2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog Major in Middle Level Education Degrees offered: B.S. and B.S. in Ed.

Major Requirements

Minimum required credit hours: 78

Take 1 of the following

Complete 2 of the following content areas for endorsement

English Language Arts (18 credit hours)

Take 1 of the following

Take 1 of the following 

English Learner (18 credit hours)

Mathematics (19 credit hours)

Science (19 credit hours)

Take 1 of the following 

Social Science (18 credit hours)

Take 1 of the following

Take 1 of the following 

Notes

  • Endorsement areas may impact General Education requirements. Consult your advisor. 
  • Middle Level Education majors must choose two content areas for endorsement. Passage of ILTS content exams may be requried beyond the coursework listed. Since ISBE subsequent endorsement requirements are subject to change due to updated licensure code, students must confirm current requirements with their academic advisor each year of enrollment to ensure required coursework and additional ISBE licensure requirements for each endorsement are completed at the time of graduation.  

  • University-Wide Teacher Education Requirements

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Graduation Requirements

These are general requirements for all students. Students may apply for and receive two bachelor's degrees at the same time. Refer to the Academic Policies and Practices section of the catalog for details.

  • 120 minimum total credit hours
  • A minimum of 40 of the 120 total hours must be senior college hours (200-300 level courses)
  • AMALI requirement (certain courses in General Education and/or major may fulfill the AMALI requirement)
  • IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access in U.S. Society) requirement (certain courses in General Education and/or major may fulfill the IDEAS requirement)
  • Students completing a Bachelor of Science degree must complete a B.S. - Science, Math, & Technology degree requirement (beyond the General Education requirements) 
  • Students completing a Bachelor of Arts degree must complete a B.A. - world language degree requirement: LAN/FRE/GER/SPA/ITA/JPN/POR 115 (or equivalent) 
  • Some majors complete other types of degrees that do not include additional graduation requirements. For example, the Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S. in Ed.) or the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.). 

Specific Program Requirements

Selection of endorsement areas could impact AMALI and B.S.-SMT degree requirements.

General Education Requirements

There are three ways to complete general education requirements for Illinois State University. These three general education programs have different requirements and affect only certain types of students.

  1. The first way is to complete Illinois State University's General Education Program (see below for details).
  2. The second way is to complete the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum available through the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) (see below for details).
  3. The third way is to complete a baccalaureate-oriented Associates Degree (A.A. or A.S.) from a regionally accredited post-secondary institution. For those transferring from an Illinois college or university, the A.S. degree must include the complete IAI General Education Core Curriculum (GECC) or the student must complete the GECC to fulfill Illinois State’s General Education requirement.

Illinois State University's General Education Program

The complete General Education Program consists of 13 courses (39 semester hours). Because of laboratory or recitation requirements, some courses are listed as four or five credit hours in this catalog. All four or five hours will be credited toward graduation requirements, but only three hours will be credited in General Education for these courses. Depending on their major, students may be exempted from one General Education category (maximum of one course) because of disciplinary expertise gained in their major.

Program requirements that also fulfill General Education Program Requirements

  • Exempt from Social Sciences Category due to disciplinary expertise gained in the major
  • Endorsement areas may impact General Education requirements. Consult your advisor.

Illinois Articulation Initiative for Transfer Students

To be eligible for IAI, at least one transfer course must have been articulated to an IAI core requirement. Refer to the Undergraduate Catalog for a complete list of IAI courses and policies. The Illinois Transferable General Education Core curriculum consists of 12 to 13 courses (37 to 41 hours of credit) within a five-category designation.

Program requirements that also fulfill IAI Program Requirements

Endorsement areas may impact General Education requirements. Consult your advisor.