About the B.A. in Secondary Education
Lead and inspire young adults by becoming a high school teacher through the B.A. in Secondary Education degree program.
The Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education degree program provides you with a robust set of courses and field experiences that will prepare you for teaching in a high school setting. Upon completion of the B.A. Secondary Education, you will have obtained your State of Illinois Professional Educator License (PEL) with a Secondary Subject-Matter Endorsement in either English or Math.
What You'll Learn
Students who complete the the Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education degree program will be able to:
- Apply knowledge of self, students, curriculum, content, and effective instruction to develop appropriate learning outcomes and design activities that meet diverse learner needs, including racial, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds.
- Develop formative and summative assessments to engage learners in their own growth, monitor learner progress, and use data to guide the teacher's and learner’s decision-making.
- Demonstrate practices that view and value students as individuals within the context of their families and communities, and demonstrate respectful and responsive interactions with students that motivate, support, and advance their development and learning.
- Establish an asset-based learning environment of high expectations that centers learning around students’ experiences and positions them as co-creators, disrupting previously held beliefs or models of education that have underserved historically
marginalized students. - Engage students in learning through effective use of intentionally selected technologies, emphasizing flexibility and adaptability in the use of digital tools.
- Use feedback from a variety of stakeholders to continuously improve professional practice.
- Develop information literacy and civic-mindedness in students through explicit instruction in the evaluation of sources, critical analysis, and authentic application.
- Use culturally responsive communication to collaborate with colleagues, families, and community members toward the goal of sharing responsibility for student success and wellbeing.
Career Outlook
A leader in the education field since 1886, National Louis University uses its expansive network of partner schools and districts to place new teaching candidates in open positions at a very high rate. Using the Career Bridge Office, students can meet with career advisors, secure internships and get help on all aspects of applying for, and securing, a job after graduation.
Each year, there are many openings for high school teachers nationwide. In the greater Chicagoland area, 2,886 open positions for high school teachers are posted annually. Teachers in the Chicagoland area earn a median salary of $72,598, and experienced high school teachers can expect to earn up to $112, 691 per year.
