English
Certification to Teach English
If you’re planning a teaching career, you can earn a Certification for Teaching of English. On this track, you’ll gain a working knowledge of British And American literature—and gain valuable hands-on experience in schools.
A student seeking certification should consult with advisors in both the education and the English departments as early as possible. For more information on teacher education at Elmhurst, see Department of Education.
General Requirements
Required Courses
Endorsements & Concentrations
General Requirements
An English major leading to teacher certification consists of a minimum of 10.5 courses including the literature core requirements. In addition to the 10.5 courses, ENG 370 Portfolio Synthesis Seminar (Half course) and ENG 440 Teaching of English must be taken. Students wishing to student teach are required to show a cumulative grade-point average in their major of 2.75.
The student must also complete all other components established by the Department of Education to satisfy the State of Illinois certification requirements. The English certification student must complete COM 113 Communication in Contexts (or equivalent), which satisfies the state speech requirement. Students are required to pass the Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP) to be admitted to a certification program, the appropriate contact area test prior to the student teaching semester, and the APT (Assessment of Professional Teaching) test prior to program completion.
Transfer students with a degree in English from another institution must take at least two courses in English at Elmhurst College at the 300/400-level and must earn at least a B average in courses from Elmhurst College.
ENG 201 Composition III: Classical Rhetorics and Contemporary Discourse
ENG 220 Principles of Literary Study
ENG 321 British Literature I
or
ENG 345 Shakespeare
Two courses among the following:
ENG 322 British Literature II
ENG 351 American Literature I
ENG 352 American Literature II
ENG 372 Multicultural/Postcolonial Literature
ENG 451 Advanced Literary Study
ENG 401 Composition IV: Theory and Research
ENG 416 History and Structure of English
ENG 440 Teaching of English
ENG 315 Adolescent Literature (Half course)
One elective course selected to ensure the student has a total of 10.5 English courses, three of which must be 400-level courses, excluding ENG 440
COM 113 Communication in Contexts (or equivalent), which satisfies the speech requirement.
Students are required to pass the Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP) to be admitted to the secondary certification program, the appropriate content area test prior to the student teaching semester, and the APT (Assessment of Professional Teaching) test prior to program completion.
Endorsements and Concentrations
Elementary and early childhood education majors may choose a concentration in English by completing four-and-one-half courses in English in addition to ENG 105 and ENG 106. The standard five-course minor can be used to satisfy English concentration requirements. Students wishing to complete an endorsement at the middle school level must complete a total of four-and-one half courses (including ENG 105 and ENG 106). Students working on teaching endorsements in English must consult the Department of Education and the Department of English.