Master of Arts in Teaching - Elementary Education

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT):  Elementary Education Program is designed for students with a Bachelor’s degree in a field other than education who want to become elementary school teachers.  Upon successful completion of our MAT program and passing scores on all required state proficiency tests, students will obtain a graduate degree and State of Illinois 1-6 teaching license.  All MAT courses meet in the late afternoon and evening with a pre-set class schedule and sequence to allow students to complete the program in six semesters. 

Each semester has students focusing on a specific educational theme: Teacher as Learner; Literacy Across the Curriculum; Teaching for Human Diversity; Curriculum & Schooling Past, Present, and Future; and Inquiry Through the Content Areas. For two semesters, students are connecting those themes to their clinical teaching experiences in 1-6 classrooms.  In total, the MAT program includes 200 hours of clinical teaching prior to a semester of full-time student teaching within a 1-6 grade level range.

The MAT program is designed to prepare teachers with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to create dynamic, student-centered classrooms for the 21st century.  As designers of creative and critical curriculum, students will learn to truly engage their students in an exploration and understanding of our fascinating, complex, and diverse world.  The MAT program has an emphasis on teaching for cultural diversity, teaching diverse students, project- and inquiry-based teaching, authentic literacy across the curriculum, technology integration, and 21st century skills.