M.A.T Elementary Education (P-5)

If you do not currently hold teacher certification or if you hold a nonrenewable (NR) teacher certification, the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) was designed for you.

The MAT degree leads to initial teaching certification and a master’s degree for aspiring teachers who hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.

Do you currently hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and are interested in a career as a teacher of young children? The M.A.T. provides an option for people entering the world of teaching from other vocations or fields of study, and is also an option for those who are already in the classroom yet have not obtained initial certification (e.g. paraprofessionals, Teach for America, etc.). Through a sequence of courses and related field experiences, candidates will be prepared to teach young children in preschool through grade five. The program of study is designed to meet all content and methods requirements for initial teacher certification.

During the program, you will be required to complete field experiences including student teaching/internship. All field experience requirements for any M.A.T. program must be completed in the state of Georgia. Some concentrations require practicum placements prior to student teaching or internship semester. Field experiences, including student teaching, for students in the online M.A.T. Concentrations in Elementary Education, Health and Physical Education, and Special Education, will be considered in the Georgia region in which you are located.

M.A.T. graduates are eligible for a Georgia T-5 Elementary Education Certification (grades P-5) upon successful completion of all program requirements, the GACE content assessment, and successful completion of the state-required Educator Ethics Assessment (if not completed for program admission). The program of study is designed to meet all content and methods requirements for initial certification in 45 credit hours.

NOTE: All new MAT Elementary Education candidates must attend a two-day on-campus orientation in order to meet registration requirements. The summer 2023 orientation for new admits to the online MAT Elementary Education program is scheduled for May 12-13, 2023 on Georgia Southern University’s Statesboro campus.

• Complete requirements for a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
• Present a cumulative 2.50 (4.0 scale) grade point average or higher on all undergraduate and graduate coursework.
• Submit a passing score on the state-required Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment.
• Qualify for a Georgia Pre-Service certificate or Provisional certificate (see Certification section in the Graduate Catalog).
• Submit a letter of intent that identifies the applicant’s reasons for pursuing graduate study and describes their commitment to explore, acknowledge, and appreciate the home and community culture of their future students, and explains their desire to learn strategies that integrate cultural experiences, values, and understanding into the P-5 teaching and learning environment.
• One (1) Initial Disposition Assessment. Assessment to be completed by the applicant. The form can be located here.
• Acknowledge ”Disclosure and Affirmation” statements that address the Code of Ethics for Educators and the need for tort liability insurance.
• International applicants and U.S. citizens whose native language is not English must demonstrate competence in English. Applicants must take and pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and post a score of at least 80 (internet-based test, IBT), 213 (computer-based test) or 550 (paper-based test) on the TOEFL. The official TOEFL score may not be more than two years old. Those who do not meet the minimum proficiency standard may be recommended for enrollment in University English courses or for English courses offered by the English Language Program (ELP) on campus prior to admission to the program.

*International transcripts must be evaluated by a NACES-accredited evaluation service and must be a course-by-course evaluation and include a GPA. www.naces.org

MyPSC Account Requirements: As part of program requirements, once admitted, all applicants must claim Georgia Southern University as their Educator Preparation Program Provider before starting classes. Guidance will be given on how to claim Georgia Southern after admission. To obtain a MyPSC account, please go to the GaPSC website to register: www.gapsc.com.

Georgia Pre-Service certificate: Prior to participating in a field experience in the MAT program (which occurs within the first semester), all candidates must have a Georgia Pre-Service Certificate or Provisional/Waiver Teaching Certificate in a field that matches the Program. After you receive your admission acceptance, if you are NOT employed as a teacher of record in a matching content area classroom in Georgia, you will receive an email from the College of Education with the documents required to receive the Pre-Service certificate from the GaPSC. Once you provide the information requested in the documents, it will be sent to the GaPSC by the College of Education Officer.

The Georgia Southern University MAT Elementary Education Program is designed to focus on cultures and communities. Each course has social justice content and supports candidates toward instruction that is inclusive and culturally responsive. This focus is the subject for the letter of intent you will submit with your application. Please make note of the prompt in the admissions requirements.

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation