The College's elementary education program has been recognized by the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) for excellence.
The major in elementary education emphasizes focused study to strengthen and broaden the professional preparation of teachers for the elementary school. In addition to the basic requirements, course work will be determined on the basis of the individual student’s undergraduate preparation, experience, and professional goals.
Initial elementary teaching certification through a master's degree in Elementary Education is not available at this time.
Students who have a bachelor's degree and are interested in initial teacher certification can apply for admission as a post graduate student. There is also a similar program being offered at Rock Valley College in Rockford, Illinois.
Elementary Education master's requirements
If you are ready to start classes prior to being admitted to the Graduate School you can start taking classes as a Student-at-Large (SAL). To start classes as an SAL you can submit an SAL application electronically via the Graduate School web site and after 4 working days you will be able to enroll in courses.
As a student-at-large you can take both undergraduate and graduate courses. These courses are offered at the DeKalb, Naperville, and Hoffman Estates campuses in the evenings.
Classes that are offered that can be taken prior to admission to the Graduate School include:
LTIC 501 - Multicultural Education: Methods and Materials (3)
ETR 519 - Applied Educational Research (3)
For additional information please contact:
Certified teachers eledinfo@niu.edu
Initial Certification Leslie Hecht (lbhecht@niu.edu)
There are numerous awards and scholarships that are available for students, some specifically for teacher education. Other aid may be based on financial need, talent or to members of particular groups.
Using WebConnect, NIU students, faculty, staff, alumni and future students can gain access to information including semester class schedules, semester grade reports, and more.
To access WebConnect, a student is required to logon onto the service using their Z-ID and password OR their Social Security Number and Personal Identification Number. Students can use WebConnect