Oakton's education pre-majors and pathways will prepare you for a fulfilling career shaping young learners. They will set you on your way to a bachelor's in elementary, secondary, or special education.
Education is a vastly important field. There will always be a real demand for talented teachers to guide students. Being a successful teacher requires compassion, a commitment to equity, and a lifelong love for learning. It also requires knowledge and skills that only your own education can bring.
Overseen by Oakton's Division of Liberal Arts, the education pre-majors and pathways are designed to give you a solid foundation in education studies before you transfer to a four-year college or university to complete your teaching degree. Selecting education as your pre-major at the Enrollment Center or with your academic advisor will give you the opportunity to earn transferable credits taking key classes like Introduction to Education or enter the classroom as a paraprofessional educator. You'll also be signed up to receive key mailings and information.
All education pre-major and pathway students are encouraged to attend an education orientation session during their first term at Oakton. The session will provide key information on Oakton's education program and courses, articulation agreements and transferring to a four-year institution, and the Illinois Teacher Licensure Process.
Transfer Programs in K-12 Education
No university or college offers all possible K-12 teacher education programs. To determine what programs are offered at each institution in Illinois, see approved programs in Illinois, you can browse the Illinois State Board of Education's Directory of Approved Programs.
Each School of Education requires slightly different general education courses. Majors may also differ (for example, Secondary Education may differ from Special Education) within a single transfer institution.
Admission requirements to Schools of Education may be different and are often higher than admission requirements to universities themselves and higher than the requirements for graduation from Oakton. For example, many Schools of Education in the Chicago area require a 2.5 GPA or higher for acceptance.
In addition, many Schools of Education have specific general education requirements for their students. These may not completely align with the IAI-approved general education course taken as part of the Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree at Oakton. As an Education student at Oakton, you should follow the recommended Education pre-major and contact the K-12 Education Program Coordinator (Katherine Schuster, schuster@oakton.edu) and an Oakton academic advisor to make sure you are taking the correct general education courses.
Oakton has transfer agreements with several area colleges and universities. These agreements are often called articulation agreements, 2+2 agreements, or dual enrollment agreements, and they detail the courses you should take at Oakton and the courses you'll need to take at the specific transfer institution to complete your BA.
