English Education

Deepen your knowledge of socially just instruction.

The MA/MS English Education program at Illinois State is for certified secondary English language arts teachers who want to learn about and grow their efforts to purposefully foster inclusive and equitable ELA learning interactions and communities that open opportunities for all students’ literacy learning. You’ll develop skills and tools to become a reflective instructional leader in your classroom, department, school, and state. Learn more about the core curriculum and goals for the English Education program, which begins in summer 2022.

In this program, you’ll design, conduct, and write a thesis about required teacher action research in your own secondary classroom(s) through a series of scaffolded core courses. You’ll share the findings of your research with professional audiences and improve the effectiveness of your instruction and ability to advocate for the strengths and needs of diverse learners.

English Education is flexible. You can take advantage of online coursework to fit your full-time teaching schedule during the school year and summer. If you're close to campus, you can also take advantage of an exciting array of graduate courses offered on-campus. You’ll work with the program coordinator and your faculty advisor to design a plan of study that best fits your timeline and professional goals.

Our classes strengthen your disciplinary knowledge through five elective courses that enable you to choose from courses in various subfields of English studies, including but not limited to composition, creative writing, English education, linguistics, literature, publishing studies, rhetoric, teaching English language learners (ELL) or TESOL, as well as young adult and children’s literature. You can also tailor courses to help you fulfill the requirements for dual enrollment teaching at your school and its partnering college.

This program is not designed to serve those who wish to teach English to speakers of other languages in international or higher education settings. For those applicants, explore the TESOL area of interest within the master's degree in English.

If you’re seeking initial licensure to teach English language arts (ELA) in secondary schools, explore post-baccalaureate options that lead to certification by contacting Dr. Maggie Morris Davis, Director of English Education.

University Admission Requirements

A student applying to a master's program must:

• have earned a four-year bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a college or university that is accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting association, or do so within one academic year
• present unofficial transcripts from each college or university other than Illinois State at which graduate, undergraduate, or non-degree credit was earned. The unofficial transcript should be easily readable and clearly indicate degree(s) awarded, courses and course grades for each term. If accepted, official transcripts can be emailed from the university to GraduateAdmissions@IllinoisState.edu or mailed in a sealed envelope to: Illinois State University, Graduate School, 209 Hovey Hall, Campus Box 4040, Normal, IL 61790-4040.

International students can learn more about specific application requirements by visiting the Office of Admissions.

Additional Program Admission Requirements

A student applying to this master’s program must meet the following requirements.

GPA

You must have a minimum 3.0 GPA (on a scale in which an A is a 4.0) for the last 60 hours of undergraduate work (approximately the junior and senior years). If there is any graduate-level coursework, that must also be a minimum of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale 

Certification or License

You must have an existing or pending state certification or license to teach English language arts (ELA); applicants should supply one of the following: 

• a copy of their current state certification or license to teach ELA
• proof that they have applied for a state certification or license to teach ELA
• official confirmation that they are in the final semester of a program that will lead to their successful ability to apply for a state certificate or license to teach ELA

Statement

Include a two-page statement articulating your professional goals and how this graduate degree will help you achieve those goals.

Letters of Recommendation

Submit name and email addresses of two letters of recommendation from school leadership (e.g., principal, curriculum coordinator, department chair, instructional coach) or someone who can speak with first-hand knowledge about your strength as an ELA teacher and readiness for the work of studying your own classroom practice within the online application.

Sample Lesson Plan

Submit a sample lesson plan or other instructional artifact that evidences your commitment to or your eagerness to learn more about socially just ELA teaching through your enrollment in the degree program. You may, if you wish, include a one-page reflection that explains how you think this artifact speaks to your socially just ELA teaching or desire for ongoing professional learning through the degree program.

International Applicants

An international applicant may be better to explore the TESOL area of interest within the master's degree in English.

If you're an international student and meet the above criteria, you are required to submit English Proficiency scores. The minimum TOEFL score required for graduate admissions is 100 TOEFL ibt or 7.0 on IELTS.

Global Access to Online Degree Programs

When applying, international students applying to a fully online program must agree to our international online and hybrid programs disclosure and disclaimer statements. Due to limited on-campus courses, immigration documentation cannot be issued for students seeking F-1 or J-1 status.

Admission Dates and Deadlines

Graduate Assistantship Information

Assistantships are not offered for this program.

Cost & Funding

See Student Accounts for information on tuition and fees. Funding for graduate students is available from several different sources. Students who have been admitted from contiguous states including Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin will receive in-state tuition.

Graduate Coordinator