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Secondary Education with Initial Licensure

Turn your subject-area degree into a teaching career through a 33-credit MAT designed for aspiring educators and career changers. Complete online coursework and a full-year residency in your community while preparing for Illinois secondary teacher licensure.

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Secondary Education with Initial Licensure

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Degree Level
Master of Arts in Teaching
Delivery
Fully Online
Time to Degree
3 Semesters
Credit Hours
36 Total, 36 in Major
Careers
Postsecondary, Teachers
Secondary Education with Initial Licensure students at EIU

Why Study Secondary Education with Initial Licensure at EIU?

  • Be prepared to teach after three semesters of focused study
  • Complete academic coursework online
  • Pursue a residency placement in your local community
  • Learn from faculty with experience in schools and educator preparation
  • Build on the subject-area expertise you already possess
See it for yourself Schedule a Visit
"From the moment I stepped onto campus, every professor, staff member, and student I encountered treated me with such genuine warmth and respect, as if I were already a valued member of their community. Despite not having officially joined the EIU family, I immediately felt a deep sense of belonging. The atmosphere was one of comfort and inclusivity, where everyone seemed genuinely invested in my success and well-being."
Abbey McCord
Secondary Education with Initial Licensure | Class of 2025
Abbey McCord, Secondary Education with Initial Licensure at EIU

Hands-On Experience

  • Complete a full-year residency in a secondary school
  • Plan and deliver instruction in your content area
  • Receive coaching and feedback from educators and EIU faculty
  • Apply literacy, assessment and differentiation strategies
  • Develop experience working within a school community
Hands-On Experience, Secondary Education with Initial Licensure students at EIU

What You'll Learn

EIU's MAT in Secondary Education provides an accelerated route to initial teacher licensure for candidates who already hold a qualifying degree in an approved content area. Licensure areas include English, mathematics, history and social science, several sciences, business, family and consumer sciences, technology and select world languages.Students complete online coursework followed by a full-year, full-time school residency.

View in Catalog
$75,777
Median Salary for These CareersMedian salaryThe median is the middle value: half of the people counted earn more and half earn less. It is an estimate for a typical graduate, not a promise of what you will earn. Pay varies by employer, location, experience and the specific job.

Career OutcomesCareer outcomesThese are example careers that graduates of this program often pursue, taken from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET occupation list. They are examples, not job guarantees, and many graduates work in other fields.Source: O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor

  • Education Teachers, Postsecondary
  • Secondary School Teachers
  • Mathematical Science Teachers,…
  • Middle School Teachers
  • Agricultural Sciences Teachers,…
  • Biological Science Teachers,…
  • Forestry & Conservation Science…
  • Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, & Space…
  • Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary
  • Environmental Science Teachers,…

Career Insights

Job Outlook ★ Bright Outlook Bright OutlookBright Outlook careers are ones with a promising future. They're expected to grow quickly, to have lots of job openings, or to be brand new and emerging. A career earns the label if it meets any one of these: projected growth of 5% or more, at least 75,000 projected openings, or New & Emerging status.
Grow Rapidly: Jobs in this career are expected to grow 5% or more over the next several years, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics projections.Source: O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor Grow Rapidly
Preparation Needed Extensive (5/5)Job Zone 5: Extensive preparationMost of these careers require graduate school, and many also call for more than five years of experience.Source: O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor
Personality Fit SocialSocial interest typeYou like helping people. This work centers on supporting others by helping, teaching, advising or serving them.Source: O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor

Financing Your Degree Under the 2026 Rules

Federal graduate lending changed on July 1, 2026 - Grad PLUS loans ended for new borrowers and new federal borrowing caps now apply to graduate students. Here's why the math still works at EIU:

Estimated total for this degree: ~$16,524 (tuition and fees)

  • ✓ That's only about 17% of the new $100,000 lifetime graduate borrowing limit - leaving room for whatever comes next in your career.
  • ✓ A typical full-time year here runs about $8,262 - well under the new $20,500 annual federal loan limit. Annual limits are reduced in proportion for part-time enrollment.
  • ✓ Working? If your employer offers it, they can provide up to $5,250 per year tax-free toward your education.

Estimates use 2026-2027 Illinois-resident tuition and fees and typical full-time enrollment. Your actual costs and aid depend on your program, enrollment, FAFSA, and prior borrowing. Students who borrowed for the same program before July 1, 2026 may have different limits.

Talk to EIU Financial Aid → Read about the 2026 federal aid changes
17% of lifetime limit

$16,524 total, just 17% of your $100,000 federal graduate borrowing limit

Connect With Us

Dan Carter
Associate Professor, Graduate Coordinator (TLF)
djcarter@eiu.edu
2176 Buzzard Hall
217-581-7885
Dan Carter Message Dan

Message Dan

or email djcarter@eiu.edu directly
Jill Rennels-Hutti
Interim Dean, College of Education, Health & Human Services
jrrennelshutti@eiu.edu
1423
217-581-6348
Jill Rennels-Hutti Message Jill

Message Jill

or email jrrennelshutti@eiu.edu directly
Billy Panther
Head of Panther Pride
Old Main
217-581-2223
Billy the Panther Message Billy

Message Billy

or email billy@eiu.edu directly

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EIU's programs, resources, and facilities are available to all students regardless of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity. Discrimination precluded by federal and state statutes is strictly prohibited.