The MAT was designed to enable students holding degrees other than education degrees to study in selected teaching programs at the graduate or advanced level. Candidates must have an undergraduate degree in the major of the concentration and must meet the prerequisite requirements of the department housing the concentration. Candidates with an undergraduate degree in a major other than the MAT concentration may not qualify for the MAT and are subject to prerequisite course requirements as determined by the faculty in the department of the concentration. Prerequisite requirements will vary by department and depend on the credentials presented by the candidate.
The program leading to the MAT degree in comprehensive education requires a minimum of 36-42 semester hours of graduate study. The difference in semester hours is a function of the teaching experience that the candidate brings to the program. A full-time, semester-long internship or the equivalent is required. The MAT consists of a professional core of 15 semester hours, 12-18 hours of teaching methods and clinical experiences, and 9 semester hours in the concentration. Pending satisfactory completion of state-required licensure examinations, the program leads to a recommendation for an advanced license from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Completion of degree requirements includes satisfactory completion of Praxis II tests, the Teacher Work Sample Portfolio and the Comprehensive Portfolio.
Professional Core, 15 hours: EDCI 602, EDCI 604 or 605, EDCI 613, PSY 621 (PSY 624 for BK), and SPED 620.
TEACHING METHODS AND CLINICAL EXPERIENCES, 12-18 hours:
Birth-Kindergarten, 12 hours: BK 570, 588, 603, SPED 604.
Secondary (Biology, Chemistry, English, Mathematics and Social Sciences) and Special Subjects (Art, Music, Physical Education): 3 semester hours of elective course; 6 semester hours of teaching methods (EDCI 617, and one 3-hour content specific methods course*); and 3-9 semester hours of clinical experiences (EDCI 689).
Middle Grades Education: 6 semester hours of teaching methods (EDMG 501, 502, 503, or 504; EDMG 511, 512, 513, or 514; EDMG 521, 522, 523, or 524; one 3-hour content specific methods course; and 3-9 semester hours of field experience (EDMG 589).
Special Education:
Emphasis Areas (Choose one)~Behavior Disorders: SPED 555, 566, 631 and 687.
Learning and Mental Disabilities: SPED 555, 566, 631 and 687.
Severe/Profound Disabilities: SPED 530, 534, 566, 631 and 687.
Field experience or additional course hours will vary, up to a total of 18 semester hours in special education, depending on prior courses and/or experiences of candidates.
CONCENTRATIONS:
Art, Biology, Chemistry, Middle Grades, Music, Physical Education, and Social Sciences Concentrations, 9 semester hours selected upon the advice of the department faculty.
Birth-Kindergarten concentration, 9 semester hours: BK 607, SPED 606, 632.
English concentration, 9 semester hours of graduate course work selected jointly by the student and his English graduate adviser based on the student’s undergraduate curriculum, professional plans, experience, and interests. The program involves a specialized teaching focus, emphasizing rhetoric and composition, ESL/TESOL, and traditional literary studies, including, especially, a graduate World Literature course. ENGL 517 Methods of Teaching Literature and ENGL 618 Literary Research and Bibliography are required. The comprehensive examinations given by the English Department are based on the Shorter Reading List, which is contained in the 2004 Guide to Graduate Studies in English, (available online at www.wcu.edu/as/engl). Neither a thesis nor foreign language proficiency is required.
Mathematics concentration, 9 semester hours including MATH 500, 672, and one of the following: MATH 511 or 512.
Special Education concentration, 9 semester hours.
Emphasis Areas (Choose One)~Behavior Disorders: SPED 504, 567, 684.
Learning and Mental Disabilities: SPED 505, 567, and 630.
Severe/Profound Disabilities: SPED 528, 533, CSD 594 or PT 655.
Course Descriptions
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Last updated: 3/8/2006.