North Carolina A&T State University

The Master of Arts in Teaching degree is designed for individuals who possess a baccalaureate degree from a four-year institution of higher education and who desire to attain an initial teaching license in a specific content area. The College of Education at North Carolina A&T State University offers the MAT degree in 12 discipline areas (i.e., Biology, Business, Chemistry, Child Development, Elementary Education, engilish Education, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health and Physical, History, Mathematics, Special Education and Technology Education). Please visit our website at https://www.ncat.edu/ced/graduate-certificate-programs/mat-programs.html to view each respective program of study.

The College of Education will recommend individuals who complete the degree program and licensure requirements successfully to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for a teaching certification. Some candidates enrolled in the MAT degree program may qualify for the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant, which is funded by the United States Department of Education. The TEACH grant program was effective as of July 1, 2008 and was established benefit eligible North Carolina A & T State University students who have the desire to serve as teachers. Recipients of the TEACH Grant must agree to serve as a highly-qualified full-time teacher in a high-need field in a low-income school for a minimum of four years. The Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program in Reading Education (K‐12) at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University prepares current “A” licensed classroom teachers (grades K‐12) to improve the literacy skills of their students. The MAED Reading program is based upon standards set forth by the International Literacy Association and North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Also, the program prepares candidates to attain a Reading Specialist certification (K‐12) in North Carolina.  The MAED Reading program is 30 credit hours, and it is ideal for any K‐12 teacher as candidates can continue to teach while enrolled in the program. Please visit our website at https://www.ncat.edu/ced/departments/ais/reading/index.html to view the MAED Reading program curriculum.

The Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program in Elementary Education (K‐6) at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University prepares current “A” licensed classroom teachers (grades K‐6) to synthesize and use research‐verified pedagogical practice in their classrooms to impact student learning. The MAED program in Elementary Education is based upon standards set forth by North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, National Board Professional Teaching Standards, and InTASC Common Core. The MAED Elementary Education program is 39 credit hours and is ideal for any K‐6 teacher. The program may be completed in two years if continuously enrolled. Please visit our website at https://www.ncat.edu/tgc/programs/education/elementary-education to view the program curriculum.

Our graduate teacher education candidates learn and implement high-leverage practices throughout their education courses and clinical experiences to improve their content knowledge and pedagogical skills, and to enhance their cultural competency. Graduate candidates also participate in an immersion model with a partner school where they are coached by mentor teachers. Within the immersion component of this model, graduate teacher candidates are provided with a robust and sequentially aligned clinical field experience.

At N.C. A&T College of Education, we believe, support and are committed to fairness, support and opportunity for everyone. We assist graduate candidates with deepening their content knowledge and enhancing their pedagogy through focused coherent professional development via the Performance-Based Teaching Education Professional Development Model (PBTE). The model also guides candidates on how to create fair learning experiences for students from different backgrounds and income levels, helping to build a supportive learning community. Our candidates are also engaged in curriculum and professional development grounded in inquiry-based learning and culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy.

A central component of the PBTE Professional Development Model is the integration of mentoring and coaching during the candidate’s program matriculation. During this time, we provide opportunities for them to develop, practice and demonstrate competencies, including content and pedagogical knowledge and skills that promote learning for all students, through robust and sequentially aligned clinical field experiences. These experiences include clinical coaching, modeling, and reflecting that progresses through the cycle of inquiry. We also provide authentic and engaging learning opportunities for the candidates. Our mentoring and coaching components include creating professional development seminars relating to professional disposition, content knowledge, K-12 curricula and cultural competency sustainability.

We believe that the establishment of mutually beneficial partnerships with our K-12 partners is critically important to meet program goals. NC A&T's partnership with the districts focuses on early field experiences and clinical practices. We systematically measure the fidelity of program integration and implementation and assess whether key program features correlate to desired outcomes. This is done by analyzing state data, assessing feedback surveys, gathering data from focus groups and evaluating program efficacy based on teacher candidate performance data. We use this data to inform instruction and program improvement.