M.A. in Teaching Admission Requirements

Requirements for All Students

• Application deadline is April 1.
• Bachelor's degree from an approved institution and in an approved major.
  • Approved institution
    • Regionally accredited and grants degree in education that includes state licensure for teachers.
      • If your school does not grant such a degree, your transcript can be evaluated for meeting Wheaton's general education requirements.
  • Approved Major for Elementary Education Licensure
    • Within Liberal Arts & Sciences
  • Approved Major for Secondary Education Licensure
    • English/Language Arts
    • Foreign Language (French, German, or Spanish)
    • Mathematics
    • Science (designation in Biology, Chemistry, Earth/Space Science, or Physics)
    • Social Science (designation in History)
• GPA 3.0 minimum
• MAT (Miller Analogies Test) or GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) General Test
• TAP (Illinois Test of Academic Proficiency)
  • ACT or SAT scores can be submitted to the ISBE (Illinois State Board of Education) in lieu of the TAP.
    • ACT 22 minimum, plus writing score. SAT 1030 minimum, plus writing score.
• Official transcripts from all schools that ever granted you college credit, even just one credit.
• Admission application.
• Three recommendation forms, not letters. 
  • Academic.
  • Pastoral (or other Christian leader).
  • Professional.
    • Option if you do not have an employer: Someone with whom you have had a supervisor-employee relationship, for example in a ministry, internship, or missions-trip context.
  • Letters accepted as supplements to Recommendation Forms.
• Three essays.
• Chronological resume.
• Signed  Statement of Faith, Community Covenant, and Statement of Veracity.
• Application fee US $30, non-refundable.

Additional Requirements for International Students

• Application Deadline: January 1.
• An English Proficiency exam (TOEFL or IELTS) is required for all international applicants instead of the GRE.
• If TOEFL or IELTS is waived, then MAT or GRE is required.
• Transcript evaluation report required with every official transcript.
• International students also must pass TAP (Illinois Test of Academic Proficiency)
• Please review  Graduate International Admissions for full information.

Illinois Content Area Test

• The Illinois Content Area Test is not required for admission, but it must be passed to be eligible for student teaching.
  • Elementary Education candidates take the content-area test during the second semester of the program.
  • Secondary Education candidates take the content-area test before student teaching. They can also take the test before starting the MAT program.
• International students also must pass Illinois Content Area Test.