Admissions Requirements
Students must have completed a bachelor’s degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
EDUCATION COURSE PREREQUISITES
- 3 credits of Foundations of Special Education
- 3 credits of Adolescent Development
EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH CHILDREN PREREQUISITE
- 30 hours of experience working with K-12 children (preferably adolescents). Typical experiences include work at summer camps, tutoring, community involvement, or other volunteer or paid work with children.
- To document experience with children, candidates, complete the Hours Documentation Form (PDF), is submitted with application materials
SOCIAL STUDIES COURSE PREREQUISITES
Area 1: Content Prerequisites 15-18 credits)
This area requires a minimum of 5 three-credit courses. Courses must directly address content in the following topic areas. A single course may satisfy more than one of these required foci. If regional, period, and/or topic specific courses are used to meet these prerequisites, up to 3 additional credits will be required in order to meet content expectations.
- U.S. History;
- Western European History;
- World History (non-Western);
- Ancient History;
- Geography; and
- World Cultures
Area 2: Civics (3 credits)
The course must focus on general themes of political science, particularly those related to democracy, civic engagement, American political systems, or related topics.
Area 3: Economics (3 credits)
A course in basic or advanced Economics is required
Area 4: Sociology and Social Foundations (3 credits)
This prerequisite may be satisfied by a course in either the humanities, social sciences, or education that examines how socially constructed categories create advantages and disadvantages in social or educational institutions.
Examples include courses that explore the history, nature, or implications of:
- classism and capitalism;
- heterosexism, homophobia, genderism, and sexism;
- racism, xenophobia, and ethnocentrism;
- religious oppression;
- ableism; and/or
- other, interrelated forms of subordination
MAT Regulations
Accreditation
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
- Completing Stage 3 competencies
- Completing the PA Statewide Evaluation Form for Student Professional Knowledge and Practice (PDE 430)
- Demonstrating satisfactory performance in courses and the student internship
Internship Experience
During the fall and spring terms, students complete an internship in a local public school under the supervision of a mentor teacher and university coach. Through a gradual release of responsibility, interns observe, analyze, co-teach, and independently teach in the grade levels and subjects of their mentor teacher. In the fall term, MAT students spend approximately 15 hours per week teaching with their mentor teacher. In the spring term, MAT students attend their school sites full time, and eventually take-over their mentor teacher’s full responsibilities for a minimum of two weeks.
GPA and Grade requirements
All students enrolled in the MAT majors are required to maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0. A student is automatically placed on academic noticeif the cumulative GPA, exclusive of transfer credits, falls below 3.000. No student on academic notice 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, successfully complete the comprehensive requirement, 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
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