Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
Special Education General Curriculum Elementary Education (P-5)
Program Highlights & Benefits
Synchronous online format for flexibility and convenience
16 month completion time, including breaks
Become professionally certified in your district while earning a Master's degree
Any MAT student admitted provisionally must register for EDU 600 during the 1st 8-week semester. This course is only offered on Tuesday evenings from 5:45 pm - 8:45 pm. All other MAT courses in the students' program will be taken on Saturday’s.
For
- paraprofessionals who have a bachelor’s degree
- career-changing professionals with a bachelor’s degree
- teachers who hold a Provisional certificate and want to earn an Induction certificate at the master’s degree level.
What You Learn
The curriculum provides both knowledge of the content and instructional strategies required of P-5 educators. Instead of completing a traditional undergraduate teaching preparation program, the MAT in Special Education General Curriculum Elementary Education allows a person to obtain certification in grades P-5 while completing an advanced degree. The program prepares teachers to provide instruction or instructional support to all students in grades P-5, including those with disabilities whose individual education plan indicates instruction using the general statewide assessments. Graduates of this program will enter the profession at the master’s degree level (T5) and garner a higher compensation than those who enter at the bachelor’s degree level.
How You Learn
Students coming to this program may be working full-time in schools or another career, so we understand that our program must be both high-quality as well as flexible. Because highly experienced faculty deliver courses in the MAT in Special Education General Curriculum Elementary Education (P-5) synchronously and asynchronously online, students will be a part of an educational program tailored to meet their personal and professional needs. We employ a cohort model with Spring and Fall semester courses meeting for 16 weeks every other week on Saturdays, with independent online coursework in the off weeks. In the Summer semester, courses will meet each Saturday for 8 weeks. Field experiences will be offered in localities where students live. The MAT in Special Education General Curriculum Elementary Education (P-5) requires 57 credit hours.
*MAT Special Education General Curriculum – Elementary Education students may exempt EDU 660, 670, and/or 680 if they pass the corresponding GACE exam PRIOR to admission (or have a verified passing score by the first day of class for the semester the applicant is accepted into the program). If a student does not have a passing score at the time of admission, they must take these courses as part of their program of study.
Students must report a minimum GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants with a GPA lower than 2.75 or an identified writing deficiency 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 coursework, 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.
Career Outcomes
Upon completion of this program, students will have earned a master’s degree in Special Education General Curriculum Elementary Education (grades P-5).
*If you are a school employee assigned in a self-contained Special Education classroom, this setting does not meet the certification criteria for our program and applicants will not be accepted.
Degree Requirements
COURSE HOURS
| Course # | Title | Hours |
| EDU 600 | Introduction to Graduate Programs | 3 |
| EDU 605 | Foundations of Instruction | 3 |
| EDU 606 | Clinical Practice I | 3 |
| EDU 607 | Culturally Relevant Pedagogical Content Knowledge | 3 |
| EDU 608 | Clinical Practice II | 3 |
| EDU 609 | Leadership, Collaboration, and Advocacy in Education | 3 |
| EDU 639 | Instructional Assessment and Data-Informed Teaching | 3 |
| EDU 640 | Education of Exceptional Students | 3 |
| EDU 626 | Early Childhood Curriculum and Instruction | 3 |
| EDU 641 | Special Education Ethics, Policies, Procedures | 3 |
| EDU 642 | Curriculum Design and Adaptation in Sp Ed | 3 |
| EDU 660 | Social Studies Curriculum Development and Methods | 3 |
| EDU 670 | Mathematics Curriculum Development and Methods | 3 |
| EDU 680 | Science Curriculum Development and Methods | 3 |
| RDE 653 | Comprehension, Curricular, and Programmatic Strategies for Improving Literacy Across the Content Areas | 3 |
| RDE 659 | Comprehensive Literacy Methods | 3 |
| EDU 599 | GACE Exam | 0 |
| Total Hours: | 48 |
Please Note:
This course outline is tentative and is subject to change. Courses may be offered in a different order than outlined above.
Admissions Requirements
- Be admitted to Thomas University.
- Hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or University.
- 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.
- 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.
- Provide proof professional liability insurance.
- 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).
- Passing scores GAPSC Educator Ethics Assessment.
- Not have previously been denied admission to, had an unsatisfactory performance rating, or been removed from student teaching at another institution.
- 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.
- 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.
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