Why Study Education?
You’ll combine a passion for your subject matter with your passion for students when you study education. The award-winning Wheaton Teacher Education Program (WheTEP) is an experience-oriented program based on the liberal arts and a Christian worldview. Students are encouraged to explore biblical teachings and perspectives as they relate to a teacher in the typical classroom. You will graduate as an educator who teaches and leads for human flourishing. Successfully completing a degree also leads to an initial Illinois professional educator license.
Our faculty have more than 50 years of K-12 classroom experience in public, private, and international schools. In the past decade, they have published five books and dozens of articles pertaining to the field of education.
Over the past five years, 100% of our students passed their respective licensure exams and performance assessments. More than 95% of program graduates rate their teacher preparation as good or excellent (2010 to present).
Beyond exams, our department's goal is to prepare educators who teach and lead for human flourishing. Learn more about how this conceptual framework undergirds everything we do.
Generous donors have established numerous scholarships for education majors.
- Student Teaching: Partnering with the Chicago Public Schools, we offer student teaching in the city of Chicago, a world-class urban center. Some seniors elect to student-teach in international settings and many teach elementary, middle, and high school students at HoneyRock, Wheaton's Outdoor Center for Leadership Development, during the summer.
- Teacher aid in local elementary and middle schools with certified mentor teachers.
- Tutoring: Tutor elementary, middle and high school refugees and immigrants in after school programs
- Research: Work closely with faculty to assist with course preparation or research projects as a Research Assistant or Teaching Assistant. Partner with faculty and other students on important data collection, presentations, publications, websites, and curriculum development.
- Educator Alumni Gatherings: We host over 70 educators on campus to network, develop relationships, and learn together.
What Will I Learn?
Successfully completing a degree in any of the following leads to an initial Illinois professional educator license.
- Elementary Education: For all subjects in grades 1-6.
- Secondary Education: Grades 6-12 with a double major in one of the following: English, mathematics, history/social science, or science: biology, chemistry, geology, or physics.
- Music Education: Grades K-12.
- Modern Languages: Grades K-12 with a double major in one modern language: Spanish, French, or German.
- ESL Education: Help students who are learning English
- Bilingual Education: Promote instruction in two languages. Teachers are required competency in a second language.
- Special Education: Deliver exceptional and evidence-based education to all students
- Middle Grade Levels: Teach English, mathematics, social science, or science in middle school grades 5-8
Undergraduate students can major in a discipline of their choice and earn an elementary, secondary, or K-12 Professional Educator License through the accelerated M.A.T. program
Consult the course catalog for full listing of current courses available in this field.