Mary’s College believes that offering a certification program through an accredited Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree will allow its students to take full advantage of the rich undergraduate curriculum available at our college – to spend a semester abroad, to complete a double major, to take elective courses in many diverse areas, to try interdisciplinary courses – and then to be able to syn
thesize that richly textured content background with graduate courses in education so they can better serve their future students. The MAT option builds on students’ solid grounding in a vigorously defined major and in the breadth of their Core Curriculum requirements while allowing them a seamless transition into the professional coursework. The MAT provides basic instruction in pedagogical strategies, assessment, curriculum development, discipline and management, and other specific elements of the professional educator’s knowledge base. Certification programs exist for:
-Elementary, grades 1-6
-Secondary, grades 7-12: English, Math, Social Studies/History, Science (Biology, Chemistry, or Physics), and Theater
-PreK-12: Art, Music, and Modern Foreign Language (Chinese, German, French, Spanish)
It is also possible for an individual to add certification in early childhood education to the elementary certificate. All of the teacher certification programs available through this MAT degree have full program approval from the Maryland State Department of Education and lead to reciprocity for certification in a majority of other states. Our program completers have a 100% pass rate on the PRAXIS exams, and our hiring rate for those who choose to teach, is 100%. The Master of Arts is a full-time, year-long program requiring participants to be in county public schools from the beginning of the program. The mentor/cooperating teachers at the school sites provide support and expertise that will prepare the student to meet the challenge of the beginning teacher, translating theory into practice.
