MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING PROGRAM OPPORTUNITY

Master the Art of Teaching at the University of Chicago

UChicago's Urban Teacher Education Program (UTEP) asserts that teaching is:

• A highly ambitious, intellectual, professional career.
• Integral to the education reform movement.
• A means for promoting educational equity and social justice through the training and development of classroom-based school leaders.

The University of Chicago UTEP is one of the four primary components of the Urban Education Institute, along with the Consortium on Chicago School Research, the University of Chicago Charter School and UChicago Impact.

No other institution in the country joins these domains of work and this depth of expertise under a single roof to make lasting and significant contributions to improving urban schools and transforming lives nationwide.

UEI prepares and supports teachers, teacher leaders, and principals with a focus on instilling strong subject matter and specialized pedagogical expertise and skills to succeed in urban contexts.

UChicago UTEP's goal is to prepare teachers of the highest caliber for Chicago Public Schools to persist, succeed and lead in urban schools.

Recognition

• Named as exemplar in clinical practice by NCATE Blue Ribbon Panel Report.
• $12 million Teacher Quality Partnership Grant from the U. S. Department of Education.
• National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program.

Results

• More than 90 percentof Chicago UTEP graduates are still teaching in CPS or in similar urban school districts after five years.
  • This 5-year retention rate far exceeds the national norms, where approximately 50 percent of urban public school teachers leave the profession within their first three years.
• Of graduates in the Class of 2011, 100 percent were hired by CPS for the 2011-2012 academic year!

UChicago UTEP graduates receive:

• Master of Arts in Teaching.
• Illinois state teaching certification.
• Elementary grades K-9 (open to all majors).
• Secondary grades 6-12 (open to biology or math majors/minors) .
• Biology.
• Mathematics.
• Up to $36,000 in tuition assistance (making the program virtually tuition free).
• Three years of professional development supports (provided at no additional cost) including:
  • One-on-one in-classroom instructional coaching.
  • Leadership training.
  • First year monthly workshops.
  • Membership in UChicago UTEP alumni and staff-led inquiry groups.
  • Monetary support to attend continuing education workshops and conferences .

To learn more:

• Join us for an information session.
• Meet us as we recruit nationwide.
• Call (773) 702-6192 to talk more about the program.
• E-mail some dates and times that you are available to meet for a one-on-one informational interview.
• Join our mailing list.
• Sign up for the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute (UEI) newsletter.

Apply:
UChicago UTEP is open to all prospective graduate students, including recent graduates and mid-career professionals looking to become teachers. Please note that the final application deadline for Cohort 10 that will begin in September is June 22. Below are seven steps to a complete application.

1. Contact the Illinois Certification Testing System and arrange to take the Basic Skills or Academic Proficiency test. Study materials are available on the ICTS website (icts.nesinc.com) and our Web site (utep.uchicago.edu).
2. Contact all colleges and universities attended and have each institution forward official transcripts. Electronic transcripts can be sent to [email protected]. Hard copies must be mailed to: Enrollment Manager, University of Chicago Urban Teacher Education Program, Chapin Hall, Room 255, 1313 E. 60th St., Chicago, IL 60637.
3. Input the names and contact information of three references who will provide you with letters of recommendation into our online application system. You will then be able to send your references reminders until all letters are received. Online submission of recommendation letters is strongly encouraged; however, letters can also be faxed to (773) 834-8370 or E-mailed to [email protected]. Letters received by fax or E-mail must come directly from the recommender.
4. E-mail a résumé to [email protected] that highlights the following:

• Any significant education-related experience (classroom teaching, teaching assistant, etc.).
• Previous career(s).
• Full-time service learning experience (City Year, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps).

5. Focus on the candidate statement on our online application.
6. Complete the financial aid application process at sla.uchicago.edu (click “Apply” to begin).
7. Congratulate yourself on giving the UChicago UTEP application process your best effort.