Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Secondary School Teachers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Columbia College, Harold Washington College, VanderCook College of Music, and Lincoln College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Lincoln College, Chicago State, Northeastern Illinois University, and Judson.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Erikson Institute and Hebrew Theological College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Chicago State, Harold Washington College, VanderCook College of Music, and Illinois Institute of Technology.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider University of St Francis, Governors State, Trinity International University, and Chicago State.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Hebrew Theological College, Wheaton College, and Northwestern University.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Monmouth College, Augustana, Blackburn, and Illinois College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Northwestern University, University of Illinois, Wheaton College, and Illinois Wesleyan.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Saint Xavier University, Northwestern University, University of St Francis, and Concordia.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Augustana, Erikson Institute, Northwestern University, and Illinois College.
Spotlight Schools Search
Study from Anywhere at Online Schools Related to This Career
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Master
- Programs: 7 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Bachelor, Master
Jones International University
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Master
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Illinois • Champaign, IL
Studying Communications, Secondary Education (completion in 2010)
• 10/7/2011
"I had a great four years there. It was a very good value education for in-state tuition."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I believe the program is going to improve over time and be even better. The people within the department are great and I learned a lot. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | It isn't their most valued program, and doesn't get great funding. It was what you would expect from a public university. |
| Program Quality | 7 | It helped me to get my current job, but I could have obtained a broader degree to go along with teaching. |
| Instruction | 7 | I learned a lot in my education degree. My communications program could have been better. I sometimes felt lost. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Not exceptionally challenging. I did well in the program. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was what you would expect. Nothing stood out. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | I am and was very flexible. It goes well with the job. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Great libraries, better than expected faculty. Not the most funded department, as I said. |
| Social Life | 7 | It was a lot of fun. Got to meet a lot of great people and made great friends. |
| Placement Services | 3 | The job market for teaching is terrible. I wouldn't blame the school for all of it. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | Strong networking opportunity, good career advice. I was able to meet a lot of people with diverse backgrounds. |
Northeastern Illinois University • Chicago, IL
Studying History, Secondary Education, And An Endorsement For Middle School Education (completion in 2011)
• 1/8/2012
"The school could have been better. Could have had a more positive social aspect. Academically average."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The College of Education was awesome and the professors were great. Some jumping through hoops was required, but there was great program support within the school. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The school's reputation for the College of Education is superb. It is one of the highest in the state. Their reputation for History doesn't really exist. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The education program was great. Doing both clinicals and student teaching was extremely helpful. I would suggest doing some kind of classroom experience earlier on, to help people experience the classroom setting from a teacher perspective before it may be too late. |
| Instruction | 8 | Awesome career preparation. Learned moderate amounts; some common sense. The quality of the curriculum varied from one professor to the next, so more consistency would be helpful. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Acceptance to the College of Education was moderately difficult. Overall, the work and expectations throughout were challenging. Clinicals were very difficult. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It varied from class to class. Some professors were hands on and some went by the books. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | They had an awesome class schedule. Night classes and weekend classes were readily available. There were some online classes, but none that were relevant to education. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Availability of tutors is great; there were plenty of writing labs and tutors. Professors have required office hours, so that was okay. No study group support; you can make your own. Library and classroom space was adequate. |
| Social Life | 1 | Virtually no school spirit. I don't even think the school had a mascot. No sporting events or sports teams; only club sports available. Parties and social events were also nonexistent. There was no on-campus housing. |
| Placement Services | 6 | They have job search websites and job boards. Job placement is nonexistent. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I have no idea if there is an alumni network. |
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