English Education

PhD in English Education Heading link

Several of our current and former PhD students have pursued specializations in English education. These include:

MA in English Education Heading link

The English Education concentration at UIC is a 2 year program committed to exploring with our students the many ways in which they as teachers can share with young people their passion for the joys, challenges, and potentials of reading and writing. Prospective students who are already teaching without a teaching license or working full-time in other careers may also enroll in the program, but in these circumstances it would likely take longer to complete due to the extra time required to obtain an Illinois state teaching license.

We believe that language arts teachers can make a real difference in their students’ lives, that helping young people grow as literate persons can help them live more thoughtfully and reflectively, that it can inspire them to act more effectively as citizens in a democratic society, that it can help them make meaningful, positive connections with diverse groups of people, and that it can open doors for those who aspire toward certain academic and employment goals.

Our vision for English teacher education is informed by our long-term experience as secondary school teachers, by our regular presence in Chicago-area schools, and by observing and listening to our graduates about what is needed to develop successful English teachers in secondary classrooms.

Students in our program have the option of pursuing teaching licensure that certifies them to teach English language arts in an Illinois public school, grades 9-12. If, after earning Illinois licensure, students want to teach in another state, they can usually get certified outside of Illinois by taking that state’s teacher certification test. Those test scores, along with their Illinois licensure, allows them to get certified in another state.

Faculty Heading link

Name Title Email
David Shaafsma Professor, Director schaaf1@uic.edu
Todd DeStigter Associate Professor tdestig@uic.edu
Sarah Donovan Methods Course Instructor sdonov1@uic.edu
Kate Sjostrom Lecturer and Field Instructor katesjostrom@uic.edu
Russell Mayo Lecturer and Field Instructor rmayo3@uic.edu
Chris Bass Lecturer and Field Instructor cbass2@uic.edu