Master of Arts in Teaching

Purpose of the Meredith College MAT Program

The Meredith College MAT program serves the woman or man who has a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in a discipline other than education, who is committed to becoming a teacher, and who is seeking initial NC teaching licensure in Elementary Education for K-6, English as a Second Language (ESL), K-12, Special Education or (general curriculum) for K-12. The goal of the M.A.T program is to prepare highly qualified beginning teachers who know how to teach all students, who have the skills to collaborate with professionals and families, who know the content areas, and who understand their roles in local, national and global contexts.

Program Goals of the Master of Arts in Teaching

The candidate will be able to:

• Examine critically the purposes of education and articulate a personal philosophy of education;
• Demonstrate leadership in the classroom, school, community, and profession;
• Establish a respectful, supportive, and inclusive environment for a diverse population of students and their families;
• Demonstrate advanced depth and breadth of content and curriculum expertise;
• Facilitate student learning, including the ability to conduct and use research to examine and improve instructional effectiveness and student achievement;
• Engage in reflective practice and the development of meaningful professional goals.

The program consists of professional studies courses and courses in a concentration (Elementary Education, English as a Second Language, Special Education, or Health and Physical Education). The area of concentration enables students to develop expertise in one of the instructional areas of the school curriculum. A concentration in a licensure area will result in a master's level (M-level) license in that area.

Culminating Experiences

During a student's last semester of study, they must complete a semester-long practicum/internship in the public schools. Before applying for licensure, students must have earned a minimum score(s) on required state licensure test(s)/assessments as determined by the State Board of Education.

Foreign Language Requirement for ESL

Before completing the program, students in the MAT ESL program must have one year of college or university foreign language instruction or the equivalent.