Program of Study
Elementary Education - Master of Arts
Elementary Education | College of Education

The traditional Master of Arts in Elementary Education program at Roosevelt University is a comprehensive initial certification program that seeks to develop teachers who are well equipped to meet the diverse educational needs of the wide spectrum of students from kindergarten through ninth grade. 

The Program

This program, well suited for working adults who are career changers, is designed to develop teachers who are reflective, problem-solving, and decision-making professionals.  Roosevelt University’s College of Education prepares elementary teachers who provide strong role models for today’s youth, promote the joy of learning, make a difference in children’s lives, and participate in the redesign of education for the 21st century.

The Elementary Education Program of the College of Education provides:

• Outstanding faculty, personal advising, and small class size
• Supervised field experiences in actual classrooms that bridge theory and practice and result in teachers who are prepared practically as well as philosophically
• Convenient evening and Saturday classes at both the Chicago and Schaumburg campuses

The initial certification program is designed for individuals with a bachelor’s degree in another field of study who want to teach in public or private elementary schools.  The professional course work meets the Illinois State Board of Education requirements for Type 03 teacher certification (K-9).  It is approved through the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Core Courses

Four core courses form the foundation of the Elementary Education Program at the graduate level.  These courses are:

• ELED 405 Foundations of Education
• EDUC 407 Topics and Issues in Human Development
• SPED 419 Exceptional Children and Youth
• EDUC 485 Technology in the Classroom

Methods Courses

In addition, graduate students in elementary education majors enroll in a series of courses that address methods of teaching, including:

• READ 420 Teaching Reading in the Elementary School
• ELED 421 Mathematics in the Elementary School
• READ 432 Strategies and Materials for Teaching Reading, Writing, and Language Arts
• ELED 426 Methods of Teaching Science in the Elementary School
• ELED 427 Methods of Teaching Social Studies in the Elementray School

Field Experience Courses

Field experiences are integrated throughout the program and are associate with specific courses in the professional sequence.  They are:

• ELED 405 Foundations of Education (10 clock hours)
• SPED 419 Exceptional Children and Youth (25 clock hours)
• READ 420 Teaching Reading in the Elementary school (25 clock hours)
• ELED 421 Mathematics in the Elementary School (25 clock hours)
• ELED 426 Methods of Teaching Science in the Elementary School (25 clock hours)

Student Teaching

• ELED 470 Student Teaching and Seminar (6 s. h.)

Student teaching is a fifteen-week, full time placement.  Arrangements for student teaching are made one full year in advance.  Prior to student teaching, all other certification requirements, including State of Illinois general education requirements and the professional sequence of courses listed above must be completed.  Prior to student teaching, students must submit to the College of Education documentation of passing the Illinois Type 03 Elementary Subject Area Test.  Student teaching includes a seminar which meets weekly throughout the semester.

Master’s Degree Action Research Course

• EDUC 480 Inquiry in the Classroom

The final course in the Elementary Education program area is designed to help the teacher or teacher candidate reflect on and conduct research on his/her own practice.  This course can be taken in concurrently with student teaching or following certification.  In order to successfully complete the course students should have access to students and should be teaching in some capacity.  This can include substitute teaching, work as an instructional aide, volunteering on a regularly scheduled basis in an elementary school, teaching religious education, tutoring, or work as a full time teacher.  There is a six year time limit for the completion of a master’s degree program from start to finish.  Some students find it best to wait to take EDUC 480 until they are in the first year or two of their own full time teaching.

General Education Requirements

Successful elementary school teachers must have a well-rounded liberal arts education.  Many if not all of the general education requirements will have been met through prior undergraduate degree studies.  To meet the expectation of the State of Illinois for such a liberal arts education, the Roosevelt University Elementary Education Program requires coursework that demonstrates competency in the following areas:

• Written communication
• Mathematics
• Biological and physical sciences including one laboratory course )
• Humanities
• Social Sciences (including 3 s.h. in either US History or American government)
• Nonwestern Cultures (3 s.h. in a humanities or social science course focusing on Africa, the Far East, Latin America, or Native America)
• No grade below B is accepted in communication skills, area of concentration, and professional education coursework.
• An academic concentration in one teachable content area is recommended (e.g., English, Mathematics, Science, an area of humanities, an area of social science) (18 s.h. with 9 s.h. at the 300 level or above.)

Faculty

Courses are taught by experienced educators both full time university faculty and part time practitioners with outstanding records of service and instruction.  Full time faculty serve as personal advisors to each student in the program.

For more information:

Please see the welcome page on this website or contact us at:

Chicago Campus
Gage Building

18 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60603

312-853-4750
312-853-4757 FAX

Robin Campus of Schaumburg
1400 North Roosevelt Boulevard
Schaumburg, IL 60173

847-619-8600
847-619-8636 FAX