Master of Arts in Teaching, MAT

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The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) is a graduate program designed for individuals who hold a non-teaching baccalaureate degree and plan a professional career in teaching. Presently, the MAT program options include Middle Grades (mathematics or sciences) and Special Education (general curriculum) licensure areas. Specifically, the MAT requires thirty-nine (39) credit hours of graduate work divided into two phases. Phase I prepares candidates for the Standard Professional I license. Phase II provides preparation for the North Carolina master’s level license.

Learning Outcomes

Use various models to develop appropriate instructional strategies and technologies in order to enhance student learning.
Demonstrate an understanding of how learning occurs and how students construct knowledge.
Develop skills to provide learning opportunities which support students’ intellectual, social, and personal development.
Demonstrate creative and critical thinking skills.
Employ a variety of evidenced-based instructional strategies to individualize instruction.
Adapt instructional techniques for students with diverse cultural and language backgrounds, and students with exceptional learning needs.
Demonstrate understanding of central concepts, tools of inquiry, and the structures of discipline(s) taught to create meaningful learning experiences for students.
Incorporate knowledge of the learner, learning processes, and the variations in learning abilities to create a repertoire of evidenced-based instructional strategies for individualized instruction.
Demonstrate self-directed, self-reflective professional behavior, and provide leadership to colleagues and communities through collaboration.
Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of families and the role families and the community play in the education of the learner.

Admission Requirements

Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution
Graduate School application (www.wssu.edu/wssu/graduatestudies).
Supplemental MAT program application (MAT web link below)
Current GRE or MAT scores are required
A minimum grade-point-average of 2.50
Statement of purpose
Three references are required from colleagues who can validate your professional experience.

Application Deadline

The deadline for summer cohorts is April 15^th. Other deadlines may be established for fall and spring terms. Please contact the School of Education and Human Performance for further information.

Transfer Credits

In accordance with the policy of the School of Graduate Studies and Research at Winston-Salem State University, and upon petition to the Department of Education and departmental approval, applicants may transfer up to six (6) credits from an accredited graduate education program or from participation in the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards’ process recognized by the American Council of Education. All MAT applications require official transcripts.

Degree Requirements

In addition to the 39 hours, the non-teaching baccalaureate degree that candidates bring to this program must be compatible with the teaching licensure area they are pursuing. For example, if a candidate’s baccalaureate degree has a minimum of twenty-four (24) credit hours in mathematics or science this person may start the MAT without conditions. On the other hand, if the person needs additional content courses to satisfy the 24 credit hour in the chosen licensure area, it is advisable that s/he complete this requirement before beginning the MAT course of study.

In addition to the undergraduate work in the licensure area, the MAT requires candidates to secure a teaching position in a state-accredited P-12 school prior to Phase II.

Candidates must maintain a minimum grade-point-average of 3.0 throughout the entire MAT program. Failure to do so may be grounds for dismissal. No more than two grades of C are allowed in the program and candidates may only repeat one course in which they have received a grade of C.

Time Limits for Completion

The MAT curriculum can be completed within three (3) years of part-time study. A student may not take longer than six (6) years to complete the curriculum.

Course of Study

(MIDDLE GRADES)
Each graduate student must complete and file a Plan of Study with the School of Graduate Studies and Research and the department where the graduate program is housed, not later than the midterm of the first semester of the student’s graduate work.

(SPECIAL EDUCATION)

Faculty

Baloglu, Mustafa, B.S., Marmara University; M.S., University of Wisconsin-Madison; Ph.D., Texas A & M University	Associate Professor of Education
Bell, Edwin, B.A., Bowdoin College; M.A., Boston College; Ed.D., University of North Carolina-Greensboro	Professor of Education
Day-Hairston, Beth, B.S., Winston-Salem State University; M.A., Appalachian State University; Ph.D., University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill	Associate Professor of Education
Etim, James, B.A., Concordia Teachers’ College; M. Ed., University of Wyoming; Ph.D., University of Wyoming	Professor of Education
Griffin-Famble, Cathy, B.S., Bennett College; M.S., University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill; Ph.D., Ohio State University	Associate Professor of Education
Ireh, Madu, B.S., M.S., M.Ed., Ph.D., Bowling Green State University	Associate Professor of Education
Johnson, Denise Terry, B.S., M.S., North Carolina State University; Ed.D., The George Washington University	Assistant Professor of Education
Madrey, Francine G., B.S., University of Tennessee at Martin; M.S., Memphis State University; Ph.D., Ohio State	Professor of Education
Vargas, Manuel, B.A., University of the Americas; M.A., Ph.D., University of Alabama	Associate Professor of Education
Zubov, Lynn R., B.S., M.S., St. John’s University; Ph.D., Vanderbilt University	Associate Professor of Education