Its unique curriculum combines a rigorous liberal arts core program with a comprehensive professional training program. Students intending to teach outside of Illinois should secure a list of requirements for that state so their course selection at MacMurray may be modified. The curriculum has been accredited by the Teacher Certification Board of the State of Illinois and the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
Students receive a strong background in both manual and oral systems.
One hundred hours of observation in classrooms of students who are deaf and hard of hearing are also included in the curriculum. The program is an intensive one, with a highly structured curriculum that must be begun as a freshman if the student wishes to graduate in the usual four years. Transfer students completing a 2 year community college should expect to complete the program in 3 years. They may complete it in 2 years if they are willing to take summer programs and carry overloads. Observations and hands-on activities with deaf children begin as early as the first semester of the freshman year.