BSEd in Secondary Education

Option 1: Double major in Secondary Education and English

You will graduate with two degrees: a BSEd in Secondary Education and B.A. in English. This option meets requirements for state licensure. Upon graduation you will earn the Professional Educator License (PEL) in Secondary Education with an endorsement to teach secondary English. This option includes the English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement. This option leaves very little room for coursework outside of your majors. You must take the English coursework required in that major and will likely not have time to take additional relevant courses. Completing these two degrees within four years is not guaranteed due to scheduling conflicts between extensive CAS English requirements and the Secondary Education pathway, and the possibility of needing to withdraw from and/or retake courses for any reason. Note that a dual degree may seem like a more attractive option to district administrators who are hiring English teachers for their schools. However, you will need to consider whether the requirements for (and restrictions of) the English degree align sufficiently with the key knowledge and skills you will need to support students' learning of the high school curriculum.

Option 2: Secondary Education major with a minor in English

If you pursue this option, you will graduate with a BSEd in Secondary Education with an English Minor. This option meets requirements for state licensure. Upon graduation you will earn the Professional Educator License (PEL) in Secondary Education with an endorsement to teach secondary English. This option includes the English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement. It is recommended that you take as many English courses as possible by the end of Sequence 4 (fourth semester), including completion of the minor requirement. You can take additional courses after this point. This option can be completed within four years. It enables you to take additional English (or other) courses during your four-year pathway, and you can pursue other teaching endorsements if desired.

Courses for Minor: 18 or more hours of English courses, which you can select with your specialty area faculty's support and that of your SOE advisor. In order to qualify for the minor, four courses (12 hours) should be 300-level. Up to two courses may be drawn from UCLR-100E and advanced 200-level (ENGL 270 and above) courses.

Option 1: Double Major in Secondary Education and Math

You may prefer to complete both the Education and Mathematics degrees; this option also meets all requirements for IL educator licensure for teaching secondary math. You may need extra time beyond a typical four-year pathway to complete the requirements for both degrees. See suggested sequence below for a roadmap to the BSEd in Secondary Education and Mathematics (double major). SOE faculty and your Education advisor cannot guarantee that you will be able to complete all of these requirements within four years. Scheduling conflicts and extensive Mathematics BS requirements will likely necessitate adding a fifth year to your undergraduate program.

Option 2: Major in Secondary Education and a Minor in Math

You also have the option of completing a minor in Mathematics, which also meets all requirements for IL educator licensure for teaching secondary math. This option allows you to enroll in additional Mathematics courses that fit your interests and the needs of the high school math curriculum; select these courses under the guidance of math education faculty. To complete this option, you will complete the Secondary Education pathway and complete the College of Arts and Sciences requirements for a Mathematics Minor. Note that Math Minor courses are prescribed by the Math Department in the College of Arts and Sciences, whereas the endorsement option (option three) allows you greater flexibility to craft and individualized pathway to building your expertise. Where you have room in your four-year plan, it is recommended that you enroll in additional relevant Mathematics courses.

Option 3: Math Concentration Option

To ensure that you complete your educator preparation program within four years, we recommend that you select 18 hours of Math courses with the assistance of the math education faculty member in the School of Education (Dr. Barcus) and your SOE Advisor. Teaching high school math requires a minimum of 18 hours of Math courses and meets the requirements for IL educator licensure in secondary math. This option allows you to enroll in additional Mathematics courses that fit your interests and the needs of the high school math curriculum; select these courses under the guidance of math education faculty. Where you have room in your four-year plan, it is recommended that you enroll in additional relevant Mathematics courses. Students have flexibility to choose Math courses that align with their educational interests. Faculty Advisors should be consulted before registration as they can help shape your interests with course selection. All courses have prerequisites that will need to be completed before registration.

Option 1: Double Major in Secondary Education and a Science (Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, or Physics)

You may prefer to complete both the Education and science degrees; this option also meets all requirements for IL educator licensure for teaching secondary science. You will likely need extra time beyond a typical four-year pathway to complete the requirements for both degrees. SOE faculty and your Education advisor cannot guarantee that you will be able to complete all of these requirements within four years. Scheduling conflicts and extensive science BS requirements will likely necessitate adding a fifth year to your undergraduate program.

Option 2: Major in Secondary Education and a Minor in one of the Sciences

You also have the option of completing a minor in one of the sciences listed below, which also meets all requirements for IL educator licensure for teaching secondary science. This option allows you to enroll in additional science courses that fit your interests and the needs of the high school curriculum; select these courses under the guidance of science education faculty. To complete this option, you will complete the Secondary Education pathway and complete the College of Arts and Sciences requirements for a science minor in an area listed below. Where you have room in your four-year plan, it is recommended that you enroll in additional relevant science courses. NOTE: All Science candidates should also take TLSC 231 to add middle grades endorsement as well. **NOTE: Some of these courses have prerequisites

Secondary Education and Biology: BSEd in Secondary Education, Biology Minor

Students take the basic lecture and laboratory biology courses with the Biology majors, as well as a limited number of biology electives. Students may satisfy requirements for a minor concentration in biology by completing a minimum of 24 credit hours of biology with grades of “C-” or better with an overall minor GPA of 2.0 or higher. The minor in biology requires 24 credit hours, including 17 credit hours of required biology courses and seven credit hours of biology electives.

Secondary Education and Chemistry: BSEd in Secondary Education, Chemistry Minor 

Secondary Education and Environmental Science: BSEd in Secondary Education, Environmental Science Minor 

The Environmental Science Minor would be eligible ONLY if the student selects 18 hours (6 courses) from the ENVIRONMENTAL/ECOLOGICAL SCIENCE list. This would go above the 4 courses that the minor requires but would get students to the 18 credit hours required by ISBE for a secondary endorsement. Alternatively, someone could do the Environmental Science Minor as stated and pursue the middle grades science licensure. In order to meet licensure requirements and minor requirements, students would have to complete 27 credit hours, the requirements for the minor and two additional courses in the Environmental/Ecological Science list.

Possible courses: ENVS 207, ENVS 218, ENVS 223, ENVS 224, ENVS 226, ENVS 237, ENVS 267, ENVS 273, ENVS 283

Secondary Education and Physics: BSED in Secondary Education, Physics Minor 

A minimum grade of C- must be earned to satisfy a course requirement and a 2.0 minimum overall GPA is required for each major or minor. Final confirmation of degree requirements is subject to department, school, and university approval.

Option 1: Double Major in Secondary Education and either History or Political Science

You may prefer to complete both the Secondary Education and History BA , OR Secondary Education and Political Science BA degrees; this option meets all requirements for IL educator licensure for teaching secondary history or political science. You may need extra time beyond a typical four-year pathway to complete the requirements for both degrees. SOE faculty and your Education advisor cannot guarantee that you will be able to complete all of these requirements within four years. Double major programs are the result of collaboration between the School of Education and the History Department in the College of Arts and Sciences. These programs provide the deep content area knowledge in these areas that is necessary to serve as an effective educator.

Option 2: Secondary Education Major with Content Area Minor Programs

If you are interested in teaching in the following areas, you may add a minor in the appropriate content area. Your resulting IL licensure will be the same as in dual major options, except that you will earn an endorsement only in the content area(s) of your choice. If you are in a dual major program, you can add one of these minors as well, provided you are willing to add a year to your undergraduate pathway. Additional endorsements require only the corresponding minor and no additional degree.

Secondary Education and Psychology: BSED in Secondary Education, Psychology Minor

A total of 6 psychology courses (18 credit hours) are required for the Psychology Minor. Students must take 101, and 5 additional psychology courses. Courses may be any 200 (except PSYC 201) or 300 level psychology courses or NEUR 101.Three courses of the minor can be fulfilled with courses transferred into Loyola. Some courses have prerequisites.

You'll develop a deep understanding of both content and pedagogy to provide developmentally appropriate instruction to all students. Plus, you'll have multiple opportunities to engage with diverse populations, including students with special needs and those labeled as English language learners.

You'll have accrued the equivalent of one year of full-time teaching experience through all the hands-on, experiential learning opportunities in Chicago's classrooms and community organizations, so you will be ready to be at the head of your own classroom. With the foundational knowledge from your Loyola education, you will utilize theories, data, and research practices when making decisions in your classroom and for your students and when assessing the effectiveness of teaching on learning.

As a Loyola-trained educator, you'll emphasize the importance of each of your students as an individual. You'll have high expectations for your students and values the experiences of diverse students. And you'll have the tools and training to address societal issues like inequitable resources and institutional barriers to success for all.

Our dedicated Teaching and Learning Faculty are experts in their fields who will support students throughout each stage of the program.