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Master of Arts in Teaching
Pamela Correll, Program Coordinator
Hill Hall, Room 205;
Phone 417-836-5012
MAT Academic Advisement
Jennifer Jensen
Program description
The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program is intended for mid-career change students or individuals beginning a second career following retirement. One of the admission qualifying factors is that a student must hold at least a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college/university. The MAT is a combined master's and certification program that has been approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and is fully accredited by CAEP. The program provides students the opportunity to earn teacher certification in one of 20 different areas of secondary education while also completing a master’s degree. The MAT involves extensive site-based clinical experience. Each student’s program of study is individualized based on their previous coursework and life/work experiences.
The MAT program offered by Missouri State University is offered from the Springfield campus. Coursework meeting master's degree requirements are offered through a variety of delivery methods including online, web technology (ZOOM), and campus-based courses.
Entrance requirements
- Applicants must meet minimum Graduate College requirements for admission.
- Applicants must hold at least a bachelor’s degree in, or related to, the area of certification desired. If nine or more hours of course work in the content remains to be completed at the time of admission, the candidate may be admitted conditionally to the program; however, the Missouri Content Assessment (MoCA) must be passed by the candidate prior to being admitted to the MAT program.
- Applicants must complete the Teacher Certification Transcript Analysis request from the Professional Education Certification office in the area of Secondary Education that you wish to teach. Note: Agriculture and Physical Education are not available.
- Admission to the MAT will include academic department review.
- Applicants interview with the MAT Program Coordinator.
Degree requirements (minimum of 39 hrs)
| Course Code | Course Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SFR 797 | Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning | 9 hrs |
| SEC 784 | Internship in Teaching II (Student Teaching) | 10 hrs |
| SEC 783 | Internship in Teaching I (75-hour Practicum) | 3 hrs |
| RDG 710 | Content Area Literacy | 3 hrs |
| PSY 710 | Psychology of Education | 3 hrs |
| EDT 662 | Educational Applications of Computers for Teaching | 3 hrs |
| SPE 715 | Foundations in Special Education | 3 hrs |
| SFR 780 | Educational Research Methodology | 3 hrs |
| EDC 786 | Research Seminar in Education | 2 hrs |
Research requirements
Students will design, carry out, and present an oral defense of an action research project. The project will be developed under the supervision of University faculty advisors.
Comprehensive examinations
The oral defense of an action research project is considered the Comprehensive Examination for the Master of Arts in Teaching program. It must be passed by the candidate before a degree will be granted.
Graduation requirements
In addition to requirements established by the Graduate College, students must have an overall cumulative 3.00 GPA on graduate work attempted toward the MAT program.
Advisement
Advisement will be facilitated by the MAT Academic Advisor, Jennifer Jensen, in cooperation with the MAT Program Coordinator, Dr. Jamie Atkinson, within the College of Education. The Office of Professional Education Certification will monitor the certification process.
Certification requirements
Students must pass the relative Missouri Content Assessment(s) (MoCAs) to be recommended for teacher certification. In addition to the 39 graduate hours required for the degree, all MAT candidates are required to complete content area coursework in the subject they are pursuing for teacher certification, or pass the MoCA(s) for that area before being recommended for teacher certification. Content area requirements are determined by the Professional Education Certification office as part of the transcript analysis process. Note: DESE has a new option for those who have a related degree to the area of certification which they are pursuing. If the student passes the Missouri Content Assessment(s) (MoCAs), they are no longer required to take any deficiencies in the content area. For those who do not have a related degree, the student must pass the MoCA(s) prior to starting the MAT program. If the MoCA(s) are passed, the student is no longer required to take any course deficiencies in the content area.