The outline of the program is as follows:

  • Candidates must have completed upon admission to the Graduate School a bachelor's degree in an approved content area from an accredited institution.
  • During the first academic year, candidates will take a total of 20 credit hours of professional education courses— EDUC 515L, EDUC 225, EDUC 521L, EDUC 305,EDUC 505L, their major department’s methods course, EDUC 527L, EDUC 506, EDUC 531, EDUC 542, EDUC 551LING 618LING 531, and an additional four-hour Bible/Theology course from the approved graduate program's Category I listing; and any coursework to meet licensure deficiencies in their content area.
  • During the second year of enrollment, candidates will enroll full-time fall semester for their student teaching experience (EDUC 596, EDUC 587, EDUC 594, plus EDUC 597). With the satisfactory completion of student teaching and the State of Illinois examinations, candidates can apply for State of Illinois teacher licensure.
  • In consultation with the M.A.T. coordinator, M.A.T. students who want to conduct educational research may petition to substitute EDUC 698 Thesis.
  • Each subsequent semester until the thesis is completed candidates must enroll in EDUC 599 Final Project Continuation or EDUC 699 Thesis Continuation and pay the continuation fee.
  • The Master of Arts in Teaching degree will be awarded once all degree requirements are complete and the Scholarly Inquiry Paper or thesis is satisfactorily completed and accepted by Buswell Library.

Requirements for the General Master of Arts in Teaching: Secondary/Special Licensure degree are 16 hours of possible undergraduate prerequisites and 34 graduate hours including:

Major Requirements
EDUC 531Ethical Perspectives on Teaching2
EDUC 542Research Methodologies in Education2
EDUC 506Classroom Communication and Curriculum Integration4
EDUC 551Mind, Brain, and Education2
EDUC 587Philosophical Foundations of Education3
EDUC 594Craft Of Teaching2
EDUC 596Student Teaching9
EDUC 597Scholarly Inquiry Paper2
LING 531Theological Perspectives on Language and Education2
LING 618English Language Learning Content Methods and Materials2
Select one 4-credit Bible/Theology course from the approved graduate program's Category I listing4
Complete a Scholarly Inquiry Paper within five years of the first term as a full M.A.T. student
Total Credits34

Candidates must also complete non-credit field experiences, EDUC 505L, EDUC 515LEDUC 521L, and EDUC 527L as well as additional coursework to meet any licensure deficiencies in their content area.