Application Requirements

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       Basic Admission Requirements and Criteria

The basic admission requirements listed below are needed for most School of Education graduate programs.  However, please refer to your specific program of interest for full details about admission requirements.  For additional information, including endorsements, approvals and certifications requirements available within academic programs, please contact us at edgradadmissions@depaul.edu.

  • A completed School of Education Graduate Application
  • A $40.00 application fee
  • A bachelor's degree conferred by an accredited college or university
  • A previous grade point average of 2.75 or above on a 4.0 grading scale
  • All official transcripts in sealed envelopes from all institutions attended including DePaul University if applicable
  • Resume showing evidence of adequate background for the program
  • Personal Statement indicating professional goals and related experiences
  • Letters of recommendations (number of letters vary per program)

 

Program Specific Criteria

    Bilingual Bicultural Education

  • Two letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors
  • Statement of purpose indicating professional development goals and related experience (750 words)
For more detailed information about the Bilingual Bicultural Education program
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   Curriculum Studies

  • Two years of successful teaching, pupil personnel work or other appropriate work experience
  • Two letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors
  • Evidence of background for the program
  • Personal Statement addressing the following:-What have you accomplished since receiving your bachelors degree? Which Curriculum Studies concentration would you like to pursue? Why? Remember that we have an individually designed concentration.-Your statement should include discussion of your career goals.
For more detailed information about the Curriculum Studies program. 
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   Dual Certification

  • Two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a person familiar with your academic work
  • An interview with the admissions committee
  • A writing sample (ie: a term paper, seminar paper or senior thesis or portion thereof)
  • A personal statement indicating reasons for wanting to enter the program and explain your future career goals
For more detailed information about the Dual Certification program 
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   Early Childhood Education

  • Two letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors
  • Interview with program advisor, upon request
  • Personal Statement should explain your reasons for wanting to become a certified educator of young children (it: birth through age eight years) In your rationale, include how you envision working with young children, their families and their communities. Use any specific experiences or events that have shaped your thinking to clarify or illustrate your point
For more detailed information about the Early Childhood program 
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   Educational Leadership

  • Two years of successful teaching or other appropriate work experience
  • Two letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors
  • Evidence of adequate background for program
  • Personal Statement  should be a typed, double spaced document and should be between 2- 4 pages. Your statement should adhere to the following guidelines: Reflecting on the School of Education's conceptual framework, please describe your goals and how it relates to your interest in the educational leadership program and what assumptions, thoughts and conclusions have you developed regarding working in this urban context and what evidence from your own experiences, interests and skills support these thoughts and conclusions? In writing about an issue in urban education, many applicants will consider issues of diversity, socio-economics, equity and reform as relevant.  Please also describe what role(s) you have played and/or wish to play as an educational leader in the future. For more information on our conceptual framework as you reflect on your statement click here
          For more detailed information about the Educational Leadership program 
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              Elementary Education

          • Two letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors
          • Interview with program advisor, upon request
          • Personal Statement should explain reasons for wanting to enter the elementary or middle school program at DePaul and discuss your potential for becoming a teacher. Use any specific experiences or events that have shaped your thinking to clarify or illustrate your point
          For more detailed information about the Elementary Education program 
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              HSC-College Student Development,Community Counseling and School Counseling

          • Three letters of recommendation: one from a professor addressing your academic ability, one from a work supervisor and one from either another professor or supervisor.
          • Interview with program faculty upon request.
          • Personal Statement should be 3-4 pages double spaced and typed and should tell us about your career goals, your motivation for becoming a counselor and what you hope to accomplish in the Human Service and Counseling graduate program.  Describe your personal and professional experiences as well as characteristics that you believe support your application. 

          To do so, please respond to the following questions:

              1. What is your motivation for becoming a counselor?
              2. What are your short and long term professional goals
              3. What are your expectations of the HSC program and how do you envision the program fulfilling those expectations?
              4. The roles of the counselor are multiple and include listener, advocate, leader, consultant, multiculturalist, educator, and group leader.  From your perspective, please rank the roles of a counselor in terms of importance and provide a rationale discussing your placement of the top three roles
              5. What roles have been most comfortable for you in a group setting?  Describe what made these roles comfortable for you?
              6. We are often faced with situations which do not turn out as we had planned. How do you handle situations where you don't see things going in the way that you would like?
              Certification Only Option

              If you are applying for School Counseling-Certification only, you must have a master's degree with a clinical discipline and submit the following:

              • All official transcripts
              • Personal statement addressing the six questions listed above
              • One letter of recommendation from a clinical supervisor or professional colleague attesting to your ability to work with school-age clients
                                      For more detailed information about the HSC- College Student Development,Community Counseling, and School Counseling program 
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                                          Reading Specialist

                                      • One year of successful teaching experience
                                      • Two letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors
                                      • Evidence of adequate background for program
                                      • Evidence of Illinois Core Teaching, Language Arts, and Technology Skills
                                      • Personal Statement should discuss your future goals and your thoughts about what a Reading Specialist can contribute to a school.  As a part of your statement, please consider the following: the possible tasks/roles of a reading specialist are multiple and include classroom reading instruction, specialized instruction for students with reading difficulties, providing reading enrichment, staff development and reading curriculum development.  From your perspective, rank the task/roles and discuss your rationale for the top roles
                                      For more detailed information about the Reading Specialist program 
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                                          Secondary Education

                                      • Two letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors
                                      • Interview with program advisor, upon request
                                      • Please explain in your personal statement your reasons  for wanting to become a middle school or secondary educator and discuss your potential for becoming a teacher
                                      For more detailed information about the Secondary Education program 
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                                          Social & Cultural Foundations in Education

                                      • Three  letters of recommendation, at least two must speak to the applicant's academic performance and potential
                                      • A personal statement indicating reasons for wanting to enter the program and what you have done since receiving a bachelor's degree
                                      • Resume
                                      • A writing sample (ie: a term paper, seminar paper or senior thesis or portion thereof)
                                      • Students entering the program must be able and willing to commit themselves to a program that requires time and intense work. Students applying to the program are expected to show strong promise to do rigorous, critical, and creative intellectual work, be critically self reflective about their ideas, attitudes and values as well as show commitment to the academic goals of the program overall
                                      For more detailed information about the Social and Cultural Foundations program

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                                            Special Education

                                        • Must have an Illinois teaching certificate
                                        • Two letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors
                                        • Evidence of adequate background for the program
                                        • Personal Statement should discuss your future goals and your thoughts about your career as a  special educator.  As a part of your statement, please consider the following: there are multiple roles of a special education teacher. They  include team teacher with general educators, inclusion specialist, specialized instruction for exceptional students, advocate for exceptional students, multiculuralist, and provider of staff development.  From your perspective, rank the task/roles and discuss your rationale for the top roles
                                        • Interview with program advisor upon request
                                        For more detailed information about the Special Education  program 
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                                            World Languages

                                        • Two letters of recommendation
                                        • Personal statement should describe any formal or informal teaching experiences you have had, your reasons for wanting to become an educator and your employment experiences
                                        For more detailed information about the World Languages program 
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                                           Doctorate Programs in Education

                                        The Educational Doctorate program has two areas of specialization which includes:

                                        Curriculum Studies, Ed.D

                                        Curriculum Studies concentration

                                        • Has no formal prerequisites; however, applicants typically have had some coursework and/or work experience pertinent to the field

                                        Educational Leadership, Ed.D

                                        Educational Leadership concentration

                                        • Requires graduate level course work in: School Administration, School Law and School Finance

                                        Admission Process

                                          The admissions process reflects and enacts the principles and values of the program regarding engagement, reflection, the exercise of agency, working for change, and a commitment to professional development and learning. To do this, it includes the following components:

                                          • Attend an information session as part of the application process. This session covers the philosophical framework of the program, its values, and its expectations. Other activities to help potential applicants to make an informed decision about applying include dialogue with current students and faculty Register for an information session.

                                          All Candidates for the Educational Doctorate program must submit the following:

                                          • A completed School of Education graduate application
                                          • A $40.00 application fee
                                          • Resume or Curriculum Vitae
                                          • All transcripts of undergraduate and graduate work to ascertain the nature of previous educational experiences, course work, and areas of specialization
                                          • GRE scores
                                          • Three letters of Recommendation, at least two of which should be from faculty in the master's program of the applicant.
                                          • A written piece (approximately 3 pages), in the form of a personal statement, in which the applicant discusses why he or she is interested in further study and articulates an issue or problem of interest or concern
                                          • A writing sample, preferably a course paper from the applicant's master's program. Alternatively, applicants can write a short (3-5 pg) academic response to readings provided (upon request) by the doctoral program

                                          Applicants must provide evidence of the following:

                                          •  Possess a Master's Degree from an accredited institution
                                          • Have a grade point average of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale
                                          • Have experience in an educational role
                                          • Have demonstrated leadership or leadership potential

                                          Successful Applicants:

                                          • Are willing and able to make the necessary commitment of time to the program
                                          • Have a likelihood to be successful in a challenging doctoral program
                                          • Welcome the opportunity to interact with university faculty, peers, and colleagues in a search for effective answers to troubling problems in education

                                           In addition:

                                          • A conversational interview with two or three faculty which will provide an opportunity for candidates to become familiar with the program and the faculty, as well as an opportunity for faculty members to get to know prospective candidates. Applicants living outside of the Chicago area will engage in an appropriate, reciprocal substitute for this dialogue
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