirements listed on this web page are subject to change at any time.
State certification is mandatory in all public school settings. Students in elementary and secondary concentrations must pursue state certification in addition to the degree. Elementary and Secondary Teaching applicants (excluding NU-TEACH graduates) must take and pass the Illinois Basic Skills Test before being formally admitted to the MSEd program as matriculated (degree-seeking) students. An application which does not include a passing score report for the Basic Skills Test will be considered incomplete, and will not be reviewed by our admissions committee. Applicants who are not Illinois residents and who are unable to take the Basic Skills Test prior to the application deadline may instead submit a proof of registration to take the test upon relocation to Illinois. In such an instance, the latest possible date you may take the Basic Skills Test is during the first month during which you plan to be enrolled as a matriculated student at Northwestern.
Students with transcripts from universities outside the United States will need to submit their transcripts to a private evaluation service. For more information, see this frequently asked question.
Illinois Certification Testing Service
There are three categories of requirements for teacher certification in the state of Illinois: General Education requirements; Teaching Subject requirements; and Public Education requirements (which include fieldwork). The MSEd coursework is designed to meet this last category of requirements.
Students perform well on certification exams, as demonstrated by the Illinois Certification Test Results. More than 40 states offer reciprocity for Illinois certification to those graduates wishing to teach in states other than Illinois. Individuals considering the program should check with the state board of education for any state in which they hope to teach, regarding specific details related to reciprocity.
BACK TO TOP
Applying for the Teaching License
Students enrolled in the program who are also recommended for certification become eligible for a teaching license upon successful completion of the following:
- all required coursework for the master's degree
- a passing grade in the Illinois Assessment of Professional Teaching exam
- 100-hour practicum
- student teaching
- digital portfolio
- other coursework required for teacher certification as outlined on Summary of Current Deficiencies in General Education and Subject Area Requirements Form. Please contact Meg Kreuser with any questions at certify@northwestern.edu.
When all of the requirements are met, students will apply for certification through the teacher certification office. Students will then be instructed to apply for their certificate electronically through the state's electronic certification system, OTIS. This program will allow the new teacher to print a verification of eligibility for employment in Illinois schools and the actual number of the teaching certificate, which will be mailed to them from the State Board of Education Office in Springfield.
The Illinois School Code requires school districts to perform a national fingerprint-based criminal history records check for all certified and non-certified applicants for employment. Certification can be denied or suspended for certain violations specified in the Illinois School Code, including certain felonies and violations of the Cannabis Control Act and the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, as well as other crimes. The criminal history check must be initiated prior to employment, but the individual may be hired and begin employment, pending the outcome of the criminal history records check.
The MSEd degree uses as its model for general education certification the two-classes-from-each-category distribution requirement of Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. The categories are the Natural Sciences (it is recommended, though not required, that one of the two classes be a lab science); Formal Studies (mathematics; statistics); the Social and Behavioral Sciences; Historical Studies; Values (philosophy; religion); and Literature/Fine Arts. In addition to the Weinberg divisions, the MSEd program requires coursework in "Communications" (which will include two writing classes and a single oratory class) and two courses that offer multicultural/global perspectives. No single class may meet the requirement for more than one category.
Courses designed to fulfill MSEd degree requirements cannot be counted toward the above general education requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Teacher Certification
Download Free Version of Acrobat Reader
BACK TO TOP
Secondary Education Certification
Secondary education certification candidates must meet general education requirements:
General Education RequirementsIn addition to the general education requirements listed above, there is also a subject area certification requirement. To download specific subject area worksheets for secondary certification (required course work, etc.), please click on a subject area below.
 |
English Art Biology Chemistry Physics |
|
French Spanish Latin German Mathematics |
|
Social Science: History Social Science: Sociology Social Science: Political Science Social Science: Economics |
* Please note: all certification requirements listed on this web page are subject to change at any time.
Deficiency courses can be taken through Northwestern University or the School of Continuing Studies.
BACK TO TOP
Elementary Certification
For those seeking elementary certification, the emphasis is on general study. Please submit a completed general education worksheet with your application.
General Education RequirementsIn addition, elementary education students are required to complete 18 semester hours in a concentration. This concentration must be relevant to elementary teaching, including, but not limited to, one of the following: math, biological or physical sciences, history, English, literature, foreign language, art, music, theatre, geography, psychology or sociology. Nine semester hours of this concentration must be upper-level course work and none of the courses can be double-counted to fulfill general education requirements.
BACK TO TOP