Continuing Education

All endorsement courses are billed at the cost of $500 per credit with the exception of Drivers Education which is $550.

We offer full coursework for the following endorsements: TESL, Elementary Education, Early Childhood, LBS1 and Driver’s Education. (check the program links to see which coursework is offered during the summer months)

We offer methods courses for the middle grades endorsements towards math, science, social science, and English Language Arts.

Every course GU offers toward endorsements is approved by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). There are content exams for all endorsements except for Driver’s Education. ISBE issues content exams that must be passed to complete the endorsements. If students feel they have completed courses toward the endorsement, they may apply for the endorsement with ISBE. ISBE will then review their transcripts and issue a deficiency letter stating what the student must take to complete the endorsement.

• Driver’s Education – 6 classes for 18 total credits
• Teaching English as a Second Language – 6 classes for 18 total credit hours plus 100 field hours in TESL. TESL does not require a content area test. The content area test can be found ILTS https://www.il.nesinc.com/PageView.aspx?f=GEN_Tests.html. Once the students pass the content area test- ILTS sends passing scores to ISBE.
• Elementary Education – 6 classes for 19 credits / plus field experience required.
• Early Childhood Education – 5 classes for 18 credits / plus field experience required.
• Middle Grades coursework – Each methods course is 3 credits toward the total 18 credits required.
• Learning Behavior Specialist 1 (LBS1) – 3 classes for 9 credit hours. The prerequisite of an exceptional child course must be met to complete the endorsement.

Yes. To add an endorsement in Illinois, you will need to have your PEL already.

Yes. For certain courses within the endorsement, you may be required to complete field hours in your content area, via video or in-person. Please check with our endorsement specialist for more details.

Students need to be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours in one semester to apply for financial aid. Students are also welcome to set up a payment plan with student accounts.

Yes, GU does assist with field experience and can answer any questions you have in that regard.

Yes. Please speak with the endorsement specialist for more information and a review of ISBE requirements.

All the endorsements GU offers coursework for does require a content exam, except for the Driver’s Education endorsement. This exam is administered directly by ISBE. Your faculty can assist you in discovering when and where to obtain the content exam.

Courses are fully online and are asynchronous. That means there are no regular meeting times or zoom calls. You work toward deadlines, but you work at your own pace and when it is most convenient for you.

Yes. Many of our endorsement students choose to continue and complete the Master of Arts in Education. Our academic advisors at GU can explain how your coursework will satisfy graduate degree requirements.

The format for our online classes makes this typically a non-issue. You can work ahead if needed to accommodate for vacation or travel. If a need arises that would cause you a delay in your work, simply communicate with your instructor.