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NATIONAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

We're Doing More Than Ever to Advance the State of Education.

For more than 135 years, the National College of Education (NCE) has pioneered new teacher preparation, educator advancement and educator leadership programs. Our programs equip educators to make a difference in the lives of students and in the field of education.

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Looking for an undergraduate degree?

Developing Great Educators Since 1886

Degrees for Every Step of Your Career

Whether you're looking to become a teacher or to advance in your career as an educator, NCE's offers master's, doctoral, educational specialist, endorsements and approval programs in today's most needed areas of education to take your career to the next level.

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Credential Enhancement

Our endorsements and certificates can open new doors. Whether you're interested in a non-degree endorsement or a subsequent teaching endorsement to add to your PEL, these stackable programs give you the flexibility to build on your expertise.

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Centers of Excellence

NCE is home to several research and professional development centers that address today's most pressing educational challenges, including the Illinois Reading Recovery Center for Literacy.

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Shaped Around Your Life

The only limit to your education should be the one that you set. We strive to foster a space that makes career-focused higher education achievable for every one of our students. They come from a wide range of backgrounds, creating an invaluably diverse community that makes NLU a one-of-a-kind institution.

Begin a Teaching Career

There's more than one way to become a teacher, and we offer a flexible mix of online and in-classroom opportunities for bachelor's-degree holders interested in becoming teachers. Our teacher preparation programs are designed to get our candidates into classrooms early and often.

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) programs are an ideal way to launch a career

Access to internships, linked placement and residency programs

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Advance Your Teaching Career

For educators who want to take their careers to the next level, NCE offers master's, doctoral and educational specialist degree programs in numerous in-demand specialty areas, as well as career-enriching endorsements and certificates.

Choose from 10 M.Ed. and Ed.S. degrees

Specializations include ESL, reading and special education

Customize with endorsements, approvals and certificates

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Become a Leader in Education

Our master's, specialist's and doctoral programs in education provide advanced training to practitioners, principals, superintendents, researchers and policy makers. You'll learn how to transform the classroom -- and the broader educational system -- through strategic planning and compassionate leadership.

Focus on applying advanced theory to daily practice

Share research at our annual Doctoral Symposium

Programs range from district-level to policy leadership

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How can we help your school district flourish?

Keeping your district running smoothly is difficult work in the best of times, but NCE is here to be your partner. Whether you need to call upon the assistance of our nimble, context-specific teacher preparation residency program, you have hiring needs, or you need endorsements for teachers in high-needs areas, your school district deserves passionate, professional expertise.

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Accreditation

NCE is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) at a national level, as well as state-level and institutional accreditors, to ensure that our students receive high quality education that prepares them for high-impact careers.

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National Louis University is hosting an accreditation visit by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) on 11/16/26. Interested parties are invited to submit third-party comments to the evaluation team. Please note that comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of professional education programs offered, and should specify the party’s relationship to the provider (i.e., graduate, present or former faculty member, employer of graduates).

We invite you to submit written testimony to:

CAEP

1140 19th Street NW, Suite 400

Washington, DC 20036

Or by email to: callforcomments@caepnet.org

Such comments must be within the specified period and based on the core tenets of CAEP accreditation standards of excellence, which recognize that:

In CAEP’s performance-based system, accreditation is based on evidence that demonstrates that teacher candidates know the subject matter and can teach it effectively so that students learn. In the CAEP system, EPPs must prove that candidates can connect theory to practice and be effective in an actual P-12 classroom

A professional education provider that is accredited by CAEP is expected to be involved in ongoing planning and evaluation; engaged in continuous assessment and development; ensure that faculty and programs reflect new knowledge, practice, and technologies; and be involved in continuous development in response to the evolving world of education and educational reform.

Comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of professional education programs offered, and should specify the respondent’s relationship, if any, to the institution (i.e., graduate, present or former faculty member, employer of graduates). Copies of all correspondence received will be sent to the university for comment prior to the review.

Explore Graduate Programs at the National College of Education

Whether you pursue a master's degree, a doctorate, an endorsement or a certificate, NCE will prepare you to apply scholarly inquiry and a collaborative, progressive view of education to your classroom and beyond.

All Programs

M.A.T. in Early Childhood Education

M.A.T. in Elementary Education

M.A.T. in Middle Grades Education

M.A.T. in Secondary Education

M.A.T. in Special Education

M.A.T. in Elementary & Secondary Ed: FL EPI

M.Ed. or Ed.S. in Reading

M.Ed. in Special Education

M.Ed. or Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction

M.Ed. in Early Childhood Administration

M.Ed. or Ed.S. in Educational Leadership