Master of Arts in Teaching

The M.A.T. is designed for applicants seeking initial teacher certification to teach English in secondary schools.

• Admission
• Advisement
• Curriculum

Admission

Because the M.A.T. is a joint degree of the Department of English and the College of Education's Department of Instruction and Teacher Education, prospective students must apply separately to each graduate program. If admitted by both programs, M.A.T. students must satisfy the requirements for teacher certification in order to receive the degree.

M.A.T. applicants must have completed a standard undergraduate English major, including at least 18 semester hours of 400-level courses or their equivalent in African American literature, contemporary literature, Shakespeare's tragedies, non-Western literature, survey of English literature, and survey of American literature. Applicants without a standard English major should expect to fulfill the 18-hour undergraduate requirements by taking only those upper-division courses approved by the Department of English's M.A.T. Advisor.

Applicants should submit directly to The Graduate School

• online application forms,
• at least two letters of recommendation from teachers familiar with your academic achievement,
• transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions, and
• satisfactory scores on the GRE general test.
  
  Successful applicants will have GRE verbal scores at or above the 70th percentile and an undergraduate GPA of 3.00 or better.

You should send directly to the Department of English, attention Graduate Studies (address at left)

• a sample of academic writing (approximately 8-10 pages) and
• a statement of purpose.

Your application is not complete until all materials are received by The Graduate School and the Department. Admission decisions are based on all parts of an application, with especially close attention given to writing samples.

Deadline for M.A.T. applications to Graduate Studies in English is April 15.

Back to Top

Advisement

New M.A.T. students will be assigned academic advisors in both the Department of English and the Department of Instruction and Teacher Education. Prior to registering for classes each semester, you should make an appointment to talk with both advisors. M.A.T. Advisor in English is Dr. Lawrence Rhu. Professor Rhu will help you plan and file a program of study and will monitor your progress toward the degree.

Back to Top

Curriculum

• 15 hours of graduate courses in the College of Education: EDRD 518 or 730, EDSE 728, EDPY 705, EDFN 749, and EDSE 786
• 15 hours of graduate courses in the Department of English (5 courses at the 700-800 level, covering English literature before 1660, English literature after 1660, and American literature)
• 18 hours of courses in the College of Education, constituting the teaching core–English methods: EDSE 547 (3 hours, offered only in the fall semester); teaching internship: EDSE 776A (3 hours) and EDSE 776B (9 hours); student teaching seminar: EDSE 584 (3 hours)
• 18 hours of certificate-related English courses at the undergraduate or graduate level: modern grammar, literary criticism, adolescent literature, history of the English language, advanced composition (ENGL 460 and ENGL 461, or the equivalent)

The M.A.T. degree does not require a thesis, a foreign language, or a written comprehensive exam. However, M.A.T. advisors will conduct a final evaluation, which may include an oral exam.

See also Course Descriptions, Residency, Time Limits for Degrees, and Frequently Asked Questions.

Back to Top