Southern Arkansas University

Each candidate for the Master of Arts in Teaching degree must complete 30 semester hours of coursework (33 hours for the Elementary Education track and 36 hours for Special Education). All candidates, regardless of licensure level, will complete the core courses. Candidates will select the appropriate licensure track and complete requirements for that track.

MAT Initial course (Required to be taken during first term by all MAT Candidates)

• MAT 5103 – Holistic Pedagogy

MAT Core Courses: Elementary, Middle School, Secondary, Middle/High School, & K-12 Tracks (15 hours)

• MAT 5013 – Classroom Assessment
• MAT 5023 – Survey of Exceptional Individuals
• MAT 5083 – Creating Environments for Learning
• MAT 5093 – Collaborative Practices
• MAT 6073 – Learning Theory

Licensure Area Courses: Elementary Track (9 hours)

• MAT 5173 – Teaching Literacy I
• MAT 5273 – Teaching Literacy II
• MAT 5033 – Content for Elementary Teachers

Licensure Area Courses: Middle School, Secondary, Middle/High School, & K-12 Tracks (6 hours)

• MAT 5003 – Strategies for Content Area Reading and
• MAT 6083 – Reading Diagnostics
• or
• MAT 5173 – Teaching Literacy I and
• MAT 5273 – Teaching Literacy II

Core & Licensure Area Courses: Special Education Track (27 hours)

• MAT 5173 – Teaching Literacy I
• MAT 5273 – Teaching Literacy II
• MAT 6073 – Learning Theory
• SPED 5043 – Instructional Planning
• SPED 5053 – Methods and Materials for Teaching Students with Mild Disabilities
• SPED 5123 – Nature and Needs of Students with Mild Disabilities
• SPED 5273 – Classroom and Group Management
• SPED 5663 – Educational Diagnosis and Assessment
• SPED 6003 – Collaboration and Consultation for Inclusion

Supervised Experience: All Tracks (6 hours)

• MAT 6033 – Internship I and
• MAT 6043 – Internship II
• or
• MAT 6053 – Residency I ** and
• MAT 6063 – Residency II **

Note:

** Any candidate who has completed the initial hours of coursework and has not found a teaching position is eligible to student teach and will take MAT 6053 – Residency I and MAT 6063 – Residency II.

MAT Graduate Certificate Program

Candidates for the MAT Graduate Certificate must complete 12 hours. This program does not lead to teacher licensure. These courses are required for initial school counseling candidates to move into the School Counseling program.

Initial Course:
MAT 6003 Teaching and Learning for Diverse Learners

CORE Courses:
MAT 5013 Classroom Assessment
MAT 5083 Class and Group Management
MAT 6073 Learning Theory

MAT Certificate in Elementary Education

The Certificate Master of Arts in Teaching: Elementary Education program at Southern Arkansas University is designed to enable candidates who graduated from SAU in the BSE Elementary Education (non-licensure) program to continue their career in education and be prepared to earn a license in K-6 education. Each candidate for the Certificate Master of Arts in Teaching: Elementary Education must complete 12 semester hours of coursework.

MAT Initial Course (Required to be taken during first term)
6003 Teaching and Learning for Diverse Learners (fall, spring, summer I)

Supervised Experience (choose 6 credit hours):
MAT 6033 Internship I and MAT 6043 Internship II
or
MAT 6053 Student Teaching I and MAT 6063 Student Teaching II

Education Elective
3-hour education elective from another advanced program (see advisor for more information)

CAEP Accredited Programs

The College of Education and Human Performance at Southern Arkansas University earned national accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) in October 2018. This accreditation includes all undergraduate licensure programs (Agriculture, Elementary Education, English Education, Foreign Language, Math Education, Middle School, Music Education, PE/Health Education, Social Studies Education) and the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program.

The SAU Accreditation Status Report is linked here.

For the most current program admission requirements, please view this document.