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English Education

The English education program prepares you for the State of Illinois Professional Educator’s License in High School (Secondary) Education, with a concentration in English language arts.

Preparing You for Success

You participate in classroom field experiences in your first year, then you gain additional field experiences your sophomore and junior years. These prepare you for the senior year student teaching experience. Bradley faculty and your supervising teachers are valuable mentors throughout the process. You also work closely with English department faculty who give you a foundation in language, literature and writing.

The teacher education department is accredited by the Illinois State Board of Education and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. It also is a member of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. The high school education program is nationally recognized by the National Council for the Social Studies, National Council for Teachers of Mathematics, National Science Teachers Association and National Council of Teachers of English.

By the time you graduate, your experiences include:

  • Courses and projects in literature, literary criticism and writing
  • Professional development and licensure in high school (secondary) education
  • More than 500 hours of field experience and student teaching in local classrooms
  • Instruction and mentorship from faculty who have taught on six continents, published 30 books on education and served in educational leadership at state and national levels
  • Research opportunities with faculty
  • Use of classroom technologies such as Smart Boards, virtual reality, 3-D printing and wearable devices

Making Your Mark

English education teachers are in demand. Recent English education students who completed the program and graduated boast a 100 percent pass rate on Illinois licensure tests, including the national edTPA portfolio evaluation. Almost all found jobs within six months of graduation. That success means you can enter the teaching profession or graduate school after commencement. Many graduates are working for school districts in the Midwest. As an educator, you also can consider future graduate studies in curriculum and instruction or other fields.

Major Requirements

Required Courses - 31 hrs.

  • ENG 180: Intro to English Education - 1 hr.
  • ENG 233: American Literature to 1865 - 3 hrs.
    or ENG 235: American Literature 1865 to Present - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 237: English Literature to 1800 - 3 hrs.
    or ENG 239: English Literature 1800 to Present - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 270: Introduction to Literary Criticism and Theory - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 311: Introduction to Language - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 312: Grammar for Teaching - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 320: Young Adult Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 347: Shakespeare - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 391: Methods of Teaching Writing - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 392: Methods of Teaching Reading and Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 472: Methods of Teaching Integrated Language Arts - 3 hrs.

Required World Literature Course (choose one) - 3 hrs.

  • ENG 123: European Writers - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 381: Literatures of Asia - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 385: Literatures of Europe - 3 hrs.

Elective Courses (choose three) - 9 hrs.

At least two of the three must be at the 300 level or above.

  • ENG 207: Introduction to Creative Writing - 3 hrs.
  • *ENG 233: American Literature to 1865 - 3 hrs.
  • *ENG 235: American Literature 1865 to Present - 3 hrs.
  • *ENG 237: British Literature to 1800 - 3 hrs.
  • *ENG 239: British Literature 1800 to Present - 3 hrs.
  • **ENG 300: Advanced Writing—Exposition - 3 hrs.
  • **ENG 301: Advanced Writing—Argumentative Writing - 3 hrs.
  • **ENG 304: Advanced Writing—Research in Individual Disciplines - 3 hrs.
  • **ENG 305: Advanced Writing—Technical Writing - 3 hrs.
  • **ENG 306: Advanced Writing—Business Writing - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 307: Intensive Poetry Workshop - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 308: Intermediate Fiction Workshop - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 313: Grammar for Writing and Speaking - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 320: Young Adult Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 329: Studies in African American Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 330: Studies in Native American Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 331: Studies in Women Writers - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 332: Early American Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 334: 19th-Century American Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 336: 20th-Century American Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 341: Medieval English Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 344: Renaissance English Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 358: 18th-Century British Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 361: British Romantic Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 363: British Victorian Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 364: 20th-Century British Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 365: Irish Literatures - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 368: Science Fiction and Fantasy - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 370: Literary Criticism and Theory - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 372: Poetry as Genre - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 373: Fiction as Genre - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 374: Drama as Genre - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 378: Individual Authors - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 380: Topics in Language and Literature - 3 hrs.
  • ***ENG 381: Literatures of Asia - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 403: Advanced Creative Nonfiction Workshop - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 407: Advanced Poetry Workshop - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 408: Advanced Fiction Workshop - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 409: Advanced Screenwriting Workshop - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 492: Practicum in English - 1-6 hrs.
  • ENG 495: Independent Study - 1-3 hrs.
  • ENG 503: Intensive Creative Nonfiction Workshop - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 506: Writing in the Professions - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 507: Intensive Poetry Workshop - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 508: Composing Hypertext - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 509: Intensive Screenwriting Workshop - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 510: Intensive Fiction Workshop - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 550: Language Theory - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 560: Writing Theory - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 570: Contemporary Literary Criticism - 3 hrs.
  • ENG 580: Theories and Methods of Teaching Composition - 3 hrs.

*only if taken in addition to 200-level English education requirements
**only if taken in addition to Core Curr. CM W2 requirement
***only if taken in addition to Core Curr. GP WC, HU requirement

Other Requirement

  • In order to receive a secondary education (9-12) teaching endorsement in the State of Illinois, students must also complete all the education requirements as mandated by the Illinois State Board of Education, which includes 41 hours of course work in the Teacher Education - High School Education program.