| Department: | Teacher Education / College of Education |
| Hours Required: | 30 |
| Categories: | Certificate / Endorsement, Graduate |
| Completion Time: | 1-2 years * |
| Cost Per Year: | In state: $4,980 / Out of State: $7,005 |
| Complete Program Cost: | In state: $9,960 / Out of State: $14,010 |
| Delivery: | Online |
* Based on 2 classes per semester including summer
Statement of Purpose
The Master of Arts in Teaching program at Southern Arkansas University is designed to enable career changes for those people who hold a baccalaureate degree and would like to become a teacher. Candidates will be required to choose a track (elementary, middle, secondary, or K-12 licensure) prior to program start. The two-year program is comprised of 24 hours of online graduate coursework (27 for elementary), and six hours of internship or student teaching. During the internship the individual is hired as a fully-employed teacher of record in a public school.
Licensure area K-6 (AR History course required):
- K-6 Elementary Education
Licensure areas 4-8 (AR History course required for Social Studies):
- Math
- Literacy
- Science
- Social Studies
Licensure areas K-12/4-12 (AR History course required):
- Art
- Business Education (4-12 licensure only)
- French
- Music, Vocal and Instrumental
- Physical Education
- Spanish
Licensure areas 7-12:
- Agriculture
- Art
- Business Education
- Computer Science
- Drama/Speech
- English
- Family and Consumer Science
- Math/Physics
- Life Science
- Mathematics
- Music, Vocal and Instrumental
- Physical Science
- Physical Education
- Social Studies (AR History Course Required)
- COE Policy Handbook
- MAT Internship I and II Handbook
- MAT Student Teaching I and II Handbook
- Course Descriptions
- Arkansas Testing Requirements
Learning Goals
- Candidates engage in scholarly research activities such as action research or program evaluation to solve authentic problems. Teachers seek advice of others and draw on education research and scholarship to improve their practice.
- Candidates model leadership and communication strategies that promote valuing diversity throughout the community. Teachers recognize individual differences in their students and adjust their practice accordingly.
- Candidates design and modify instruction and the learning environment based on assessment of student learning and behavior. Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.
- Candidates employ technologies including communications, productivity and presentation applications to enhance their collaborations. Teachers regularly assess student progress.
- Candidates design and modify instruction and the learning environment based on assessment of student learning and behavior. Teachers command specialized knowledge of how to convey a subject to students.
Each candidate for the Master of Arts in Teaching degree must complete 30 semester hours of coursework (33 hours for the elementary education track). 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 6003 | Teaching and Learning for Diverse Learners (fall, spring, summer I) |
MAT Core Courses (Required)
| MAT 5083 | Classroom and Group Management (fall, summer I) |
| MAT 5023 | Survey of Exceptional Individuals (fall, spring) |
| MAT 5013 | Classroom Assessment (fall, summer II) |
| MAT 6073 | Learning Theory (spring, summer II) |
| MAT 6013 | Methods in Education (spring, summer I) |
Licensure area K-6 Elementary Education
| MAT 5073 | Teaching Reading and Writing |
| MAT 5203 | Emergent Literacy |
| MAT 5343 | STEM Methods for Science and Math |
Licensure areas 4-8 and K-12/4-12
| MAT 5003 | Strategies for Content Area Reading (fall, summer I) |
| MAT 6083 | Reading Diagnostics (spring, summer II) |
Licensure area 7 – 12
| MAT 5003 | Strategies for Content Area Reading (fall, summer I) |
| MAT 6023 | Multimedia for Educators (spring, summer II) |
Supervised Experience (choose 6 credit hours)
| MAT 6033 | Internship I (first year of teaching)* (fall, spring) |
| MAT 6043 | Internship II (first year of teaching)* (fall, spring) |
OR
| MAT 6053 | Student Teaching I ** (fall, spring) |
| MAT 6063 | Student Teaching II ** (fall, spring) |
*Teacher candidates must have completed with a C or above six (6) hours in order to apply for the provisional licensure in the specified content area and specified grade span prior to registration for Internship I MAT 6033 and Internship II MAT 6043.
*Candidates entering the MAT program seeking licensure in K-6 Elementary Education will only be allowed to enter the program under Track 1 as described in the policies governing teacher preparation programs. Track 1 allows a candidate to be employed as a teacher of record with a provisional teaching license for the duration of the prescribed program of study. Candidates in all programs except for K-6 Elementary Licensure route must have complete with a C or above six (6) hours in order to apply for the provisional licensure in the specified content area and specified grade span prior to registration for Internship I MAT 6033 and Internship II MAT 6043.
** Any candidate that has completed the initial 24 hours of coursework and has not found a teaching position is eligible to student teach for 1 year and take Student Teaching I MAT 6053 and Student Teaching II MAT 6063. If you find a job after 1 semester of student teaching you will be placed in Internship II.
The following documentation must be housed in the teacher candidate’s licensure folder in the Office of Admission, Field Experience, and Licensure: official transcript, passing scores on all three parts of Praxis I or GRE score of Verbal Reasoning 142 or higher, Quantitative Reasoning 142 or higher, and Analytical Writing 3.5 or higher, passing scores on all required content area tests within the individual’s subject areas, results of fingerprinting by the FBI and the Arkansas State Police Department, completed application for provisional licensure, a letter of hire from the school district, and a mentor information form.
MAT Graduate Certificate Program
Candidates for the MAT Graduate Certificate must complete 21 hours
| MAT 5003 | Strategies for Content Area Reading (3 credit hours) |
| MAT 5013 | Classroom Assessment |
| MAT 5023 | Survey of Exceptional Individuals |
| MAT 5083 | Classroom and Group Management |
| MAT 6003 | Teaching and Learning for Diverse Learners |
| MAT 6013 | Methods in Education |
| MAT 6073 | Learning Theory |
The Educator Preparation Program (EPP) at Southern Arkansas University is accredited by the Council of Educator Preparation (CAEP),www.caep.org. This accreditation covers initial teacher preparation programs and advanced educator programs at Southern Arkansas University. However, the accreditation does not include individual education courses that the institution offers to P-12 educators for professional development, re-licensure, or other purposes.
Program Admission Requirements (Must be completed PRIOR to taking courses):
- Admission to the SAU graduate school. This can be done online at www.saumag.edu/graduate. Admission to the School of Graduate Studies does not guarantee admission to the MAT program. Candidate must reach MAT admission requirements in order for completed course work to count toward completion of the MAT degree.
- An undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale or a 3.0 grade point average on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework. Possible conditional admission for a cumulative 2.7 GPA to 3.0 overall in the last 60 hours on a 4.0 scale.
- Passing scores on the Praxis™ Core Academic Skills for Educators (Core) tests in all the three areas of the test (Praxis CORE is waived if you made a Graduate Record Exam [GRE] score of Verbal Reasoning 142 or higher, Quantitative Reasoning 142 or higher, and Analytical Writing 3.5 or higher). Visit www.ets.org for complete information about the Praxis series of examinations. Visit www.gre.org for complete information about the GRE series of examinations.
- Passing scores on Praxis II specialty area examinations, excluding the PLT and/or Pedagogy tests. The PLT or Pedagogy test is required for graduation. See www.ets.org/praxis/ar/requirements for more information.
- A successful criminal background check at portal.castlebranch.com/si89.
- Pending passing scores on one of the admissions exams students may be admitted conditionally at the discretion of the advisor.
