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Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy 231 courses
SESP’s interdisciplinary secondary teaching concentration combines subject-area courses in a chosen field from Weinberg College—biological sciences, chemistry, economics, English, history, mathematics, physics, political science, French or Spanish—with teacher education courses like child and adolescent development, and education theory and methods. The program leads to an Illinois Professional Educator license as well as a bachelor of science in education and social policy degree upon completion of licensure and degree requirements. The degree is 42 units. Similar to the other SESP concentrations, which have a four unit practicum in the third year, secondary teaching students must complete a four unit student teaching internship in the last year while enrolled in TEACH_ED 388-0 Student Teaching in Multilingual & Multicultural Contexts: Secondary Humanities or TEACH_ED 385-0 Student Teaching in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts: Secondary Math or TEACH_ED 386-0 Student Teaching in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts: Secondary Science. Northwestern undergraduates in schools other than SESP (i.e. Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, School of Communication, etc.) have the option to complete requirements for teacher licensure eligibility while staying in their home schoool.
| 2 additional 300-level chemistry courses | credits |
| 2 additional physics courses including at least 1 at the 300 level | credits |
| Additional courses as needed to reach minimum 12 units | credits |
Professional Core
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SESP 201-0 | Human Development: Childhood and Adolescence | 1 |
| TEACH_ED 302-0 | Social, Cultural, and Linguistic Contexts of Education | 1 |
| TEACH_ED 310-0 | Foundations of Learning in a New Language | 1 |
| TEACH_ED 322-0 | Linguistics Informed Approaches to Literacy | 1 |
| TEACH_ED 327-0 | Educating Exceptional Children | 1 |
| Total Professional Core | 12 credits | |
Professional Core
1 methods and techniques course chosen from:
Professional Core
1 middle grades methods course chosen from:
Professional Core
1 practicum/seminar: TEACH_ED 378-0 may also be replaced by TEACH_ED 376-0.
Professional Core
1 student teaching seminar (4 units): TEACH_ED 388-0 may also be replaced by TEACH_ED 386-0.
Biological Sciences
6 core science courses plus labs:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL_SCI 201-0 | Molecular Biology | 1 |
| CHEM 110-0 | Quantitative Problem Solving in Chemistry | 1.34 |
| CHEM 131-0 | Fundamentals of Chemistry I | 1 |
| CHEM 141-0 | Fundamentals of Chemistry Laboratory I | 0.34 |
| Total Biological Sciences | 20.06 credits | |
Biological Sciences
OR
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 151-0 | General Chemistry I | 1 |
| CHEM 161-0 | General Chemistry Laboratory I | 0.34 |
Biological Sciences
OR PHYSICS 136-3 may also be replaced by PHYSICS 135-2, PHYSICS 135-3, PHYSICS 136-1, PHYSICS 136-2, PHYSICS 136-3.
Biological Sciences
2 course from Earth and Planetary Sciences (1 Earth and 1 Planetary):
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ASTRON 101-0 or ASTRON 120-0 | Modern Cosmology or Highlights of Astronomy | 1 |
| EARTH 214-0 | Physical Earth Science | 1 |
| TEACH_ED 333-0 | Science Content for Teachers | 1 |
Biological Sciences
3 additional chemistry courses and required labs:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 132-0 | Fundamentals of Chemistry II | 1 |
| CHEM 142-0 | Fundamentals of Chemistry Laboratory II | 0.34 |
Biological Sciences
OR
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 152-0 | General Chemistry II | 1 |
| CHEM 162-0 | General Chemistry Laboratory II | 0.34 |
Biological Sciences
OR CHEM 235-1 may also be replaced by CHEM 237-1. CHEM 235-2 may also be replaced by CHEM 237-2.
Biological Sciences
5 additional biological sciences courses plus 3 labs:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL_SCI 202-0 | Cell Biology | 1 |
| BIOL_SCI 203-0 | Genetics and Evolution | 1 |
| BIOL_SCI 301-0 | Principles of Biochemistry | 1 |
Biological Sciences
1 additional 300-level genetics or evolution course chosen from but not limited to:
Biological Sciences
3 labs:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL_SCI 232-0 | Molecular and Cellular Processes Laboratory | 0.34 |
| BIOL_SCI 233-0 | Genetics and Molecular Processes Laboratory | 0.34 |
| BIOL_SCI 234-0 | Investigative Laboratory | 0.34 |
Chemistry
7 core science courses plus labs:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PHYSICS 135-1 | General Physics | 1 |
| PHYSICS 135-2 | General Physics | 1 |
| PHYSICS 135-3 | General Physics | 1 |
| PHYSICS 136-1 | General Physics Laboratory | 0.34 |
| PHYSICS 136-2 | General Physics Laboratory | 0.34 |
| PHYSICS 136-3 | General Physics Laboratory | 0.34 |
| EARTH 210-0 | Earth Systems Science and Climate Change | 1 |
| BIOL_SCI 164-0 | Basic Genetics and Evolution | 1 |
| Total Chemistry | 20.72 credits | |
Chemistry
OR
Chemistry
OR
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 151-0 | General Chemistry I | 1 |
| CHEM 161-0 | General Chemistry Laboratory I | 0.34 |
Chemistry
OR
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 171-0 | Advanced General Inorganic Chemistry | 1 |
| CHEM 181-0 | Advanced General Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory | 0.34 |
Chemistry
2 courses from Earth and Planetary Sciences (1 Earth and 1 Planetary):
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ASTRON 101-0 or ASTRON 120-0 | Modern Cosmology or Highlights of Astronomy | 1 |
| EARTH 214-0 | Physical Earth Science | 1 |
| TEACH_ED 333-0 | Science Content for Teachers | 1 |
Chemistry
6 additional chemistry courses and required labs: CHEM 142-0 may also be replaced by CHEM 162-0.
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 132-0 | Fundamentals of Chemistry II | 1 |
| CHEM 142-0 or CHEM 152-0 | Fundamentals of Chemistry Laboratory II or General Chemistry II | 0.34 |
Chemistry
OR CHEM 235-1 may also be replaced by CHEM 237-1. CHEM 235-2 may also be replaced by CHEM 237-2. CHEM 235-3 may also be replaced by CHEM 235-3.
Physics
5 core science courses plus labs: CHEM 141-0 may also be replaced by CHEM 181-0.
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL_SCI 103-0 | Diversity of Life | 1 |
| CHEM 110-0 | Quantitative Problem Solving in Chemistry | 1.34 |
| CHEM 131-0 | Fundamentals of Chemistry I | 1 |
| CHEM 141-0 or CHEM 171-0 | Fundamentals of Chemistry Laboratory I or Advanced General Inorganic Chemistry | 0.34 |
| Total Physics | 14.36 credits | |
Physics
or
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 151-0 | General Chemistry I | 1 |
| CHEM 161-0 | General Chemistry Laboratory I | 0.34 |
| PHYSICS 135-1 | General Physics | 1 |
| PHYSICS 135-2 | General Physics | 1 |
| PHYSICS 135-3 | General Physics | 1 |
| PHYSICS 136-1 | General Physics Laboratory | 0.34 |
| PHYSICS 136-2 | General Physics Laboratory | 0.34 |
| PHYSICS 136-3 | General Physics Laboratory | 0.34 |
Physics
2 courses from Earth and Planetary Sciences (1 Earth and 1 Planetary)
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ASTRON 101-0 or ASTRON 120-0 | Modern Cosmology or Highlights of Astronomy | 1 |
| EARTH 210-0 | Earth Systems Science and Climate Change | 1 |
| TEACH_ED 333-0 | Science Content for Teachers | 1 |
Physics
6 additional physics courses:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PHYSICS 239-0 | Foundations of Modern Physics | 1 |
| PHYSICS 330-1 | Classical Mech | 1 |
| PHYSICS 332-0 | Statistical Mechanics | 1 |
| PHYSICS 333-1 | Advanced Electricity & Magnetism | 1 |
English
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGLISH 300-0 | Seminar in Reading and Interpretation | 1 |
| TEACH_ED 324-0 | Critical Issues in Literacy | 1 |
| Total English | 13 credits | |
English
2 British Literature courses or 2 American Literature courses below but not limited to: ENGLISH 250-0 may also be replaced by ENGLISH 270-0.
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGLISH 240-0 | British Literary Traditions | 1 |
| ENGLISH 250-0 or ENGLISH 266-0 | British Literary Traditions or Introduction to African American Literature | 1 |
English
At least 3 world literature courses chosen from but not limited to:
English
At least 3 literature courses representing different genders, ethnicities and social classes chosen from but not limited to:
English
3 additional courses chosen from the following, but not limited to:
Spanish
3 courses chosen from but not limited to:
Spanish
2 courses chosen from but not limited to:
Spanish
3 literature courses with at least 2 focusing on Latin-American literature selected from the following but not limited to:
Spanish
3 Latin American/Latin-x culture and civilization courses including film, art, and history, from, but not limited to:
Spanish
Choose 1 from the following:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SPANISH 280-0 | Introduction to Spanish Linguistics | 1 |
| SPANISH 281-0 | Spanish Phonetics and Phonology | 1 |
| SPANISH 302-0 | Advanced Grammar | 1 |
French
Language & Composition:
French
Literature:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| FRENCH 210-0 | Reading Literatures in French | 1 |
| FRENCH 271-0 or FRENCH 273-0 | Introducing the Novel or Introducing Poetry | 1 |
French
3 additional courses with readings and discussions in French chosen from but not limited to:
French
2 additional courses chosen from, but not limited to:
Mathematics
Foundation calculus courses: MATH 218-3 may also be replaced by MATH 220-2.
Mathematics
Additional required courses:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 240-0 | Linear Algebra | 1 |
| MATH 306-0 | Combinatorics & Discrete Mathematics | 1 |
Mathematics
1 probability and statistics course chosen from:
Mathematics
1 geometry course chosen from:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 340-0 | Geometry | 1 |
| TEACH_ED 318-0 | Topics in Teaching Math: Geometry | 1 |
History
No more than 1 AP credit may be counted towards history course requirements. HISTORY 250-2 may also be replaced by HISTORY 201-2.
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISTORY 250-1 | Global History: Early Modern to Modern Transition | 1 |
| HISTORY 250-2 or HISTORY 201-1 | Global History: The Modern World or Europe in the Medieval and Early Modern World | 1 |
| Total History | 14 credits | |
History
2 U.S. History survey classes such as, but not limited to:
History
2 non-Western civilization courses such as:
History
4 courses to meet related core requirements in social sciences; no more than 1 may be met by AP credit:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| POLI_SCI 220-0 | American Government and Politics | 1 |
| ECON 201-0 | Introduction to Macroeconomics | 1 |
History
Plus 2 from the following:
Economics
8 economics courses:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 201-0 | Introduction to Macroeconomics | 1 |
| ECON 202-0 | Introduction to Microeconomics | 1 |
| ECON 281-0 | Introduction to Applied Econometrics | 1 |
| ECON 310-1 | Microeconomics | 1 |
| ECON 310-2 or ECON 311-0 | Microeconomics or Macroeconomics | 1 |
| Total Economics | 15 credits | |
Economics
1 related core chosen from the list:
Political Science
Choose at least 2 from:
Political Science
1 course in methodology chosen from:
Political Science
1 related core course chosen from the following:
| Code | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| TEACH_ED 334-0 | Social Science Content for Teachers | 1 |
| ECON 201-0 | Introduction to Macroeconomics | 1 |
| ECON 202-0 | Introduction to Microeconomics | 1 |
English as a Second Language (ESL) and Bilingual Education Endorsements (optional)
Click a course code or title to read the full course description.
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