M.A. in Teaching Admission Requirements
Applying to the Wheaton College Graduate School
Learn about the M.A. in Teaching at the Wheaton College Graduate School.
Application Deadline Information
International Applicants
The formal application deadline for all international applicants is January 1.
United States (Citizen, Permanent Resident, National) Applicants
The M.A. in Teaching program will review completed applications after the final deadline (June 15) on a rolling basis contingent upon available space in the program. We encourage you to follow the deadlines below to enhance your application experience.
Early Action Deadline: November 15 to receive an admissions decision by December 6.
Priority Deadline: January 15 to receive an admissions decision by February 5.
Regular Deadline: March 15 to receive an admissions decision by April 6.
Final Deadline: June 15 to receive an admissions decision by July 6. Applications after June 15 will be reviewed on a rolling basis contingent upon available space in the program.
United States (Citizen, Permanent Resident, National) Applicants
The M.A. in Teaching program reviews applications on a rolling basis, but we encourage the following deadline to enhance your application experience.
Recommended Deadline: November 15. We will continue to review completed applications after November 15 on a rolling basis.
Requirements for All Students
- Bachelor's Degree from a regionally accredited institution that grants degrees in education that include state licensure for teachers. If your school does not grant such a degree, your transcript can be evaluated for meeting Wheaton's general-education requirements.
- GPA 3.0 minimum.
- An entrance exam is not required (e.g., Miller Analogies Test or GRE).
- For Elementary Education Licensure: Any undergraduate major is eligible, per the Illinois State Board of Education.
- For Secondary Education Licensure: A major or equivalent in the content area (subject matter) is required. Wheaton offers licensure in the following five areas.
- English/Language Arts
- Foreign Language (French, German, or Spanish)
- Mathematics
- Science (designation in Biology, Chemistry, Earth/Space Science, or Physics)
- Social Science (designation in History)
- Official Transcripts from all colleges where a degree was earned or is being earned.
- E-transcripts preferred. Address them to nancy.crane@wheaton.edu.
- Mail paper copies to Graduate Admissions Dept., Attn: Nancy Crane, 501 College Ave., Wheaton, IL 60187.
- Applicants who have earned more than 25% of their degree from institutions outside of their degree-conferring school will be required to supply official transcripts for those credits in the event they are not explicitly listed on their original transcript with course names and grades. Graduate Admissions will reserve the right to request additional transcripts as may be needed to meet departmental requirements or demonstrate proof of program-specific prerequisites.
- Online Application Form.
- Includes essays and affirmations of the Statement of Faith and Community Covenant.
- Three Recommendations, which are online forms. Letters are accepted as supplements to the forms.
- Academic. An instructor from whom you have taken a class preferred. Alternative: a college-level instructor from whom you have not taken a class or an acquaintance with a doctorate or master's.
- Pastoral. Can be a Christian leader who is not a pastor.
- Professional. A person with whom you have had a supervisor-employee relationship, which can be in a non-paid context.
- Recommenders can upload an optional letter on their online recommendation page.
- Recommendations from relatives not accepted.
- Resumé: Chronological. Include ministry/volunteer experience.
- Application Fee: USD $30, non-refundable.
Additional Requirements for International Students
International students, and permanent residents of the US whose native language is not English, are required to take either the TOEFL iBT Test, IELTS Academic Test, or Duolingo English test with the minimal scores indicated below:
- TOEFL iBT Test: 100 with at least 20 in each category
- IELTS Academic Test: 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each category
- Duolingo English Test: 120
Applicants who wish to waive their English proficiency test, please refer to the English proficiency page for details.
An International Transcript Verification Report is needed for students who completed degrees outside of the United States.
Illinois Content Area Test
- The Illinois Content Area Test is not required for admission, but it must be passed to be eligible for student teaching.
- Elementary Education candidates take the content-area test during the second semester of the program.
- Secondary Education candidates take the content-area test before student teaching. They can also take the test before starting the MAT program.
- International students also must pass Illinois Content Area Test.
Plan Your Visit
The best way to experience Wheaton College Graduate School is to visit our campus!