Program Overview

The College of Education offers a Master of Arts in Teaching: Elementary Education (MAT) program of study for candidates who have earned a degree in a field other than education. The MAT program is the perfect course of study for those who seek South Carolina initial teacher certification in elementary education. The candidate will complete 52 hours of course work in preparation for 12 credit hours of Clinical Experience. Candidates enrolled in this program are evaluated by taking the PRAXIS Core (reading, writing, and mathematics) exam for entrance in the Teacher Education Program (TEP) before being admitted to EDU 516 Best Practices for the Elementary Classroom - Benchmark I. The candidate may begin the program in either the fall or spring semester. The curriculum includes a minimum of 85 hours of field experiences prior to 65 days of Clinical Experience in a public school elementary classroom with a cooperating teacher.

Admission Requirements

The applicant must meet the following requirements to be eligible for consideration for admission into the Master of Arts in Teaching: Elementary Education program:

• submit a “College of Education Graduate Studies Admission Application”;
• earned a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university;
• submit official transcripts from all prior colleges or universities;
• have a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.5 for all course work or the last 60 hours of course work;
• submit reference form from the applicant’s current immediate job supervisor if you are currently employeed, and two additional references of your choosing;
• must complete an interview with the College of Education Graduate Interview Committee;
• must meet with the assigned Journey Coach for advising;
• achieve a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper), 220 (computer) or 75 (Internet) if English is not the student’s first language; and
• provide proof of a current Visa if candidate is an International student

Provisional Status

At the discretion of the Dean of the College of Education, a degree-seeking applicant who does not meet all the requirements for admission to a respective program may be admitted with the status of “Provisional.” In order to reach full admission in a graduate degree program, the student with “Provisional” status must reconcile any admission deficiency(ies) before the completion of nine (9) credit hours of graduate work. The “Provisional” student who does not resolve any admission deficiency(ies) within this period may be withdrawn from the program.