College of Education
1310 South Sixth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-2800
The College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers undergraduate degree programs in two of the six departments within the college. The departments that offer undergraduate degree programs, and the programs offered by each, are described below.
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers degree programs in elementary education and early childhood education and provides the supporting course work for the teacher education minor in secondary education. Students who satisfactorily complete the degree program in elementary education are eligible for the University's recommendation for Illinois certification grades kindergarten through nine. The early childhood education degree program prepares students for recommendation for Illinois early childhood certification (birth through grade three). The program also incorporates course work leading to an early childhood special education approval. Only students who have earned at least 60 semester hours are considered for admission to the elementary or early childhood curricula. The teacher education minor in secondary education is a component of the teaching option within the following Sciences and Letters majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: biology, chemistry, English, geology, history, mathematics, and physics. Students who satisfactorily complete an LAS degree in one of these areas and the teacher education minor in secondary education are eligible for the University's recommendation for Illinois certification in grades six through twelve. For additional information regarding Liberal Arts and Sciences requirements, see the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Additional information regarding the teacher education minor in secondary education may be found at the end of the College of Education's section.
The Department of Special Education offers an undergraduate field-based professional preparation program designed to prepare teacher candidates to work with individuals with varying disabilities including: learning disabilities, social or emotional disorders, cognitive disabilities, physical disabilities and other health impairments, autism and traumatic brain injury. Candidates who successfully complete the degree program are eligible for the University's recommendation for Illinois certification to teach students with disabilities from ages 5 through 21 in a range of settings.
In addition to these degree programs, a two-year curriculum in the College of Education, called Pre-Early Childhood, Pre-Elementary Education, Pre-Special Education, is available to students who have completed less than 60 semester hours of credit. It is designed to accommodate students admitted as freshmen or sophomores who are uncertain about the specific degree programs they wish to pursue in the College of Education and who need to complete additional hours required for admission to all curricula in the college.
In addition to offering undergraduate degree programs in education, the College of Education, under the auspices of the Council on Teacher Education, cooperates with four other undergraduate colleges on the Urbana-Champaign campus to provide courses in professional education to undergraduate students who are preparing for careers in teaching and special educational services.
Requirements
Admission
All freshmen are admitted to the Pre-Early Childhood, Pre-Elementary Education, Pre-Special Education curriculum. Junior
standing, at least 60 semester hours of baccalaureate-oriented course
work attained at an accredited institution of higher learning, is
required for admission to the programs in elementary education, early
childhood education and the teacher education minor in secondary education.
Competitive applicants who will have completed at least 30 hours at
the end of their freshmen year may apply for sophomore admission to
the special education program.
Admission to the College of Education at any level (off campus and on-campus) is competitive. Freshmen must complete the University's minimum high school subject pattern described in the undergraduate admissions section elsewhere in this catalog. In addition, freshman applications are evaluated for admission based on ACT/SAT scores and the high school percentile rank achieved at the conclusion of the junior year in high school.
Admission is based on the following criteria: competitive overall and institutional grade point average (on-campus applicants), cumulative grade point average with a minimum of 3.1 (applicants from other institutions), grades earned in the course work of the intended curriculum, completion of the required course pattern, the quality of the applicant’s personal statement and essays submitted with the application, and space availability in the desired curriculum. An applicant from another institution whose grade point average is below the minimum criteria may be considered individually if enrollment vacancies exist in the curriculum to which the student is seeking admission and if a compelling rationale is presented.
Graduation
Each undergraduate student in the College of Education must meet the University requirements for graduation and the requirements of the Council on Teacher Education for certification; both sets of requirements are found elsewhere in this catalog. Students in all curricula must meet the course and academic credit requirements of their curricula with satisfactory scholastic averages. Student teaching is required of all undergraduates in teacher education and must be completed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Students in need of additional information concerning regulations and degree requirements of the College of Education should consult their academic advisers or the assistant dean for academic affairs in the College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 120 Education Building, 1310 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820.
For additional requirements pertaining to certification, please refer to the Council on Teacher Education.
General Education
In order to meet the University's current requirements in general education, each candidate for a degree from the College of Education must complete Composition I; Advanced Composition; Quantitative Reasoning I and II; Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Cultures; Cultural Studies: Non-Western/U.S. Minority Cultures; Language other than English through the third semester college course; and six hours in each of the following areas: Humanities/Arts, Social/Behavioral Sciences, and Natural Sciences/Technology. In most teacher education curricula, specific coursework within the general education areas must be taken. Also, in most teacher education curricula, additional credit in the general education areas is required. For more information on required general education coursework, contact a College of Education academic adviser. Students must select their courses for general education from the campus general education course list.
Special Programs
Honors at Graduation
Eligibility for graduation with honors is established after all grades are recorded following a student's final semester. A student who achieves the required scholastic average in all work presented for graduation (excluding credit for courses not included in the computation of the grade point average) may be recommended for honors as follows: honors, minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.75; high honors, minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.85; highest honors, minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.90.
Edmund J. James Scholars
The James Scholar program is a University-wide honors program established to encourage undergraduate research and independent study and to foster scholarly endeavors. As a James Scholar, students are entitled to certain academic privileges, including priority assignment of registration time, access to the "stacks" in the library, and official recognition on the University of Illinois transcript.
Entering freshmen in the top 15% of the College’s admitted applicant pool based on their ACT/SAT score and High School rank/GPA are invited to participate in the James Scholar Program. Transfer and continuing students must have achieved at least a 3.5 cumulative and University of Illinois grade point average to participate.
Students are certified as James Scholars by the college on a yearly basis. To qualify for this certification, the student must complete one honors course, an Honors Credit Learning Agreement, an approved research project, or participate in an approved study abroad experience and maintain a 3.5 University of Illinois and cumulative grade point average.