Social Studies Education, MAT

Return to: School of Education

The Master of Arts (MAT) program in Social Studies Education offers students a rigorous course of instruction in teaching Social Studies content in grades 7-12. Upon graduation, the MAT program satisfies the requirements for earning a Pennsylvania Instructional I Certificate and provides students with a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree. 

Through coursework and a two-semester internship, the MAT program prepares teachers to enact dialogic, student-centered, research-based instruction to teach Social Studies content to students in grades 7-12. The program also focuses on implementing three pillars: a) centering care and relationality in teaching; b) inviting and honoring diverse ways of knowing; and c) seeking to unsettle and remake unjust system, structures, practices, and norms in today’s schools. 

Accreditations: PA Department of Education accredited

Certification Requirements: Our graduates satisfy the requirements to earn a Pennsylvania Instructional I Certificate and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree by achieving the following:

• Earning a passing score on the PRAXIS II Exam in their content area Teaching Interns must take and pass the Content Knowledge (PRAXIS II) test either the summer before the program or during the first semester of the program in order to obtain their Intern Certificate.
• Completing Stage 3 competencies
• Completing the PA Statewide Evaluation Form for Student Professional Knowledge and Practice (PDE 430); and
• Demonstrating satisfactory performance in courses and the student internship

Internship Experience:  During the school year, students complete an internship in a local public school under the supervision of a mentor teacher and teacher candidate coach. Interns observe, analyze, and practice teaching skills in the grade levels and subjects of their mentor teacher. In the fall term, MAT students spend approximately 15 hours per week working with their mentor teacher. In the spring term, students in the MAT program are in their school sites full-time, culminating in a two-week take-over of their mentor teacher’s full responsibilities.

GPA and Grade requirements: All students enrolled in the MAT in Math Education are required to maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0. A student is automatically placed on academic warning if the cumulative GPA, exclusive of transfer credits, falls below 3.000. No student on academic warning is permitted to participate in student teaching, a teaching internship, or an advanced teaching practicum. 

All classes that are not directly field-related (i.e.: student teaching placements and related seminars) must be taken for a letter grade.

Graduation Requirements: Students must complete the 36 credits required by the program plan of study, fulfill all PA Department of Education (PDE) requirements, and obtain the required GPA of 3.00 to meet graduation requirements.

Comprehensive requirement: Completed in TLL 2290 research seminar capstone project