Academic Programs - Middle School Education
The Master of Arts in Teaching: Middle School Education
The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree program is intended for individuals who hold a bachelors degree and wish to gain teaching certification while working on a master’s degree. The MAT in Middle School Education culminates in certification in grades 4-8 in two content areas.
This is a cohort program that requires full-time study. In most cases, it will require a minimum of two years to complete including summer school. Most required courses are offered only on the Athens campus. While the degree program normally requires 78 semester hours, additional courses may be required to meet pre-requisites for teaching specializations. New cohorts start the program in the Fall semester.
The Master of Arts in Teaching: Middle School Education Admissions Guidelines
Applications are due on 1 December of each year for admission in the following summer or fall semester; the application must be fully complete by 15 January.
Prospective candidates for the MAT in Middle School Education must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. An applicant’s cumulative grade point for all undergraduate courses should be 3.0 or above on a four-point scale. Before admission, applicants must have taken either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and should have a pre-August 2011 minimum total score of 850 total and at least 400 verbal and 400 quantitative, or a post-August 2011 GRE verbal score of 150 or above and a quantitative GRE score of 141 or above, or the Miller Analogies Test with a minimum score of 402.
The Master of Arts in Teaching: Middle School Education Application Procedures
Applicants must submit to the Graduate School:
- The Graduate School application form
- Application fee
- Two official copies of transcripts from all institutions attended
- Official scores from GRE or MAT.
The application form, information regarding the GRE and MAT, and other important information are all available at http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/admissions/requirements.html
The department also requires three letters of recommendation from individuals acquainted with the applicant’s academic abilities or potential as a teacher. Names of referees must be included in the Graduate School application form, page 3. Letters will be solicited by the Graduate School and submitted on-line.
Applicants must send to the department a statement of purpose. Attach an essay (maximum of 3 pages) that addresses the following:
- Why are you interested in becoming a middle school educator?
- What do you see as the most important purposes of schooling?
- In what ways have your experiences influenced your thinking about middle school education?
- Describe your experiences to date with young adolescents (ages 9-15).
Send the statement of purpose to Graduate Coordinator, Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education, 629 Aderhold Hall, University of Georgia, Athens GA 30602.
When all of the application materials have been received, they are reviewed by the Middle School Program faculty. The faculty makes a recommendation on the application to the Elementary and Social Studies Education Department’s Graduate Coordinator who in turn makes a recommendation to the Graduate School. The final decision on admission is made by the Graduate School. Applicants and the department will receive notification directly from the Graduate School concerning a decision on acceptance.
The Master of Arts in Teaching: Middle School Education
Program Planning and Advisement
Upon acceptance into the MAT program, students will be assigned to a faculty member for advisement. In consultation with their assigned academic advisors, students plan a tentative program of study. A final program of study must be filed with the Graduate School no later than the first week of the semester in which thestudent plans to graduate. The faculty is responsible for providing academic advisement concerning appropriate course work on program requirements, but students are responsible for conforming to published policies and for carrying out procedural requirements such as filing appropriate forms in a timely manner.
The Master of Arts in Teaching: Middle School Education
Program of Study for the Master of Arts in Teaching: Middle School Education
| PROGRAM SUMMARY | |
| Educational Foundations | 6 Semester Hours |
| Middle School Education | 15 Semester Hours |
| Professional Teaching | 22 Semester Hours |
| Content Areas | 32 Semester Hours |
| Research | 3 Semester Hours |
| Total Hours | 78 Semester Hours |
Educational Foundations: (minimum 6 hours)
EFND elective (3 semester hours) – Must be 6000-level or above
OR
EPSY elective (3 semester hours) – Must be 6000-level or above
SPED 2000 (3 semester hours) – Survey of Special Education (or equivalent)
Middle Grades and the Education of Young Adolescents (minimum 15 hours)
EDMS 7030 (3 semester hours) – The Middle School (required)
EDMS 7060 (3 semester hours) – Service-Learning (required)
EDMS 7050 (3 semester hours) – Teaching Young Adolescents
EDMS 7080 (3 semester hours) – Curriculum Planning for the Middle School
EDMS 7090 (3 semester hours) – Instructional Strategies for the Middle School
EDMS 7100 (3 semester hours) – Evaluation of the Middle School
Professional Teaching: (minimum 22 hours)
EDMS 5020 (3 semester hours) – Educating Young Adolescents
EDMS 5020L (3 semester hours) – Educating Young Adolescents Lab (Field Experience, required)
EDMS 5030 (3 semester hours) – The Middle School Curriculum
EDMS 5030L (3 semester hours) – The Middle School Curriculum Lab (Field Experience, required)
READ 3530 (3 semester hours) – Content Area Reading in the Middle School (or equivalent)
EDMS 5460/7460 (18 semester hours) – Student Teaching in the Middle School
EDMS 5040 (3 semester hours) – Teaching in the Middle School
Content Areas (minimum 32 hours). Choose two areas of specialization from Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, or Social Studies (minimum 15 semester hours in each area)
Language Arts
ELAN 5210 (3 semester hours) – Children’s Literature and Oral language Grades 4-8
ELAN 5220 (3 semester hours) – Writing Pedagogy Grades 4-8
Language Arts Electives (12 semester hours) – Must include one American literature course 3000-level or above. Other electives may be selected from English 3000-level or above, Classics, Comparative Literature 3000-level or above, Drama, Language Education, Linguistics, Reading or Speech
Mathematics
EMAT 5280/7280 (3 semester hours) – Teaching Number Systems in the Middle School
MATH 5020/7020 (3 semester hours) – Arithmetic for Middle School Teachers
EMAT 5290/7290 (3 semester hours) – Teaching Geometry & measurement in the Middle School
MATH 5030/7030 (3 semester hours) – Geometry & Measurement for Middle School Teachers
EMAT 5320/7320 (3 semester hours) – Teaching Algebra in the Middle School
MATH 5035/7035 (3 semester hours) – Algebra for Middle School Teachers
Science
GEOL 4750/6750 (4 semester hours) – Earth Science for Middle School Teachers (or equivalent)
ESCI 4430 (3 semester hours) – Science curriculum for the Middle School (or equivalent)
CHEM 1060 (4 semester hours) – Physical Science for Middle School Teachers (or equivalent)
ESCI 4440 (3 semester hours) – Methods of Teaching Science in Middle School (or equivalent)
Science Elective (3 semester hours) – Selected from but not limited to ENTO 5730/ENTO 5730L, BIOL 1104/1104L, BIOL 1107/1107L, BIOL 1108/1108L, ASTR 1010/1010L, or GEOG 1112/1112L
Social Studies
ESOC 4400/6400 (3 semester hours) – Teaching Social Studies in the Middle Grades
Social Studies Electives (15 hours) selected from – ESOC 4150/6150 Teaching United States History, ESOC 5010/7010 Teaching of Geography, ESOC 5520/7520 Teaching Politics, Government and Citizenship, ESOC 5200/7200 Economic Education in the Social Science Curriculum, History-3000 level or above.
Course Related to Research (3 hours minimum)
EDMS 6990 (3 semester hours) – Research Seminar in Middle School Education
OR
ERSH 6200 (3 semester hours) – Methods of Research in Education
