Master of Arts in Teaching, M.A.T.

Program Description

Overview

The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program prepares students for initial licensure to teach [with advanced licensure and a 10% pay differential] grades 9-12 in the subject content areas of English, mathematics, science and social studies; and grades K-12 in the subject content area of music.

Please note that the M.A.T. program will not offer English as a Second Language during the 2009-2010 academic year.

Alumni of the program are making a difference in schools and classrooms and in the lives of young people. Our M.A.T. program aims to be one of the best in the nation. Our students are top-notch, choosing to come to teaching rather than pursue other careers. Our faculty includes nationally noted educators and scholars in their respective fields. Our strengths include not only the academic and professional quality of our program but also the community spirit that is part of being a University of North Carolina Tar Heel.

The curriculum includes a year of course work and field experiences that begin and end in late June. Students must be full-time and complete the program in sequence. Currently, the program of study is 40 graduate credits. The courses and field experiences are traditionally labeled as study of methods and foundations that are accompanied by experiences in the schools. In the spring semester, the practice element of the program is a thirteen-week, full-time internship in a classroom under the supervision of both university and school-based mentors.

Strands of the curriculum are woven throughout these courses and field experiences, some are tied to specific courses, others are found throughout.

The curriculum strands or topics, which meet both the initial and advanced Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) standards of the state of North Carolina, are:

  1. Teaching
  2. Subject content
  3. Learning and learners
  4. Contexts of schooling
  5. Research (across the teacher education curriculum)
  6. Leadership (particularly with a disciplinary focus at the school level)

Successful completion of the M.A.T. program includes creation of a portfolio and its presentation, as well as advanced course work.

Admissions

Program Contacts

Arlisha Williams, Program Assistant
arlishaw@email.unc.edu
(919) 962-7705

James Trier, Program Coordinator
jtrier@email.unc.edu
(919) 843-4627