Certification Course Requirements

Illinois Wesleyan University is accredited by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for the undergraduate preparation of teachers in the following certification programs:

Elementary Education (grades K-9)
Secondary Education (grades 6-12)
    Mathematics
    Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
    Social Science (History)
    Foreign Language (French and Spanish)
    English Language Arts
Music (K-12)

Middle School

Admission Requirements

Field Experience in Local Schools 
All teacher education courses require field experiences in local schools, providing students opportunities to apply knowledge and theory to practice. Field experiences are planned to provide a gradual, sequential, and coherent introduction to the full range of teaching possibilities, and are supervised by University faculty and school personnel. Student teaching placements are within the community and surrounding areas, or students may elect to student teach in Chicago, by application to the Associated Colleges of the Midwest Urban Education Program.

Information Technology Requirements 

Senior Portfolio
Completion of a Senior Portfolio is required for recommendation for Teacher Certification.  Your portfolio is a major indicator of the competencies you have developed with respect to the Standards for All Teachers outlined by the Illinois State Board of Education and the major elements of the TEP Conceptual Framework: inquiry, research, and reflection; relationships; context; and transformation.  More specific information on portfolio requirements may be found in the Teacher Education Handbook.