The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program enables students to receive their master's in teaching degree and a single or multiple subject teacher credential in 14 months. The MAT with Single Subject Credential prepares candidates to teach social science, mathematics, English language arts, sciences, art, or world languages at the middle or high school level. The MAT with Multiple Subject Credential prepares students to teach all grade levels and content areas within the elementary school curriculum. Candidates experience a yearlong school site apprenticeship where they can apply the content-specific teaching practices and theories studied in coursework.
The multiple subject curriculum, including its fieldwork components, has been designed around the MAT program's five core commitments of teaching and learning in the content areas, equity, understanding learners and learning, learning from practice, and leadership. Teaching and Learning in the Content Areas is particularly challenging for multiple subject candidates because of the need to develop pedagogical content knowledge across disciplines and grade levels. Recognizing this challenge, the MAT curriculum provides extended opportunities to develop discipline-specific pedagogical practices in several content areas, such as a sequence of two mathematics and science methods courses. We also emphasize the importance of integrating content across disciplines, resulting in a course on integrating the arts and another on information literacy through social science. Candidates learn how to provide Equitable instruction through courses focused on differentiating instruction for diverse learners, including, exceptional learners and English language learners, while simultaneously engaging in fieldwork experiences in which they work collaboratively with mentor teachers to design and implement rigorous curriculum accessible to all students. Through both coursework and field based assignments, candidates broaden their theories of Learners and Learning, recognizing the social, cultural, developmental and contextual nature of learning and the unique resources learners bring to bear on their learning. The program helps candidates cultivate an inquiry stance to Learn from Practice through a 3-quarter course sequence focused on exploring and reflecting on dilemmas of practice arising in student teaching, developing researchable questions, and conducting a field-site inquiry project. Throughout the program, dispositions and practices associated with Leadership are fostered through an emphasis on professionalism, collaboration, innovation and political agency.
