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Post-Certification Students FAQs Endorsement & Electives FAQs*New*
Don't see your question here? Try our Current Students FAQs Page!
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I've been away from the university for over a year and I want to register for the rest of my MAT coursework. How should I go about it?
Students have six years from the date of their first course to finish their coursework at NLU. If you have left the program and wish to re-enter, you may follow the steps outlined in the Procedures for Completing Program Out of Sequence document. Make sure to contact your advisor as well so that they can help you through the process. If you are not sure who your advisor is (or if that person is no longer with the university), please refer to the Cluster Advisor List. If you leave the program for over a year after finishing your cluster coursework, you will need to re-enroll at the university by going to Student Services on any campus and filling out a Re-Entry Form or by faxing the Re-Entry Form to the Office of the Registrar, at (847) 465-4746. Please be aware that when you re-enroll, you will be responsible for completing the new program requirements, which may entail taking extra hours of coursework.
Remember that you cannot register online. Instead, you must register by using the blue form in the Quarterly or by downloading the Graduate Registration Form and then faxing it the Office of the Registrar, at (847) 465-4746.
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| I've finished my certification and M.A.T. cluster work. What additional courses do I have to register for?
Courses to take if you entered a cluster Before the Summer of 2006
Course requirements have changed for students who entered their cluster before the Summer of 2006.
Use the following charts to determine what courses you need to take:
Previously Required Courses
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New Required Courses
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EPS 510 (2) or EPS 541 (2)
ESR 506 (2)
ESR 507 (2)
| SEC 525 (4)
ESR 514 (3)
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ESR 506 and ESR 507 will only be available until Fall 2008. It is strongly recommended that if you have taken one of these courses that you take the other one by Fall 2008. If you do not register for ESR 506 or ESR 507 by that time, you will have to take ESR 514 instead. If you've already taken...
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...then register for...
(ESR 506/ESR 507 Available Until Fall 2008)
| None of the Previously Required Courses.
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SEC 525 (register for 4 semester hours)
and
ESR 514 (3)
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ESR 506 (2) or ESR 507 (2)
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ESR 506 (2) or ESR 507 (2)
and
SEC 525 (3)
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ESR 506 (2) and ESR 507 (2)
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SEC 525 (3)
| EPS 510 (2) or EPS 541 (2)
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ESR 514 (3)
and
SEC 525 (3)
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EPS 510 (2) or EPS 541 (2)
and
ESR 506 (2) or ESR 507 (2)
| ESR 506 (2) or ESR 507 (2)
and
Independent Study (1) or Workshop (1)
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In addition to the above coursework, you are still responsible for taking two elective courses from one of the areas listed below: | Reading* | ESL | Middle Level**
| Special Education***
| RLR 502 or
| CIL 500
| MLE 500 | SPE 501
| RLR 503 and
| CIL 505
| MLE 502
| SPE 506
| RLL 522* or
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| RLL 528*
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| For a full list of course descriptions, click here: Course Descriptions. Only ESR 506, ESR 507, and EPS 541 are offered online!
*Students taking the 5 semester hours of Reading electives will need one extra semester hour. More Information...
**These courses are necessary for Middle School endorsement. More Information...
***Students can be eligible for a Special Education endorsement. More Information...
Students have six years from the date of their first course to finish the MAT Program.
How do I register for Noncluster Coursework? Non-cluster coursework leads to the M.A.T. degree. To register for a course outside of a cluster, please fill out the blue sheet in the Quarterly or download the following document: Graduate Registration Form. Then fax it to the Office of the Registrar, at (847) 465-4746. Back to the Top
Courses to take if you entered a cluster After the Summer of 2006:
You need to register for four courses:
- ESR 514: Research in Action (3)
| - SEC 525: American Urban Education (3) (Register for 4 s.h. if you are a returning student and entered your cluster before the Summer of 2006.)
| - Two elective courses in one area, described in the table below:
| Reading* | ESL | Middle Level**
| Special Education***
| RLR 502 or
| CIL 500
| MLE 500 | SPE 501
| RLR 503 and
| CIL 505
| MLE 502
| SPE 506
| RLL 522* or
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| RLL 528*
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Students have six years from the date of their first course to finish the MAT Program.
How do I register for Noncluster Coursework? Non-cluster coursework leads to the M.A.T. degree. To register for a course outside of a cluster, please fill out the blue sheet in the Quarterly or download the following document: Graduate Registration Form. Then fax it to the Office of the Registrar, at (847) 465-4746.
| Who is my advisor?
Your advisor is assigned when you are enrolled in the SEC 502/FND 504 course sequence your first term. The instructor of that class is your advisor for the remainder of your time at NLU. The exception to this rule is: If the instructor is not a full-time member of the Secondary Education department, he or she will inform your class on the first evening of class of the name of your cluster's advisor. The following is a list of advisors for all of the clusters since Fall 2003: Cluster Advisor List.
Back to the Top What are the course transfer policies, and whom should I contact if I would like to transfer courses?
Only certain courses can be transferred in. Cluster courses cannot be transferred in, as they are completed with a unified group of other students. The M.A.T. electives and SEC 525, however, can be transferred in. ESR 514 can only be transferred in if you petition the Admission and Retention Council. If you are interested in transferring in an elective course, you should contact the Secondary Education department administrative assistant, Wilma Stiltz and Courtney O'Brien in the Registrar's Office. If you want to petition the Admission and Retention Council, you must fill out a Student Petition Form.
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What tests do I have to take, and where can I find information about them?
Candidates in the Secondary Education program are required to take a variety of tests to gain admission to the program and be eligible for a teaching certificate. These test scores are valid for five years. The tests and links to information are listed below:
- Illinois Basic Skills Test
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- Taken prior to admission to the Secondary Education program
- Miller Analogies Test
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- Information can be found from your enrollment representative on campus
- Illinois Subject Area Exams
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- Each subject area has its own test. In Illinois, there are a variety of tests available. For example, if you are notified by NLU that you are qualified to teach psychology, you must take the psychology test, not the history or geography test, even though all of these areas fall within the same general area, social studies. If you have questions about which exam you should take, contact the NLU Transcript Evaluators to find out precisely which exam will be right for you.
- A list of content-area tests can be found at: http://www.icts.nesinc.com/IL13_testselection.asp.
- The Secondary Education Department recommends the study guides from the Advanced Placement test in their subject area. They are published by Princeton Review, Kaplan, and many other presses. They are available at most bookstores in the reference or test preparation sections.
- APT Test
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- This is a test of teaching pedagogy skills. The Secondary Education Department recommends students take the APT after the first methods course of your program. You are free to take it any time during the program, but the first methods course prepares students well for the exam. Study guides, practice questions, test dates, registration, and test frameworks are online at: http://www.icts.nesinc.com.
- Most Secondary Education students will register for the APT: 6-12 test, but those going for certification in Foreign Language should take the APT: K-12 test, because they are earning a Type 10 license.
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Where do I register for state tests?
The Illinois Certification Testing System (ICTS) is online at http://www.icts.nesinc.com. All registration, practice tests, test frameworks, and study guides are provided here.
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What are the dates for state tests?
You can find the dates for state tests on the ICTS website. Below is an image from the ICTS website which lists the test dates for 2007-2008. You can also find this list here.
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When is the best time to take state tests?
The Basic Skills test and the subject-matter tests are required for admission to the Secondary Education program at National-Louis University. You should take the APT test after taking SEC 502/FND 504, but at least a couple of months before applying for certification. Applicants in science, English, social science, and mathematics must take the Type 09 (grades 6-12) APT test, while foreign language applicants must take the Type 10 (K-12) APT test.
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How long is my certification valid?
Illinois has three tiers of certification for Secondary certificates: 1) Initial, 2) Standard and 3) Master teaching certificates. Students completing the certification portion of the MAT program are eligible to apply for their Initial certificate, which is valid for 5 years, unless there are state changes. Standard teaching certificates are issued to teachers who have more than four years of teaching experience and have completed certain professional development requirements. Master certificates are issued to those with National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification. There is a program at NLU that will help students to earn this highest level of certification, the MEd/NBC Program. For more information about state certification in general, visit the Illinois State Board of Education website.
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How do I get an Illinois State Police Background Check with fingerprints?
The policy for requesting the fingerprint background check can be found here: Criminal Background Check. You should have the fingerprint check done as soon as possible, as it makes obtaining observations in schools much easier. The fingerprint check form, however, must be received by Bonnie Daleiden at the OSCR Office on the Wheeling Campus prior to the beginning of student teaching.
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I need to substitute a course. What should I do?
Students needing to substitute a course, for whatever reason, should fill out a Student Adjustment Form and send it to their advisor to obtain a signature. Students should then fax the form to the Secondary Education department administrative assistant, Wilma Stiltz, at (224) 233-2294.
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I am unable to continue my course of study here at NLU. What steps do I have to follow?
Click on this form:
Graduate Level Request for Change of Registration
A copy must be mailed to your advisor, to Karen Haworth, Cluster Coordinator on the Wheeling Campus, and to the Registrar's Office, Wheeling Campus.
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Since EPS 510 is no longer offered, what course do I need to take?
Since EPS 510 is no longer being offered as of Spring 2008, students who need EPS 510 should take EPS 541 instead. EPS 541 is being taught only online for the Spring 2008 term and will be offered in subsequent terms both online and face-to-face. Therefore, returning students who need EPS 510 should register for EPS 541 instead. This does not affect current cluster students or other students who have entered the program since Summer of 2006.
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Endorsement & Electives FAQs
What courses do I need to take to be qualified to work in middle schools?
On top of receiving a 6-12 certification, students interested in teaching in middle schools need to take the following two electives: MLE 500 & MLE 502. These electives are necessary in order to obtain a middle school endorsement.
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How can I find out what additional subject areas I can teach?
The determination of which subject area you are qualified to teach is done by the Transcript Evaluation team for the National College of Education at National-Louis University. The NLU Transcript Evaluators will examine your transcripts to tell you what you will be eligible to teach. Each subject area has a unique course description requirement that will allow you to be a "highly qualified" candidate. The Endorsement Sheet will give you an idea of the courses you will be able to teach based on your transcripts. Testing also determines your teaching eligibility.
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How many semester hours do I need in my subject area?
The Secondary Education program requires students to have an undergraduate major or graduate degree or 32 semester hours in a content area. Those hours must be spread across a variety of coursework to meet distribution requirements. The NLU Transcript Evaluators can help students determine if they meet the distribution requirements for a given subject area. Students may unofficially determine their subject area by reviewing transcripts and using the | | | |
