After you apply to the program, our Coordinator of MAT Residency and Licensure, Kristen Barclay, will review your transcripts for eligibility into the program. She will let you know if you are eligible for the licensure area you selected during your application and indicate any deficiencies that must be completed to be considered for licensure.

We are currently not accepting any international students into the Master of Arts in Teaching/Alternative Licensure program who are on the F-1 student visa. Our MAT program is 95% online classes, which does not work for International students on an F-1 student visa.

Our MAT program does not have the resources to assist international teachers/students with their work visa or job/teaching placements. If a school district in Illinois is the sponsoring agency for the MAT teacher/student, then our program can work.

We do have two MS degrees that international students are able to enroll in if they wish to complete a degree completely online and from outside the USA:

• Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction
• Master of Science in Educational Studies

No. This program is for people with a baccalaureate degree who wish to get a teaching license along with a master's degree through an alternative route program. Students work as paid teachers of record under a provisional license while earning their full PEL.

From inquiry through graduation, our faculty and staff will support you remotely. All courses are completed online without the need to come to campus. Although a few of the courses have synchronous meeting times, they will be virtual (usually Zoom) sessions. The teaching residency is the only “in-person” portion of the program.

The School of Education will assign you an advisor who can help you with the completion of your coursework, answer questions and resolve degree-related problems, and monitor your academic progress. The university will assign you a supervisor who will meet with you regularly during your residency. You will also be a part of EDS 600, which is structured as a cohort group support experience, with brief reflection assignments and regular Zoom meetings. Your hiring district or organization will assign you a mentor or a coach. These mentors, along with your building principal, will support you as a new teacher.

You will find a list of program advisors in the MAT Handbook.

Yes. All candidates must pass a content exam corresponding to the area of licensure sought. For more information, see the ILTS resource webpage.

No. Passing the content exam is a requirement of residency. It is part of the Licensure Checklist.

Many students choose to take one or two months in order to study for their exam. Although some students require multiple attempts, many are able to pass it on their first try. If you don’t pass it immediately, don’t worry! For students who do not have much experience teaching in their chosen licensing area, taking a few relevant courses in their program before attempting the content test is usually a good idea. Check with content area experts on the faculty for advice on which courses might be helpful. Admitted and enrolled students will be notified of the availability of test preparation sessions. Visit the ILTS resource webpage to get started.

Access the Illinois Licensure Testing System (ILTS) Website. It contains information about each content exam as well as study materials. Select your Content Test name in the pull-down menu and hit the GO button. Review the materials, especially the information under #3, titled What's On The Test. It gives a breakdown of the test construct and the concepts on the exam so that you know exactly what you need to know. Once you register for the test, you will get a free practice test. Take the practice test and focus on any questions that you got wrong. Talk to your advisor about other program specific resources.

Many students choose to take classes before applying for their provisional license (ELS-APE) in order to prepare for their content exam and/or lessen the load during their residency. (Please check with your advisor about courses that may require that you have access to students in a classroom.) Students may also want to take courses before their residency because of other life obligations that they will have during their residency. Keep in mind that all students can take advantage of summer semesters to take courses without a teaching obligation. Finally, the ELS-APE is only good for two (2) years and can only be renewed for one additional year. This reason alone could make taking some courses before getting a license a smart move.

Total costs for the program are approximately $20,000. This fluctuates slightly depending on your specialization and how many credit hours you take. There are a number of financial aid programs available, including the federal TEACH grant, which provides up to $8,000 for a master’s level licensure program. Remember that you will be earning a full-time teaching salary once you begin your residency.

Students progress through the program at their own pace, but they must complete a one-year residency and all of their courses before they can graduate and earn their PEL. It would not be possible to complete everything in one year, but perhaps in two if students take summer courses as well.

No. There is no minimum number of courses to take each semester, though we recommend taking no more than two courses per semester in addition to your EDS 600 credits.

Yes. The University allows students to transfer up to nine semesters of coursework that has not been used for a previous degree from accredited institutions. However, there are no elective courses in the MAT program. Courses that you bring in must first be approved for substitution of an equivalent required course. You must provide the syllabus of the course that you wish to transfer. And you must have earned a C or above in the course to use it for licensure and the MAT degree. Contact your advisor if you think you may have already taken coursework that is equivalent to the required coursework in your MAT program.

The residency is a paid teaching position whereby you are considered a fully qualified teacher. You will have a mentor at your work site and a university supervisor who will visit you, but you will not have a supervising teacher. You will be the teacher of record.

Students must complete one full school year (two semesters, Fall to Spring) of residency teaching. The one-year residency clock starts only after students have their ELS-APE entitled. Full-time substitute teaching or any limited contractual teaching (certified hourly instructors, transitional bilingual educators, visiting international teachers) completed without an ELS-APE license cannot be counted toward the residency time. Likewise, support teaching and teaching done as a paraprofessional will not meet the requirements of a residency position.

No. MAT candidates are responsible for finding their own residency placements. The need for teachers varies. Not all school districts need teachers in all licensure areas. Consult the IL Education Job Bank for open vacancies.

Many of our students are already working in schools or have a connection to their local community districts. For those who are entering the education workforce for the first time, we require a short observational field experience in a classroom, which can be satisfied with 30 hours of substitute teaching. Substitute teaching is an excellent way to find out about future openings in your local schools. To find open positions statewide, we suggest using the free Illinois Education Job Bank, where you can search for jobs, save resumes, and apply online. Please note that WIU does not place MAT students in teaching residencies and cannot provide assistance in locating open positions. The MAT program was created to respond to the teacher shortage in Illinois. Our schools need teachers.

We entitle the ELS-APE each July to coincide with the start of residency the following Fall semester. This means that students can only begin their teaching residencies in August, which is typically when the school year starts. Once all your Licensure Checklist materials have been approved, someone from the Office of Teacher Education will issue your provisional license (ELS-APE) and send you an email about when you can go into your ELIS account and apply for and pay for it.

We only issue the ELS-APE license AFTER you have secured a teaching position. This is because the ELS-APE license is good for just two (2) fiscal years: July 1, 20xx-June 30, 20xx. The license may be renewed for a third year if necessary.

With the license, you can work at any Illinois institution where at least 50% of the teachers possess a state license, and at least one administrator possesses a state principal license. The ELS-APE license will only be issued for full-time positions as the “teacher of record”. These are positions that require a Professional Educator License or an Alternative Provisional License (ELS-APE) and the content exam for the licensure area sought. Full-time substitute teaching or any contractual teaching completed without a provisional license cannot be counted toward the residency time. Likewise, support teaching and teaching done as a paraprofessional will not meet the requirements of a residency position.

Teaching assignments must be 100% in the area and grade level for which the ELS-APE license is held. Shared teaching appointments with areas/grade levels outside of the content areas or grade levels are not permitted. Special Note about Elementary Positions: An Elementary position would require teaching in grades 1-6. Residents are expected to teach in all of the four elementary academic areas (ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies).

All residencies start at the beginning of the Fall semester (August) and culminate at the end of the Spring semester. To begin the teaching residency, students must have all items on the Licensure Checklist completed and submitted by the deadlines of each year. Those deadlines are June 15 for the content exam and July 1 for all other licensure checklist items.

In July, before your residency begins, someone from the Office of Teacher Education will let you know that it is time to register for your first two credits of EDS 600. Don't worry. EDS 600 does not fill, so you will not lose a "seat". At the end of the Fall semester of your residency, you will be notified when to register for your subsequent EDS 600 credits.

No. The ELS-APE is good for just one licensing area. While you may be interested in (or even working toward) additional endorsement areas, you will have to do your residency teaching in the area dictated by your ELS-APE license. Once issued, the ELS-APE cannot be changed to a different licensing area.

You may switch licensure programs at any time before your ELS-APE license is issued. Once issued, an ELS-APE cannot be changed to another licensure area. However, you could complete the coursework necessary for a subsequent endorsement to teach in another area. That endorsement will be attached to your PEL once you finish the MAT coursework and residency in your original licensure area.

Each licensure program has different course requirements. All programs require EDS 457G, most require SPED 551, and many require a multicultural education component. Before you decide to switch programs, check out the requirements in the MAT Handbook. Please also note that the content test is different as well.

To switch programs, complete this Change of Status Form. And be sure to let your advisor know that you are making the change.

You will receive your Professional Education License (PEL) along with graduation from the program, after you complete all MAT program coursework and your residency. You will receive a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree at the same time.