Educator Licensure Program Requirements

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To qualify for an Illinois Professional Educator’s Licensure (PEL) for grades 9-12, you must complete a B.A. or B.S. degree in history or in a social science discipline (anthropology, economics, geography, political science, psychology or sociology). A student who earns a professional educator license in history or a social science discipline can add additional social science endorsements by completing at least 12 credit hours in that content area and passing the Illinois State Board of Education Content Test for that area.

Required Coursework

While you are completing your degree, you will also complete the following required coursework:

Social Science Courses 

  • ECON (6 hours): ECON 160, ECON 260, ECON 261 or ECON 425
  • GEOG (6 hours): GEOG 101, and GEOG 202 or GEOG 253
  • HIST (15 hours): HIST 170, HIST 171, HIST 260, HIST 261 HIST 359
  • POLS (6 hours): POLS 100 or POLS 150, and POLS 260 or POLS 285
  • PSYC (3 hours): PSYC 102
  • SOCI (3 hours): SOCI 170
Most of these courses also fulfill general education requirements.

Professional Education Courses 

  • LTRE 311 Content Area Literacy Instruction
  • LTIC 420 Methods and Materials for Teaching English Language Learners in the Content Areas
  • ETRA 422 Technology and Assessment for Middle Level Education and Secondary Education
  • EPS 450 Classroom Management
  • SESE 457 Methods for Including Middle and Secondary Students with Exceptionalities in the General Education Classroom
  • HIST 496 (or cross-listed equivalent) History and Social Science Instruction for Secondary Educators

All professional education courses require permits for enrollment. You can get a permit from the educator licensure advisors.

Clinical Experiences 

  • ILAS 201 First Clinical Experience
  • ILAS 301 Second Clinical Experience
  • HIST 401 Third Clinical Experience
  • HIST 400 Student Teaching Experience

Clinical experiences involve observations and clinical practice in public schools, professional development seminars and written work. You must apply to each clinical one semester in advance. All clinical applications will be emailed to you at your Z-ID e-mail address. Applications for the spring clinical experience are emailed mid-September. Applications for the fall clinical experience are emailed mid-February.

Admission and Retention 

  • Admission: Students are normally admitted at the beginning of their third year of study. Admission to the History and Social Sciences Educator Licensure Program begins with enrollment in the First Clinical Experience, ILAS 201. Students must meet all program requirements, including a passing score on the Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP) and a completed application for ILAS 201.
  • GPA: You must maintain a 2.75 cumulative GPA and a 3.0 discipline (major) GPA for admission and retention in the program. Achieving these minimums does not guarantee admission.
  • C or Better Policy: All courses required for educator licensure must be a grade of “C” or higher.

Tests and Additional Requirements 

  • Illinois State Board of Education Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP): Completed prior to enrollment in ILAS 201.
  • Criminal Background Check: Completed for each clinical placement.
  • Illinois State Board of Education Content Test: Completed prior to student teaching.
  • Illinois State Board of Education edTPA: Completed as part of student teaching. 

Program Communication

All program communication, including clinical application announcements, is conducted using student university email accounts. You should check your z-id email account at least once per week, year round, to avoid missing important program information and deadlines. 

Advising Requirements

Students pursuing licensure should meet with an advisor for their major and an educator licensure advisor each semester.

Contact Us

Department of History
Zulauf 715
815-753-0131
history@niu.edu

Our office is open Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., except for a daily lunch break from noon-1 p.m.

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