MAT in Pedagogy

1. Be admitted to Thomas University.
2. Hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or University.
3. Report a minimum GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale from their bachelor’s degree and relevant graduate coursework or conferred master’s degree. Applicants with a GPA lower than 2.75 may be considered for admission by the prospective graduate program. The GPA is considered in context of the cumulative GPA for that bachelor’s degree, work experience, relevant credentials, and other undergraduate and graduate course work, the strength of the student’s personal and professional goal statements, reference letters, and academic history. Any candidate admitted with a GPA lower than 2.75 may be required to take a 3-credit hour writing course and/or additional requirements as deemed appropriate by the graduate program.
4. Submit three recommendation forms from professional or academic references (2 colleagues and 1 administrator/supervisor). A personal statement of career and educational objectives, including the rationale for pursuing a graduate degree (maximum two pages). Applicants with a GPA lower than 2.75 and/or an ethics reprimand on their certificate must explain the circumstances which adversely impacted their previous academic performance and/or the reason for the reprimand.
5. Provide proof professional liability insurance.
6. PK-12 School Employees must submit a Professional School Experience form. P-12 school employee candidates applying for admission to the Thomas University Division of Education must discuss their professional plans with their principals and obtain their support for working with the candidates throughout the program to assist them in completing the required field based learning experiences (multiple grade bands, diverse ethnic groups, and linguistic groups).
7. Passing scores GAPSC Educator Ethics Assessment.
8. Not have previously been denied admission to, had an unsatisfactory performance rating, or been removed from student teaching at another institution.
9. Upon admission, there are additional tasks for teacher candidates to complete in their MyPSC account before they will be eligible to register for classes. They are: 1) claiming program enrollment, 2) answering Personal Affirmation Questions (PAQs), 3) submitting the Pre-Service Application, including the Verification of Lawful Presence form and picture ID (if applicable), and 4) having official transcripts from ALL colleges/universities previously attended submitted to the GaPSC.
10. Required program of study courses submitted for transfer credit older than 5 years will be reviewed by the Program Director or Division Chair for acceptance of transfer credit.

Additional Admissions Requirements for MAT – Pedagogy

Provide evidence of expertise in the content of the field of certification sought. This can be accomplished through one of three ways:

• A major in the field of certification earned in conjunction with a bachelor’s or higher degree from a GaPSC-accepted, accredited institution of higher education
• A passing score on the Georgia state-approved content assessment in the field of certification sought
• Evidence of successful completion of a specified number of semester hours of content area coursework earned from a GaPSC-accepted, accredited institution of higher education. The number of semester hours of content area coursework required is:
  • Secondary (6-12) and P-12 fields – 21 semester hours
  • Middle Grades (4-8) fields – 15 semester hours in one the content areas of Language Arts, Math, Reading, Science, or Social Studies.