Who Should Apply?
Interested in becoming a secondary teacher within a calendar year? This program is designed for career changers and recent graduates with at least a bachelor’s degree interested in moving into teaching quickly. You can complete the UMBC MAT Secondary Teacher Certification Program within 12 months at UMBC. The UMBC Department of Education offers an opportunity for qualified graduate students interested in becoming secondary teachers to complete the MAT program within a calendar year by entering the program in the summer and devoting themselves to fulltime study for, at least, the following academic year. Interested students must apply by April 15th to be eligible to enter the program the following summer.
Program Overview
The UMBC Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program is a Council of the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) approved graduate program for career changers and recent graduates with at least a bachelor’s degree seeking initial teaching certification. Students are introduced to pedagogy, including curriculum planning, instructional design, assessment and human development as well as a subject-specific methods course. In keeping with Maryland’s Redesign of Teacher Education (1996), the MAT incorporates competency-based course work and a Professional Development School 100 day internship program for every student in the program. The course work integrates content and pedagogy as recommended by the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) (1996), the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), and the Council of the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). All MAT candidates’ competencies in essential teaching and content knowledge will be evaluated through performance-based assessments. Graduates of this program will meet all Maryland certification requirements, receive initial teacher certification at the secondary level in their area of specialization, and extend their understanding of issues germane to teaching and learning.
Secondary/PreK-12 Certification/Specialization Options
Students who enroll in the 12 month UMBC MAT Secondary/PreK-12 Teacher Certification Program can choose from the following certifications: Art, Biology, Chemistry, Dance, Earth/Space Science, English, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Music, Physics, Physical Science, Social Studies, and Theatre. Students completing the program will be certified to teach in grades 7-12 or PreK-12. Please see https://education.umbc.edu/secondary-education/ for specific program requirements. Students must have undergraduate and/or graduate degree or 30+ of specified coursework in their certification area to consider this program.
Admissions Requirements
- Undergraduate and/or graduate degree with a 3.0 GPA
- Qualifying score PRAXIS Core Examination or GRE score
- Undergraduate and/or graduate degree or 30+ credits of specified coursework in their certification area.
- Completed Graduate School Application
How to Apply
Interested students need to apply by April 12th by following the steps listed below
- Contact Dr. Vickie Williams for an intake interview at vwilli5@umbc.edu. You will need to bring copies of all undergraduate and/or graduate transcripts to this meeting to be reviewed.
- Apply to the UMBC Graduate School following the instructions received in the intake interview and online. Access the Graduate School application at http://www.umbc.edu/gradschool/docs/forms/prospective_students/degree_application.pdf
Program Content – Plan of Study
| Master of Arts in Teaching MAT Program – UMBC Department of Education 12 month Pathway – Secondary Certification Total Credits = 36 |
||
| Session | Courses | Credits |
| Summer I | ||
| EDUC 658 – Reading in the Content Area I EDUC 601 – Human Learning & Cognition (Field Experience) EDUC 602 – Instructional Systems Development (Field Experience) EDUC 678 – Instructional Strategies/Students with Diverse Needs *Content Elective – 400 level or above |
3 3 3 3 3 |
|
| Fall – Internship Phase I (20 Days in Classroom) | ||
| EDUC *** Secondary Methods Course EDUC 659 – Reading in the Content Area II EDUC 650 – Education in Cultural Perspective *Content Elective/s – 400 level or above |
3 3 3 3-6 |
|
| Spring – Internship Phase II (Full Time in Classroom) | ||
| EDUC 793S – Internship Phase II EDUC 797 – Internship Seminar EDUC 791P – Practicum in Education |
5 1 3 |
|
| Summer II | ||
| *Content Elective/s – 400 level or above | 3-6 | |
| (This session optional depending on whether student still needs content electives. Permission of advisor needed to take courses in this session) | ||
| Note:* 2 upper level (400 level or above), 3 credit content elective courses are required in the MAT Program. These content electives may be taken in any of the sessions designated above. Students work closely with advisor to choose where the 6 credit (two courses) content elective requirement will be taken in their program. | ||
Contact Information
Dr. Vickie Williams
Director of Student Services
UMBC Department of Education
vwilli5@umbc.edu