SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN A TRUSTED LEADER IN EDUCATOR PREPARATION FOR MORE THAN 165 YEARS.
Led by expert faculty with distinguished records in teaching and research, we proudly offer master of arts in teaching (MAT) programs in English, history, mathematics, middle school mathematics, physical education, Spanish, and TESOL. Our distinctive and rigorous curriculum is approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
Dedicated to student success, we are pleased to offer an on-site student services center within the McKeown School of Education to help students navigate state licensure requirements and provide MTEL support.
The MAT offers participants the opportunity to independently qualify for provisional and professional licensure. Salem State is able to endorse for the initial teaching license after participants complete student teaching—even before they finish the MAT program.
PROGRAM
We offer the opportunity to progress from your provisional license through your professional license within one program.
As soon as you pass your MTELs (state teacher tests), you can independently apply for your provisional license and begin your career as a classroom teacher. Once you have completed your core classes and student teaching, we will endorse you for your initial license. Upon completing your MAT and finishing at least three years of teaching under your initial license you will be eligible to independently seek your professional license.
This means that graduates of our program are able to complete all stages of licensure requirements without needing to pursue additional coursework.
CURRICULUM
Our robust curriculum is designed to provide students with the skills and confidence needed to begin teaching on day one. The curriculum for our full suite of MAT programs includes: four core courses in education, five core courses within your content specialization, two teaching methods courses within your content specialization, one education elective, and a semester-long supervised practicum and seminar in the field.
Our licensure program curriculum is organized in stages.
Stage 1: introductory courses, light field responsibilities, ending with the first programmatic assessment EDA901.
Stage 2: methods courses, moderate field responsibilities, ending with the programmatic assessment EDA905.
Stage 3: practicum, heavy field responsibilities and the third programmatic assessment EDA904, which varies in sequence by program.
EDUCATION COURSES
All MAT students take the following four core courses in education: Instruction and Assessment in the Secondary Classroom; Culturally Responsive Teaching; Sheltering Content for English Language Learners; and Effective UDL Classroom Practices. Students also choose an additional education elective of their choice. Sample education electives include Professional Lives of Teachers: Connecting Policy, Research, and Practice through Collaborative Inquiry; Classroom Management and Community Building; Technology Methods; and Adolescent Literacy in the Disciplines.
CONTENT SPECIALIZATION
We offer seven distinct master of arts in teaching (MAT) degrees: English, history, mathematics, middle school mathematics, physical education, Spanish, and teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). While students of each MAT program take the same core education courses, all teaching methods and content courses are taken within your area of content specialization.
PROGRAM FORMAT
Each program works to provide class meeting times and modalities that offer maximum flexibility for working professionals.
PRACTICUM
Exciting 300-hour practicums are an integral part of all MAT programs. We have strong partnerships with more than 50 area schools throughout Greater Boston and the North Shore offering excellent field work opportunities for those seeking placement. Educators already working in the classroom may be able to complete their practicum at their place of employment.
CAREERS
There is always a need for good teachers. Current trends and projections show a relatively stable demand for teachers in the Greater Boston area with potential teacher shortages in some school districts. The average salary for a teacher in Massachusetts in 2021 was $86,118.*
Massachusetts teacher standards have a strong national reputation and many who hold teaching licenses in Massachusetts have the knowledge and skills needed to successfully obtain licensure in other states.
For Massachusetts residents, each credit costs $464.30,* which includes tuition and fees. For non-Massachusetts residents, each credit costs $559.40.*
For assistance funding your graduate education, options such as financial aid, graduate assistantships, employer reimbursement and tuition remission, and veteran’s benefits may be available.
*Tuition and fees subject to change.
ENGLISH
The MAT in English offers a balanced program of reflection and research in principles and practices for the instruction of English language and arts with a particular emphasis placed on contemporary methodology.
The licensure options for this program include being eligible to independently apply for provisional license upon passing the Communication and Literacy and English MTEL, being endorsed for the initial license upon completing student teaching, and being eligible to independently apply for professional licensure after completing the MAT and having three years of teaching experience under the initial license.
THE MAT IN ENGLISH OFFERS THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS:
• MAT: For students with an undergraduate degree in English who want to teach in the public schools.
• MA/MAT: A 51.5-60.5 credit dual degree program for students who do not have an undergraduate background in English. This program includes comprehensive coursework in English foundations and literature as well as preparing students for public school teaching.
Sample content courses include: Literature for Young Adults, Contemporary Approaches to the Teaching of Composition, Literature of the American Dream, and Teachers Shakespeare Institute.
HISTORY
The MAT in history is designed for liberal arts graduates who want to begin preparation for teaching history at the middle school or secondary level, or are practicing teachers who would like to expand their understanding of the educational process while increasing their formal education in history.
The licensure options for this program include being eligible to independently apply for provisional license upon passing the Communication and Literacy and History MTEL and being endorsed for the initial license upon completing student teaching. Students may complete the MAT program and independently apply for professional licensure after having three years of teaching under the initial license. Most students, however, opt for the MA in history to meet the academic requirements for professional licensure.
Sample content courses include: Historiography, Oral History, Museum Studies, American History, The Civil War, Nazi Germany, The Holocaust, Modern Latin America, History of US-East Asian Relations, The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Empire, and Russia Since 1917.
MATHEMATICS
The MAT in mathematics is designed to prepare students for initial licensure in secondary mathematics and for mathematics teachers who want to increase their formal education in mathematics and pedagogy and/or seek professional licensure.
The licensure options for this program include being eligible to independently apply for provisional license upon passing the Communication and Literacy and Mathematics MTEL, being endorsed for the initial license upon completing student teaching, and being eligible to independently apply for professional licensure after completing the MAT and having three years of teaching experience under the initial license.
Sample content courses include: Mathematical Statistics, Numerical Analysis, Algebraic Structures, Modern Plane Geometry, Theory of Numbers, and Statistical Inference.
MIDDLE SCHOOL MATHEMATICS
The MAT in middle school mathematics is designed to prepare students for initial licensure in middle school mathematics and for current mathematics teachers who want to increase their formal education in mathematics and pedagogy and/or seek professional licensure.
The licensure options for this program include being eligible to independently apply for provisional license upon passing the Middle School Mathematics MTEL, being endorsed for the initial license upon completing student teaching, and being eligible to independently apply for professional licensure after completing the MAT and having three years of teaching experience under the initial license.
Sample content courses include: Geometry for Middle School Teachers, Number Systems for Middle School Teachers, Data, Statistics and Probability for Middle School Teachers and History of Mathematics for Middle School Teachers.
ADVANCED STUDIES TRACK
For teachers who already have an initial license in math 5-8 or math 8-12, or are not seeking an initial license we off er a 30-credit advanced studies track, which, upon completion, would make one eligible to apply independently for a professional license.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
The MAT in physical education is designed for students with an undergraduate degree in exercise science or a related discipline who are seeking initial licensure to teach physical education in elementary or secondary school settings.
The licensure options for the MAT program include being endorsed for the initial license after completing student teaching. Applicants can independently apply for professional licensure once they have completed the MAT and have three years of teaching experience under their initial license.
Sample content courses include: Culturally Responsive Teaching, Tactical Game Approach to Teaching Physical Education, Assessment of Student Learning in Physical Education, Teaching Adapted Physical Education I, Fitness Concepts, and Practicum Seminar in Teaching Physical Education.
SPANISH
The MAT in Spanish is designed for people seeking either initial or professional licensure to teach Spanish in elementary or secondary schools.
The licensure options for this program include being eligible to independently apply for provisional license upon passing the Communication and Literacy and Spanish MTEL, being endorsed for the initial license upon completing student teaching, and being eligible to independently apply for professional licensure after completing the MAT and having three years of teaching experience under the initial license.
THE MAT IN SPANISH OFFERS THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS:
• Elementary Spanish (Preschool-grade 6)
• Secondary Spanish (Grades 5–12)
• Advanced studies elementary or secondary Spanish
Sample content courses include: Seminar in Latin American and US Latino Literatures, Seminar in the Cultures of Spain, Introduction to Spanish Linguistics and Sociolinguistics.
TEACHING ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES
The MAT ESOL is a dynamic interdisciplinary program designed to prepare students to teach multilingual learners in a variety of settings both within the United States and overseas. The core curriculum emphasizes linguistics and language acquisition and also principles, methods, practice, and research. The MAT ESOL also prepares students to pursue doctoral studies in the field.
The licensure options for this program include being eligible to independently apply for provisional license upon passing the Communication and Literacy and ESL MTEL, being endorsed for the initial license upon completing student teaching, and being eligible to independently apply for professional licensure after completing the MAT and having three years of teaching experience under the initial license.
Sample content courses include: Context and Culture in TESOL; Language Acquisition, Linguistics for Language Teachers; Sociolinguistics; Teaching Reading, Writing and Vocabulary to Multilingual Learners, Introduction to TESOL Methods; and TESOL Methods in PreK-12 Schools.
Passing score on communication and literacy MTEL* and English subject MTEL*
Photocopy of teacher’s licensure if held; passing score on communication and literacy MTEL* and history subject MTEL*
Photocopy of teacher’s license if held; passing score on communication and literacy MTEL* and math subject MTEL*
Photocopy of teacher’s license if held; passing score on communication and literacy MTEL* (Middle School Math MTEL* is required later, but not for admission).
Photocopy of teacher’s license if held; passing scores on communication and literacy MTEL*
