Apply to the Graduate School of Education

Admission Requirements for Post-Bachelor and Graduate Education Programs

Post-Bachelor Teacher Certification Program

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited, state-recognized institution
• Completed application and personal essay
• Three professional letters of recommendation-We ask that the applicant be responsible for collecting the recommendations from the appropriate parties and sending them in with the application. Each form or letter should be in an envelope with the recommender’s signature on the back of the sealed envelope.
• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended, with a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or above on a 4.00 scale and a 2.75 or above in your major on a 4.00 scale
• Passing scores on the Illinois Basic Skills Test
• Personal interview

Master of Arts in Education with Teacher Certification (M.A.T.C.) Program

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited, state-recognized institution
• Completed application and personal essay
• Three professional letters of recommendation-We ask that the applicant be responsible for collecting the recommendations from the appropriate parties and sending them in with the application. Each form or letter should be in an envelope with the recommender’s signature on the back of the sealed envelope
• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended, with a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or above on a 4.00 scale and a 3.0 or above in your major on a 4.00 scale
• Passing scores on the Illinois Basic Skills Test
• GRE (www.ets.org) or MAT (www.milleranalogies.com) test scores
• Personal interview

Master of Arts in Education (M.A.) Program

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited, state-recognized institution
• Completed application and personal essay
• Three professional letters of recommendation-We ask that the applicant be responsible for collecting the recommendations from the appropriate parties and sending them in with the application. Each form or letter should be in an envelope with the recommender’s signature on the back of the sealed envelope.
• Official transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended, with a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or above on a 4.00 scale
• GRE or MAT test scores
• Personal interview

Approval/Endorsement Program and other non-degree seeking students

• Completed application-You do not need to fill out the essay questions on the back of the application. Please respond to the short answer questions.
• Official transcripts from colleges and/or universities where you completed or are currently pursuing your recognized, teacher certification or teacher education program

International Students

In addition to any of the above requirements, international students applying to our programs must also submit:

• A bank statement from a source of support
• A certificate of finance
• An evaluation of non-U.S. transcripts by Educational Credential Evaluators or its equivalent, World Education Services
• Immunization record
• Official TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) score

Post-Bachelor and Graduate Admission Process for the School of Education

Step One:

Decide upon the grade levels you would like to teach and a major or content area for certification before submitting your application for Admission to the School of Education. This allows us to better evaluate whether you will need more courses in your major or content area. Most students usually choose a major or content area pursued in undergraduate coursework or a closely related subject.

Early Childhood and Elementary certification students must have an approved major area of 18 credit hours, the equivalent of an endorsement area or specialty area.

For those that want to teach at the Secondary level (grade levels 6-12), or want to pursue a Type 10 (grades K-12) you will need to have 32 or more hours in an approved major or content area.

State approved major areas for Early Childhood (infancy to grade 3) and Elementary (grades K-9): Art, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, English, French, History, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Spanish, Swedish and Theater.

State approved majors for Secondary Education (grades 6-12) are: Biology, Chemistry, English, Mathematics, Physics, Social Sciences (includes Economics/Business, History, Political Science and Sociology).

Art, French, Music, Physical Education and Spanish are state approved majors for our Type 10 (grades K-12) programs.

Step Two:

Complete and submit to the Admissions Office the Application for Graduate Studies.

Step Three:

Distribute the three letters of recommendation forms to individuals who can comment upon your academic and/or professional work. Upon completion, recommendations should be returned directly to the admissions office. We ask that the applicant be responsible for collecting the recommendations from the appropriate parties and sending them in with the application. Each form or letter should be in an envelope with the recommender’s signature on the back of the sealed envelope.

Step Four:

Contact all colleges and universities previously attended and request that they submit official transcripts directly to the admissions office. Note: Transcripts are regarded as official only if they arrive to North Park in the same sealed envelope in which they were issued.

Upon receipt of all materials, the applicant's file will be reviewed by an admissions committee and an admissions decision will be rendered.

Please note: All documents submitted become the property of North Park University and cannot be returned to the student at any time.

Start Applying

We have a rolling admissions process for the Adult and Graduate Education programs. We will accept applications a couple of weeks before classes begin. However, it is encouraged that you apply well in advance of the term in which you wish to matriculate. This will ensure you get into classes you prefer, get acclimated, etc.

Download and print all three forms below. You will need three letters of recommendation so please print three copies of the form below. Completed forms should be mailed to:

North Park University Admissions
Box 40
3225 West Foster Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60625-4895

Application for Graduate and Continuing Studies in Education

Recommendation Form for Graduate and Continuing Studies in Education

Transcript Request Form for Graduate and Continuing Studies in Education

All of the files are in the PDF format. Download them, save them to your computer and print each form. Following the instructions on each form, fill them out, give them to the appropriate party, and be sure that they are mailed to:

North Park University
Admissions - Box 40
3225 West Foster Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60625-4895

We ask that the applicant be responsible for collecting the recommendations from the appropriate parties and sending them in with the application. Each form or letter should be in an envelope with the recommender’s signature on the back of the sealed envelope.

This application above is for the post-bachelor and graduate education programs ONLY.

Undergraduate Admissions Process

Attention North Park University Undergraduate Admission first year and transfer students beginning undergraduate studies: You are encouraged to fully explore the undergraduate admission website to become familiar with the North Park Experience!

You may apply for admission into North Park University either online or by a paper application. Both can be accessed on the undergraduate admissions website.

Admission into the undergraduate School of Education program is a separate step after you become a North Park University student. For more information about admission into the School of Education program once you are an enrolled North Park University student, please contact the undergraduate admissions office at (773) 244-5500.

Please visit Undergraduate Admissions to start the process for applying to North Park University.