Master of Arts in Teaching

For the MAT in Special Education, see the Special Education page.

[1] Objectives

The College of Education offers a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree program created especially for individuals without teaching credentials who have earned baccalaureate degrees in specific content areas and want to become teachers in an expeditious fashion. The MAT is a 36-hour graduate degree program with three tracks: Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Education. Tailored to accommodate most working students’ schedules, this online program involves a 27-hour core plus 9 hours of required courses within the selected track that can be completed in five semesters, including fall, spring, and summer sessions. Graduate School policy requires that students complete their program of study within six years.

[2] Admission, Retention, and Exit Requirements

[2.1] Program Admission Requirements

Candidates interested in pursuing the MAT program for Elementary, Middle, or Secondary education will need to be admitted to the UCA Graduate School by following the regular admission process (see https://uca.edu/graduateschool/admission-process/).

In addition, candidates will be required to

• Complete the MAT application found at https://uca.edu/mat/mat-admission-requirements/.
• Submit of a written statement of purpose (see guidelines).
• Have achieved a competitive grade point average on prior work.
• Submit proof of Full Background Check and Child Maltreatment Check with Graduate Application. See OCS page for details: https://uca.edu/ocs/background-checks/internship-and-licensure/

[2.2] Program Retention Requirements

In order to meet the Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education MAT provisional eligibility requirement, candidates must submit passing score(s) on any/all Praxis subject assessment required for licensure in their chosen program/track before enrolling in any MAT course beyond six credits.

Candidates employed as a teacher of record while enrolled in the MAT program must meet the requirements for a provisional license. Those requirements can be found at this link: https://uca.edu/ocs/mat-provisional-license/. A provisional license will not be awarded until all retention requirements have been met.

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program evaluates candidates in the MAT program at the following points in their programs of study:

1. Admission
2. After earning 6 credits and passing the Praxis exam(s)
3. Application for internship
4. Graduation

Candidates must maintain a 3.0 GPA. Candidates are reviewed for their academic and dispositional performance throughout the program. Dispositional performance is evaluated using the disposition rubric designed by MAT faculty and implemented program-wide.

Candidates not meeting the required academic performance criteria (including minimum GPA) and/or not demonstrating appropriate dispositions will be counseled by a faculty committee to be comprised of the program coordinator, the candidate’s advisor, and faculty who have interacted with the candidate in class settings. Decisions regarding professional and ethical conduct will be guided by the professional and ethical conduct policy adopted by the professional education unit licensure programs and College of Education degree and licensure programs. These candidates may be required to complete professional growth plans. Failure to meet the guidelines of the professional growth plan may be cause for dismissal from the MAT program.

[2.3] Entrance into Internship Requirements

Candidates must have met all retention requirements, have an overall minimum GPA of 3.0 in program coursework and have no dispositional issues that could impact their performance in internship. Internship semesters are limited to 6 credits. Candidates must successfully complete MAT 6390 Internship I before beginning MAT 6399 Internship II. Other professional development requirements for entrance to Internship can be found on the MAT program page: https://uca.edu/mat/internship/.

[2.4] Program Exit Requirements

After successful completion of all required courses and model key assessments, candidates must submit passing scores on a summative assessment of pedagogy.

Note: In order to apply for a standard teaching license in any K–12 content area, candidates MUST pass the Praxis subject assessment and a summative assessment of pedagogy.

[2.5] Continuous Enrollment Requirement

College of Education graduate students are expected to maintain continuous enrollment throughout their program of study until achieving program completion. Specifically, College of Education graduate students are expected to be enrolled in at least two of the three semesters in a given calendar year (Spring, Summer I or II, and Fall). If a student must take a time-out, the student is expected to notify his/her home department. If a student fails to register for more than one semester out of three in a given calendar year, he/she may be ineligible for readmission unless granted by the home department.

[2.6] Dual Enrollment Agreement

Under a partnership agreement with Hendrix College, undergraduate students at Hendrix may complete up to 15 hours in the MAT program. These hours will count for undergraduate credit at Hendrix College and will also be applied toward the UCA MAT program once the student is fully admitted. The limit for allowable hours under this dual enrollment agreement is 15.

[3] Programs of Study

[3.1] MAT Core Courses (27 credit hours)

All candidates regardless of licensure level will complete the core courses. Candidates will then select Elementary (K–6) Track, the Middle-Level (4–8) Track, or the Secondary-Level (K–12, 4–12, or 7–12) Track and complete requirements for the selected track as indicated below.

[3.2] Elementary Level (3 courses – 9 hours)

[3.3] Middle Level (3 courses – 9 credit hours)

[3.4] Secondary Level K–12, 4–12, or 7–12 (3 courses – 9 credit hours)

[4] Graduate Course Links (MAT, ASTL)

Follow this link for MAT course descriptions: course link.
Follow this link for ASTL course descriptions: course link.