Prepare to Help Students Reach their True Potential

In small classes and amazing field experiences, you’ll work closely with the outstanding faculty of our School of Education and our Department of Mathematics. You’ll develop your leadership skills, master the latest educational technologies, and study the subtleties of lesson planning, classroom management and human growth and development. In a curriculum deeply rooted in the liberal arts, you’ll take a deep dive into mathematics courses. You’ll explore a variety of teaching styles, prepare to support and challenge students who learn in different ways, and gain a deep understanding of the profession’s key values of scholarship, leadership and service.

Hugo Torres 2017 square

During my student-teaching, I was able to get hands-on experience in the classroom, collaborating with other teachers, planning lessons and applying what I learned at DU into my field. This was extremely helpful when I entered into the classroom on my own."

Hugo Torres
Dominican University Graduate

Amazing Opportunities

Our alumni often return to Dominican to share their knowledge with current students or to further expand their career preparation. The School of Education offers post-graduate opportunities in special education, bilingual education, English as a second language, and additional high-demand fields.

The university works to ensure that academic commitment, not family wealth, opens doors. More than 95% of our students receive financial aid. Education students also are eligible for special grants from the Illinois Future Teachers Corps Program, the Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship Program, and the TEACH Grant Program. We’ll be happy to guide you through the application process.

More than 30% of Chicago-area students speak a language other than English at home. Knowing a language such as Spanish will expand your professional options. You can major or minor in Spanish at Dominican.

Learn by Doing. Then, Do Even More.

At Dominican, you’ll acquire the skills in highest demand and of most critical need, and you’ll put them to work—not after graduation, now

More Ways to Grow—On Campus and Beyond

Practical, hands-on experience is built into our curriculum. You’ll spend a lot of time in the real world of secondary education, observing teachers at different grade levels and engaging students across a wide range of cultural backgrounds. As a senior, you’ll spend a semester teaching a high school class, with the guidance and support of your professors. You will enter the teaching profession with the full set of skills and knowledge you’ll need to create a caring, stimulating and effective classroom environment.

The State of Illinois requires teachers to earn a Professional Educator License with Secondary Endorsements in a specific area of study. Dominican offers state-approved programs in the following key STEM subject areas:

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Mathematics

To address the shortage of diverse secondary STEM teachers in the Chicagoland area, the National Science Foundation has awarded Dominican University a Noyce Grant for the project STEM Stars: Strengthening the STEM Teacher Pipeline in Metropolitan Chicago.

You also can earn endorsements and approvals that will enable you to teach additional subjects. Our faculty will work closely with you to ensure that you obtain the best possible preparation for your teaching career.

Dominican University played a pivotal role in preparing me to become a bilingual teacher by providing both a solid academic foundation and a deeply supportive community. I draw on the skills and values I developed at Dominican every day in my classroom.

Daisy J. Cervantes
Dominican University Graduate

Prepare for Meaningful Work in a Vital Profession

As a Dominican graduate, you’ll be prepared not only for your first teaching job but also for a lifetime of intellectual and professional competence. Our alumni work across the United States in a remarkable range of educational settings. They know how to develop the talents of students with a wide spectrum of learning, social and personal needs. They connect with their students in important, transforming and lasting ways.

Learn more about Dominican's Mathematics major

Learn more about Dominican's Secondary and K-12 Education major

Career Opportunities

You’ll find graduates of our School of Education working across the nation as teachers and administrators in urban, suburban, public, private, faith-based, multicultural and charter schools. Some of the top employers include:

  • The Chicago Public Schools
  • An extensive array of suburban school districts
  • Private independent schools
  • Parochial schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Dioceses of Joliet, Rockford and Springfield.

Wherever and whatever you choose to teach, the School of Education will prepare you for a lifetime of learning, leadership and service.

For more information,
please contact:

Josephine Tabet Sarvis, PhD
Professor and Director
School of Education
jsarvis@dom.edu(link sends email)

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