The Master of Arts in Teaching is offered as a parallel to the Master of Arts in Education. The Master of Arts in Teaching is designed to serve students who have earned a bachelor’s degree in a subject or content area of certification but have not completed the required course work that leads to a Missouri DESE teaching certificate.
Note: Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has raised the criteria for certification as a teacher. At present, DESE is requiring an overall GPA (including undergraduate work) of 2.75. Currently, a minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for all teacher education and content area course work. State regulations can and do change and all counseling candidates must meet Missouri DESE requirements to complete this Missouri approved certification program. Current Missouri requirements can be found online at http://dese.mo.gov/eq/ and your education advisor will help you understand what you are required to do to meet those standards.
The Master of Arts in Teaching with secondary school certification as well as the Master of Arts in Teaching with K-12 certification preparation are both 45 credit hour programs. Middle school certification preparation is a 57 credit hour program. Elementary school certification preparation is a 71 credit hour program. Early childhood certification preparation is a 71 credit hour program, and early childhood special education certification preparation is a 93 credit hour program. All areas include certification requirements. Note that for middle, secondary, and K-12 certification, further coursework in the content area beyond that which was required for the bachelor’s degree may be required by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in order to be eligible for certification.
The education courses required for certification, (not including specific content area coursework that may be required by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for a subject certification) are described below.
K-12 Certification Preparation MA
Students wishing to be certified in K-12 education must select one of the following content areas in which to specialize: art, instrumental music, vocal music, dance, physical education, health, Spanish, French, or Chinese.
The Master of Arts in Teaching with K-12 certification preparation includes 45 credit hours of graduate course work:
Requirements
Core MAT Curriculum
One of the following:
Core K-12 Certification Curriculum
EDU 60599: This student teaching course will only count toward hours in the MAT program.
One of the following:
Secondary School Certification Preparation MA
Grades 9-12
Students wishing to be certified in secondary education must select one of the following content areas in which to specialize: math, biology, chemistry, unified science-biology, unified science-chemistry, speech-theatre, English, history (social science), engineering and technology, business education, or business education with marketing emphasis.
The Master of Arts in Teaching with secondary school certification preparation program includes 45 credit hours of graduate course work.
Requirements
Core MAT Curriculum
One of the following:
Core Secondary Certification Curriculum
One of the following:
Notes: (1) Courses are three credit hours unless otherwise indicated.
(2) EDU 60599 will only count toward hours in the MAT program.
(3) Content area coursework required by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must also be met for middle and secondary education.
Middle School Certification Preparation MA
Grades 5-9
Middle school education certification may be achieved in any of the following areas: language arts, speech/theatre, industrial technology, science, social science, business education, and engineering and technology.
Requirements
Courses
Note: Content area coursework required by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must also be met for middle and secondary education.
Elementary School Certification Preparation MA
Grades 1-6
The Master of Arts in Teaching with Elementary School Certification Preparation program is a 71 credit hour program. It includes the following coursework:
Requirements
Core MAT Curriculum
One of the following:
Core Elementary Certification Curriculum
One of the following:
Notes: (1) Courses are three credit hours unless otherwise indicated. (2) EDU 60599 will only count toward hours in the MAT program. (3) Students must also complete 3 credit hours of electives.
Early Childhood or Early Childhood Special Education Certification Preparation MA
Birth-Grade 3
The Master of Arts in Teaching with early childhood certification preparation program is a 71 credit hour program. The Master of Arts in Teaching with early childhood special education (add-on) certification preparation program is a 93 credit hour program. Both programs include the following core MAT and Core early childhood certification courses:
Requirements
Core MAT Curriculum
One of the following:
Core Early Childhood Certification Curriculum
One of the following*
*EDU 51010 is designed for students with one to three years of teaching experience.
Notes: (1) Courses are three credit hours unless otherwise indicated. (2) EDU 60599 will only count toward hours in the MAT program.
Additional Coursework
Core Early Childhood Special Education Curriculum
Note: Courses are three credit hours unless otherwise indicated.