Requirements

Theatre Education major road map

Below the typical four-year road map to becoming a theatre teacher licensed in the state of Illinois to teach grades PK-12, and check out the academic plan that your advisor will use to help you plan your classes each semester. Here’s a summary of the Theatre classes you’ll need to take in your four years:

Years 1 and 2 (before admission to the Teacher Education Program)

• Take foundational courses in Educational Studies (with the EDST prefix), which focus on big questions about the purpose and history of education.
• Take foundational courses in Theatre (with the THEA prefix), which will give you knowledge of different aspects of theatre.
• At the end of year 2, apply for official admission into the Teacher Education Program.

Apply for admission to the Teacher Education Program (end of sophomore year)

Toward the end of your sophomore year, you will apply to be admitted into the Teacher Education Program.

Criteria:

• A cumulative Monmouth College grade point average of 3.0 or greater.
• A cumulative Educational Studies (EDST) core grade point average of 3.0 or greater. A grade of C or above must be earned in each EDST course used for admission.
• A positive dispositional record, assessed by the Educational Studies and Theatre faculty.
• A statement of reflection explaining your lowest Monmouth College grade.
• Optional: Documentation of ACT/SAT for academic advising purposes.

Years 3 and 4 (after admission to the Program)

In your junior and senior years, you will take courses that will help you learn HOW and WHAT to teach (with the MCTE prefix and the THEA prefix). While taking those courses, you will work in the area schools, mentored by Monmouth College faculty and area teachers (many of them graduates of Monmouth College!). We will place you in a variety of settings in Monmouth and in the surrounding areas so that you are well prepared, no matter what teaching position you land after graduation!

Apply to the Student Teaching experience (end of junior year)

At the end of your junior year, you will apply to student teach in your senior year.

Criteria:

• A passing score on the Drama/Theatre Arts content test.
• A cumulative Monmouth College grade point average of 3.0 or greater.
• A cumulative Monmouth College grade point average of 3.0 or greater for all courses required for major and licensure.
• No In-Progress or Incomplete grades
• Completion of all required coursework used for licensure with a grade of C or better.
• Completion of at least 100 recorded hours of successful field experiences (working in the area schools).
• Submission of favorable recommendation forms from Educational Studies and Theatre faculty members.
• A positive dispositional record, assessed by Educational Studies and Theatre faculty.

Student teaching (typically last semester before graduation)

Most students complete their student teaching experience in the spring of their senior year, but some students prefer to student teach in the fall.

Once you have been approved for student teaching, you have two options for student teaching:

1. We will place you with a mentor teacher at a school within a 60 mile radius of Monmouth College. Your mentor teacher will give you feedback to help you become a better teacher. Additionally, one of your professors from the Educational Studies Department will visit your classroom regularly to give you feedback.
2. If you would like to student teach in an urban environment, you can apply to student teach with the Chicago Semester program. Dr. Lisa Hensey, Student Teaching Program Director for Chicago Semester, will place you with a mentor in a Chicago school and she will visit your classroom regularly to give you feedback. Read this blog post about student teaching with Chicago Semester by our alumna Emilee Livesay ’18.

During your student teaching semester, you will complete a national assessment called the edTPA that will evaluate your ability to plan, instruct, and assess—in other words, your ability to teach!

Once you have finished your student teaching and your edTPA, we’ll help you apply for your Illinois teaching license (known as an “initial professional educator’s license”). If you want to teach in another state, we’ll help you apply for a license there, too.

For more specific information about applying for admission to the Teacher Education Program, please contact Dr. Tom Sargent, Director of Teacher Education.