| The UMBC Master of Arts in Teaching
(MAT) program is a NCATE 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 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 National Council for the Accreditation
of Teacher Education (NCATE). 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 in
their area of specialization, and extend their understanding
of issues germane to teaching and learning. |
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| The MAT program is based on a four-semester (or equivalent) sequence that requires completion of 36 credit hours. The majority of MAT students are studying as part time students. |
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| To fortify content understandings and
be highly qualified as well as certified, students may
be required to take additional content coursework. This
course work may be needed to satisfy discipline specific
requirements as defined by UMBC, MSDE/NCATE approved program
requirements. Students’ undergraduate and/or graduate
transcripts will be reviewed in advising sessions before
admission to determine if additional courses are needed
to fulfill these requirements. All students will receive
a written copy of the review of their transcripts indicating
any additional content coursework that must be successfully
completed prior to beginning of Phase II of the internship. |
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| MSDE requires both early childhood and
elementary school teachers to complete 12 credits of reading
methods courses and secondary school teachers must complete
6 credits of reading. In the MAT, 24 credits of the content
core, various content area foundations and methods, as
well as the accompanying internship are also required.
Secondary teachers will have six hours of content-related,
discipline specific electives to complete their 36-hour
program. All students are required to complete each required education
course with a grade of “B” or better and
pass their portfolio presentation. |
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| A major goal of the program is to integrate theory and practice. Consequently, field experiences are incorporated throughout the program in a variety of ways. Elementary MAT teacher candidates will have opportunities to work with children and teachers through their methods and reading courses. |
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| Early Childhood MAT teacher candidates
participate in a different semester-long field experience
that is linked with a three-credit study group during
each of the first 3 semesters. Students spend three hours
on two mornings a week in the field for a minimum of 72
hours over the course of each semester. |
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| Secondary track MAT teacher candidates
will also have field experiences built into their methods
and reading courses, in addition to a separate practicum
course. The field experiences may be scheduled a variety
of ways. It is typically scheduled as a 3-hour block once
a week. |
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| Clinical experience, sometimes referred
to as student teaching or internship, is intended to be
a full-time experience lasting at least 100 days and spanning
two semesters. During this period of time, it is expected
that the candidate will gain as much experience in teaching
as possible. Ideally, at the conclusion of the clinical
experience, a candidate will be ready to successfully
assume full responsibility for a classroom. |
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| The candidate is expected to be devoted
full-time to Phase II of the internship and participate
in the seminar course. The candidate may take methods
courses during Phase I of the internship. Any part-time
non-school work is unacceptable during Phase II of the
internship. |
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| For more information regarding the models
for clinical experience and UMBC Professional Development
Schools, contact Dr. Pamela Williams Morgan, Director of Office of Field Experiences and Clinical Practice (pwmorgan1@umbc.edu) |
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| In some cases, candidates may wish to pursue two areas of certification. This means that it will be necessary to complete two special methods courses and demonstrate academic competence in both areas of certification. During the field experience course and clinical experience, candidates will observe and participate in both areas of certification. |
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| The MAT program culminates in a portfolio
(written and electronic) based on the performance outcomes
developed by NCATE, the Specialized Professional Associations
(SPA) and MSDE and includes teacher performance assessments,
including their portfolio presentation, as well as their
knowledge of content and pedagogy and dispositions toward
teaching diverse students. |
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| The MAT is a UMBC graduate program.
Applicants must be accepted and admitted to the UMBC Graduate
School and the UMBC Department of Education. Minimum admission
requirements include an undergraduate GPA of 2.75 for
admission and 3.0 for internship and passing scores on
Praxis I, according to MSDE certification criteria. |
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| The first step in the application process is to schedule a personal interview with an advisor of the program and submit transcripts of all prior undergraduate and graduate study for analysis. |
