Secondary Education

North Park’s teachers-in-training follow an extensive clinical experience program that culminates in student teaching. For 10 to 16 weeks, you’ll assume full responsibility for a classroom: teaching a full load, attending meetings, keeping records, grading, and meeting with parents. You’ll work with a cooperating teacher and you’ll also be observed throughout the experience by North Park University faculty who will offer helpful feedback, encouragement, and constructive advice.

Student teaching will follow your teacher aiding and mini-teaching modules. Learn more about classroom experiences.

Middle and high school teachers are vital figures in the lives of adolescents and teenagers. At this critical age, students are starting to decide where they want to go in their own lives, developing their abilities for critical thinking and reasoning, communication, and complex problem-solving. With a North Park degree in secondary education and a major in a specific content area, you will have the strong academic foundation and extensive classroom experience to make an immediate impact on the lives of young people nationwide.

Why Study Secondary Education?

Middle and high schools students are at prime ages to be challenged with new material, ready to learn specific skills in complex subjects, and are developing their ideas about what they want to be and do in their futures. Be a part of this exciting time for young people as a teacher. You’ll share your expertise in a specific subject while also teaching young women and men how to think critically and communicate clearly. Do your part to prepare our future leaders.

Why North Park?

With 125 partner schools in urban and suburban districts, as well as public and private affiliations, North Park’s School of Education offers you the opportunity to find your perfect place as a teacher. You’ll gain the skills you need through rigorous coursework along with spending significant time in local middle and high school classrooms. Your professors and advisors will be your mentors, and you’ll graduate as a certified/licensed teacher, ready to lead your own classroom in grades 6 through 12.

Careers In Secondary Education

Middle school teacher
High school teacher
Summer or day camp educator
Camp director
English teacher in a foreign country
Church education director

With further certification/licensure you can pursue careers that include:

Public of private school administrator
Guidance counselor

Classroom Experiences

The secondary education program gets you into real classrooms early and eases your transition from observer to student teacher. Here’s the progression:

Targeted observations as part of the methods course
Teacher Aiding: observe and assist teacher/students (50+ hours)
Mini-Teaching: prepare and teach one lesson each day (7 weeks)
Student Teaching: full-time teaching (10–16 weeks)

Learn more.

Content-Area Major and Endorsements

Secondary education majors at North Park must choose a second major of 36 semester hours or more in a content area in which they will be certified to teach. Programs certified by the Illinois State Board of Education include biology, chemistry, economics, English, history, mathematics, physics, and politics and government (political science). A content area is required for state teacher certification in secondary education. Learn more about Illinois state teacher requirements.

Students can also choose an optional endorsement in areas like bilingual education or English as a Second Language, or approval as a learning behavioral specialist. Learn more about endorsements and approvals.

Meet the Faculty

As coordinator of clinical experiences, Professor Nancy Berggren says, “We prepare students exceptionally well for the profession of teaching by placing them in public, private, suburban, and urban schools throughout the Chicago area.”

Learn more about Professor Berggren and the education faculty.

Nancy Berggren, School of Education professor

Golden Apple Scholars Program

Golden Apple Scholars are teachers in Illinois with a passion for serving children in high-need schools. As one of the program’s partner schools, North Park education majors can apply to this competitive program, which offers college scholarships and the chance to participate in summer institutes for further training to teach in challenging school settings. Learn more about the Golden Apple program.

Beyond the Classroom

Enhance your own education by getting involved with various service and extracurricular activities at North Park. Opportunities include:

Joining North Park’s Future Educators Association
Volunteering through Urban Outreach, including at local tutoring programs
Instructing tutoring sessions or working in the Writing Center
Participating in Global Partnerships trips
Studying abroad

Next Steps

Program Requirements

Minimum of 35 hours of education courses
Approved second major
46 general education credits
120 total credit hours for graduation
Full program requirements