Master of Arts in Teaching, M.A.T.
Content Area Prerequisites
It is important for any teacher preparation program to provide depth and breadth of study in the disciplines that make up the field. Most states, including North Carolina, have specific competency requirements for licensure as a teacher. In the high school these competencies often require more broadly based coursework than a traditional arts and sciences degree may offer.
For example, an individual majoring in history who wishes to teach high school history would seek licensure in social studies, with an emphasis in history. Our programs are comprehensive in nature and recommend students to be certified to teach any class at the secondary level within their content area.
There are seven content areas within the M.A.T. program. Each content area has its own advisors and uses required courses to focus on the subject area.
*There will be no new admissions for the M.A.T. English as a Second Language and Foreign Language content areas for summer 2008. The School of Education is strongly committed to English as a Second Language and Foreign Language as a fields of study for education professionals. We anticipate re-opening admissions to this content area for a following year.
English
Advisor: James Trier
ALL M.A.T. applicants for English must have completed a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. Majors in related and other discipline areas without an undergraduate degree earned in English will not be considered for admission. Recommended degree work in English includes courses in American, British and world literature; linguistics, literature by and about minorities; literary theory course(s); and rhetoric and writing course(s).
Required courses:
- ENGL 313 Grammar of Current English
- One of the following:
- ENGL 368 African American Literature, 1930-1970
- ENGL 369 African American Literature, 1970 to the present
- ENGL 373 Southern American Literature
Recommended courses:
- ENGL 314 History of the English Language
- One of the following:
- ENGL 374 Southern Women Writers
- ENGL 446 American Women Authors
English as a Second Language (ESL) K-12
Advisor: Ryuko Kubota
There will be no new admissions for the M.A.T. English as a Second Language content area for summer 2008.
Students in the M.A.T. program in English as a Second Language will be prepared for a K-12 North Carolina license to teach English as a Second Language in U.S. classrooms. A strong liberal arts background and college degree in education or a subject that is taught in K-12 classrooms is preferred.
Prerequisite courses for admittance into the M.A.T. in English as a Second Language include:
- ENGL 313 Grammar of Current English
- LING 101 Introduction to Language
- EDUC 621 Explorations in Literacy
Applicants must also demonstrate that they have participated in a recent second language learning experience equivalent to three college semesters.
Applicants who are non-native speakers of English must also demonstrate the following: Oral English proficiency that is equivalent to Advanced Low or higher on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), and 600 or higher on the paper version of TOEFL (if you are not or have not been enrolled in any degree program in an English-medium institution of higher education).
Foreign Language (Latin 9-12)
Advisor: Audrey Heining-Boynton
There will be no new admissions for the M.A.T. Foreign Language (Latin 9-12) content area for summer 2008.
A major in Latin or Classics is required.
Foreign Language (French K-12)
Advisor: Audrey Heining-Boynton
There will be no new admissions for the M.A.T. Foreign Language (French K-12) content area for summer 2008.
Candidates are required to have one of the following:
- Bachelor’s degree with a content relevant major:
- a cumulative GPA of 2.5 and
- a score of Advanced Low level or better on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI); or
- Bachelor’s degree, but major is not in the World Language:
- a score of Advanced Low or better on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and
- Intermediate High on the written proficiency assessment.
You may also call (800) 486-8444 to schedule the assessment. Identify yourself as a North Carolina resident and UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School applicant.
If not included in the major, a course in phonetics/phonology is highly recommended. An extended study abroad experience is also highly recommended.
Foreign Language (German K-12)
Advisor: Audrey Heining-Boynton
There will be no new admissions for the M.A.T. Foreign Language (German K-12) content area for summer 2008.
Candidates are required to have one of the following:
- Bachelor’s degree with a content relevant major:
- a cumulative GPA of 2.5 and
- a score of Advanced Low level or better on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI); or
- Bachelor’s degree, but major is not in the World Language:
- a score of Advanced Low or better on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and
- Intermediate High on the written proficiency assessment.
You may also call (800) 486-8444 to schedule the assessment. Identify yourself as a North Carolina resident and UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School applicant.
If not included in the major, a course in phonetics/phonology is highly recommended. An extended study abroad experience is also highly recommended.
Foreign Language (Spanish K-12)
Advisor: Audrey Heining-Boynton
There will be no new admissions for the M.A.T. Foreign Language (Spanish K-12) content area for summer 2008.
Candidates are required to have one of the following:
- Bachelor’s degree with a content relevant major:
- a cumulative GPA of 2.5 and
- a score of Advanced Low level or better on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI); or
- Bachelor’s degree, but major is not in the World Language:
- a score of Advanced Low or better on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and
- Intermediate High on the written proficiency assessment.
You may also call (800) 486-8444 to schedule the assessment. Identify yourself as a North Carolina resident and UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School applicant.
If not included in the major, a course in phonetics/phonology is highly recommended. An extended study abroad experience is also highly recommended.
Foreign Language (Japanese K-12)
Advisor: Ryuko Kubota
There will be no new admissions for the M.A.T. Foreign Language (Japanese K-12) content area for summer 2008.
We also require a study-abroad program where you live with a local family as well as take formal coursework for one academic year. For admission you are required to pass the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) at the Intermediate High level. ACTFL may be reached at (800) 486-8444. Identify yourself as a UNC-Chapel Hill applicant.
Mathematics
Advisor: Carol Malloy
Students who enter the M.A.T. in mathematics should have bachelor's degree with a mathematics major or its equivalent (30 credits).
Preferred courses:
- Calculus I
- Calculus II
- Calculus III
- Differential Equations
- Advanced Calculus
- Discrete Mathematics
- Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Geometry
- Statistics
- Linear Algebra
- Modern Algebra
- Number Theory
Other suggested courses to complete the 10-course mathematics major:
- History of Mathematics
- Matrix Algebra
- Topology and Probability
Music Education
Advisor: Dan Huff
Advisor: Mérida Negrete
Students who enter the M.A.T. in music should have bachelor's degree with a music major or its equivalent (approximately 60 hours).
Required courses include:
- four semesters (or equivalent) of Theory w/ear training
- four semesters (or equivalent) of Music History
- eight semesters (or equivalent) of applied study
- eight semesters (or equivalent) of ensemble
- course in instrumentation or orchestration
- one semester of conducting (two recommended)
- course(s) (or equivalent) in performance and pedagogical study in woodwinds, brass, percussion, voice, strings and piano
Other recommended courses include:
- diction for singers
- additional piano study
- recital experience
Science
Advisor: Eileen Parsons
Candidates applying for admissions in M.A.T. science should have a B.A., B.S. or equivalent in a traditional science (e.g., biology, chemistry, geology, physics, etc.).
In addition to the degree in science, candidates must possess a broad understanding in the sciences as shown by the completion of general level courses designed for science majors in the traditional sciences in which their degrees are not awarded. For example, if candidates hold a B.A., B.S. or equivalent in biology then they should also show successful course completion in chemistry, geology, physics and astronomy.
Secondary Social Studies
Advisor: Xue Lan Rong
Candidates are required to have an undergraduate degree in history or in one of the social science areas (political science, economy, geography, sociology and anthropology). However, students who have a major in history, political science, economy, and geography usually have better employment opportunities in job market. Students who do not have a degree in one of the above-mentioned areas need to take courses to make an equivalent major in one of the above-mentioned areas.
Additional courses:
Since the secondary social studies licensure in North Carolina is a comprehensive licensure (we do not offer single-subject licensure), it requires a depth (a major in history, political science, and so on) and breadth of course work in the disciplines that make up the field of secondary social studies. Applicants should seek a broad base of course work during their undergraduate years, rather than having to spend an additional semester or two to make up those deficiencies before applying for the M.A.T. program.
In addition to an undergraduate major in history (or in political science, economy, geography, etc.), we require the following 13 courses to be added to your undergraduate studies if they are not already a part of your particular major:
- ANTH 101 General Anthropology
- ECON 101 Introduction to Economics
- ECON 310 Microeconomics
- GEOG 110 Geography of Environmental Systems
- GEOG 120 World Regional Geography
- HIST 151 History of Western Civilization to 1650
- HIST 152 History of Western Civilization since 1650
- HIST 127 American History to 1865
- HIST 128 American History Since 1865
- HIST 375 History of Gender in America (Or other history course with special topics that deals with human diversities)
- POLI 100 Introduction to Government in the United States
- POLI 250 Asian and World Affairs (Or other POLI courses deal with international/regional politics)
- SOCI 101 American Society