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Master of Arts in Teaching

Available only On Campus in the Kansas City Area

Purpose

The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree is designed to offer professional education courses leading to middle or secondary certification in English, mathematics, unified science (biology or chemistry), or social studies; kindergarten through twelfth grade certification in art or Spanish; or ninth through twelfth grade certification in journalism.

This degree was created to help meet the current teacher shortage by offering an opportunity for those possessing a bachelor's degree to seek teaching certification through a Masters degree program. Interested students should have a bachelor's degree in the field, or a closely related field, in which they wish to certify.

Admissions Requirements

» Online Application Form

If a prospective student lacks state-required content hours in the subject area, she or he must remedy these deficiencies before being fully admitted to the graduate program as these courses are not designed as part of the degree program. Graduate or undergraduate content area courses may be used to satisfy these deficiencies.

Because of the intensive nature of included coursework, students entering this program must have an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).

  • A bachelor's degree in the field of certification from an accredited institution. If the degree is not in the field of certification, coursework in the discipline must be completed before admission to the Master of Arts in Teaching program is begun.
  • Minimum 3.00 grade point average (GPA) on a 4.00 scale in Bachelors work
  • Students must be within 6 hours of completing the Missouri state-required subject area content coursework.
  • Three letters of reference, professional preferred, attesting to suitability for teaching, addressing issues of character, personality, commitment, and ability to function under stress
  • A Missouri passing score on the subject area Praxis exam, except for journalism, must be achieved during the first 12 hours of the program. If an individual does not pass Praxis they will not be allowed to continue in the programs past 12 hours. At the point of not passing we encourage the student to seek the advice of Park University graduate education faculty.
  • Completion of the Missouri State Highway Patrol Request for Criminal Record Check and Request for Child Abuse or Neglect forms
  • Successfully complete an admission interview with the MAT Program Advisor or the Director of Graduate Programs
  • Students with a GPA between 2.75 and 3.0 may be considered for admission, if they provide one of the following:
    • An acceptable GRE score for verbal and quantitative tests
    • A 3.25 grade point average on the last 60 hours of college work

* An applicant who has been denied admission to a graduate education program may appeal the decision to the Committee for Selection, Admission, Retention, and Appeals (CSARA). The appeal shall be submitted in writing to the Chair of the CSARA using the appropriate appeal form. Documentation supporting the appeal must accompany the appeal form where applicable. Additional information related to the appeals process may be obtained from the School for Education office.

Curriculum

Students applying for admission to the Master of Arts in Teaching Program must be no more than six hours deficient in content area coursework required for certification. Content area coursework must be completed prior to enrolling in graduate education courses unless a waiver is granted by the Director of Graduate Education.

You may want to review the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website, which provides the content area requirements for both middle and secondary level students (although it states only grades 9-12); Park's School for Education voted to require the same content courses for both middle and secondary students. Please note that the document lists requirements for all areas, not just the programs that Park University offers (Park offers middle or secondary certification in English, mathematics, biology or chemistry, and social studies; kindergarten through twelfth grade certification in art or Spanish; and ninth through twelfth grade certification in journalism).

Courses required for the degree:*  (Alternative Certification)    36 hrs.
                                                        (Initial Certification)            45 hrs.

MAT Curriculum (2008-2009 Catalog†)
Hours
Foundations of Teaching
18
ED 503 Introduction to Teaching Pedagogy
3
ED 513 Law for Educators
3
ED 520 Special Needs in the Classroom
3
ED 526 Classroom Management Seminar
3
ED 527 Growth and Development of Children & Adolescents
3
One of the following:
ED 515 Sociological Factors Affecting Education
3
ED 519 Diversity in the Classroom
3
Methods and Techniques
14
ED 491 Technology for Teachers
3
ED 521 Introduction to Literacy
3
ED 535 Practicum in Teaching**
3
ED 597/598  Methodology in the Content Areas
2
ED 606 Curriculum Theory and Practice
3
ED 608 Assessment
3
Clinical Experiences ***
4-10
ED 600 Field Experience (initial certification)
10
    or
ED 602 Mentorship (alternative certification)
4

†If you are a current student who was admitted under a previous catalog, you may click here to view the catalog and curriculum for the academic year in which you were admitted.

* The listed hours identified will lead to the degree and in most cases to certification. Those interested in middle school certification will need two additional courses: ED 541 (Middle School Philosophy and Organization), and ED 531 (Literacy Across the Curriculum) or ED 546 (Advanced Diagnosis and Remediation of Reading). At all times a student must meet Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requirements for certification. Sometimes this means additional coursework, depending on the undergraduate program and certification desired.

** Not required for students in the alternative certification program, i.e. those who are already teaching under either a provisional or temporary authorization certificate.

*** The course will depend on the experience of the candidate. ED 600 is for the person who is not currently employed by a school as a teacher. It will be a traditional student teaching experience with cooperating teacher and supervision from the university.

ED 602 will only be taken by individuals who are employed by a school and working as a teacher. The candidate will work with a mentor assigned by the school (a certified teacher in the content area of the candidate). The university will provide supervision as with all fieldwork. This work must be taken 1 hr. per term for four consecutive terms and must commence in Fall I or Spring I, whichever is available at the beginning of the student's program.

Graduation Requirements

  • Successful completion of the required 38- 43 hours with a 3.0 GPA, with no more than 2 "C's" and no grade lower than a C. See also Academic Policies above. Initial Graduate Certification Candidate must successfully pass the SFE Disposition Instrument for graduation.
  • An approved portfolio and teacher work sample that addresses satisfactorily the Missouri Standards for a beginning teacher. The portfolio must be presented by the fifth week of the last term in the student's program. A student cannot complete the program or be recommended for certification without an acceptable portfolio.
  • An application for Graduation is required before completion statement posted on the transcript. Application for Graduation is available online at www.park.edu/graduation. Student must return the completed form with the appropriate fee.

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