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Department of English

English Teacher Education Second Bachelor's/Certification Only

A second Bachelor's degree is a good choice for someone with a BA or BS in a field other than English who wishes to be certified to teach English Language Arts. The second bachelor's provides a depth of experience in Linguistics, Literary and Cultural Studies, and Rhetoric and Writing that will prepare candidates for the teaching of English.

Certification-only is an option for students who already have a BA or BS in English and who wish to return to school to become certified to teach English Language Arts at the high school or middle school levels.

The English Teacher Education sequence requires 46 credit hours in English, as well as 26 hours of Professional Education courses. Upon successful completion of the English Education sequence, a student is certified to teach English Language Arts at the 9-12 level, an Illinois Type-09 Teaching Certificate. A Second Bachelors/Certification Only student must meet these requirements.

Admission to the English Teacher Education sequence is limited and is based on space availability and the competitiveness of the applicant pool.

To download and print a copy of the English Education Requirements, please visit English Advising Forms.

More information on Second Bachelor's and 'Certification Only' is available from Admissions.

  • Certification Only Program

    • Students must meet the requirements for the English Education sequence, listed here.
    • Previous coursework is evaluated and applied to the program. Students must then complete the remaining requirements at ISU.
    • The 'Certification Only' program is NOT an accelerated program. You must follow the same sequence as a regular English Education major.
    • The 'Certification Only' program takes a minimum of two and a half years to complete. This is due to the sequence of teaching methods courses, as well as student teaching.
    • Students who enter this program with a degree in English, will do 'Certification Only.' This means you will not graduate with a degree, you will simply meet the State of Illinois requirements to be certified as an English Language Arts teacher.
    • To apply for the 'Teacher Certification Only' track, students should mark the teacher certification box on the undergraduate admission application. An audit of the student’s previous work will be prepared disregarding requirements for a second degree.
    • There are no specified hours required beyond the granting of the first degree and no minimum senior college level hours required for 'Certification Only.'

  • Second Bachelor's Program

    • Students must meet the requirements for the English Education sequence, listed here.
    • Previous coursework is evaluated and applied to the program. Students must then complete the remaining requirements at ISU.
    • The Second Bachelor's program is NOT an accelerated program. You must follow the same sequence as a regular English Education major.
    • The Second Bachelor's program takes a minimum of two and a half years to complete. This is due to the sequence of teaching methods courses, as well as student teaching.
    • Students who enter this program with a degree other than English will need to meet all of the requirements for the English Education sequence and will graduate with an English degree. The degree requirements include taking a foreign language through the third level (LAN 115 at ISU) in college.