The Master of Arts in Teaching is the degree that can get you to an advanced teaching position in an academic specialization of your choosing faster than any other graduate program.  If your undergraduate degree aligns sufficiently with your selected teaching specialty you can be teaching the topic of your choice in a high school within a year – on a provisional teaching credential.  It takes a few years of experience to obtain your professional teaching license but in those fields where there is an acute shortage of teachers, which is true of all the sciences, a student teaching placement may well lead to an entry level teaching position.

MAT programs differ in their approach to assembling the curriculum for teaching specializations.  In those areas where teaching graduate students involves a high level of academic accomplishment; the MAT program may be a joint effort involving two departments.  Our review of the top programs for an MAT in History & Social Sciences will illustrate that fact, and review briefly how the structure alters the student experience.  Here are ten of the finest Master of Arts in Teaching for Social Studies/History programs in the country.

1. Johns Hopkins University requires thirty six undergraduate credits as a prerequisite for a MAT teaching specialty.  In a science such as chemistry all of those credits would be in chemistry or a related field such as math.  For the MAT in Social Studies, undergraduate credits in history, geography, economics and political science are acceptable.
2. Brown University offers the MAT for secondary education in Social Studies to students who have majored in history or any social science field except psychology.  Those fields would include sociology, political science, anthropology and several others.  Graduates from the American Studies program are encouraged to pursue MAT options in either Social Studies or English.
3. University of Pittsburgh allows all of the social science majors including psychology as acceptable undergraduate studies, provided you have thirty credits in your major and 24 additional credits distributed across the remaining six social science areas. Six credits in history coursework and six credits in cross-cultural or international studies are also required.
4. Bard College takes a more relaxed approach to the MAT in History/Social Studies, not requiring a major in history but insisting on upper division coursework in the field that involved substantial scholarship, research and writing.  They also encourage upper division courses in the social sciences, but also without a minimum number of credits.  Applicants are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
5. SUNY Stony Brook offers the MAT in History to students with an undergraduate degree in history or in one of the social sciences, excluding criminal justice, psychology, linguistics and communications.  For students with the social sciences degree, there is also a requirement for an 18 credit minor in history.  However the MAT program provides substantial opportunity to make up some of these course requirements during the graduate program.
6. Boston University accepts students to the MAT in Social Studies from a broad range of liberal art undergraduate majors, although most have majored in history or political science.  The program is actually a joint degree offered through the collaborative efforts of the Department of Education and the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
7. University of North Carolina has a MAT in Social Studies/History open to undergraduates with a major in history and one of these social science disciplines: political science, economy, geography, sociology and anthropology.  Students who do not have majors in these areas but have substantial undergraduate credits may make up some of the prerequisites prior to enrolling or during the MAT program.
8. American University offers the MAT in Social Studies to any student who has thirty three undergraduate credits in a related major.  Those areas would include history, geography, sociology, anthropology, or political science.  Applicants must also pass the Praxis I, a standardized pre-professional skills assessment examination.
9. University of Southern Illinois makes the MAT in Social Studies available to students who have graduated in a range of liberal arts degrees.  The admissions committee focuses on academic performance in the upper division major courses.  Undergraduate deficiencies in the content area for the Social Studies/History specialization may be made up prior to entry or in some cases, during the program.
10. University of Georgia has an MAT in Social Studies program that is open to undergraduates with degrees in history, economics, political science, or geography.  Students without a major in one of those fields will be considered, but must have completed 24 semester hours in the content areas that are beyond the requirements in the MAT curriculum.

The Master of Arts in Teaching is an unusual graduate program in that it was developed to redirect working professionals from within and without the teaching profession.  There are MAT degrees for people who have never taught, and MAT programs for teachers that would like to make one of the many professional improvements that the MAT can offer.  We have listed a few of the most obvious reasons for a working teacher to consider an MAT below.  Perhaps the overriding purpose for any teacher considering additional education in teaching is to make a significant change in a career that they still enjoy.  Here are some of the things you can accomplish.

Leadership

Elementary school teachers who enjoy their niche but would like to improve their skills can find an MAT program that offers graduate-level study of teaching technique and much more.  A MAT degree in the field will allow a teacher with some initiative to get involved in curriculum planning, in instructional innovation and provide leadership among colleagues within the school itself.

Personal Interests

Teachers who are amateur artists and need to maintain their career at the same time can find a compromise with a MAT specializing in the teaching of art.  A general MAT in art is going to include a little of all of the studio arts, a fair amount of art history and a lot of teaching technique.  Focusing on your own studio specialty will be one of many educational components, but this career will certainly keep you in the field.

Money

A MAT will earn you more money than a Bachelor of Arts in Education will.  The difference between the two can be as little as $2,000 per year or may be as much as $7,000 per year.  Chicago Public Schools have an average differential of about $4,000 per year.  The variation also widens with seniority; teachers with additional credit hours beyond the MAT are paid more as well.  This reflects the additional schooling that may be required for a science or special education focus.

Teaching Career Steps

Teachers who want to move into teaching at the middle school or high school level are going to need a different credential that will have different academic requirements.  None of them may require a master’s degree, but obtaining that additional academic experience is going to mean returning to school.  The most efficient way to do that is through a Master of Arts in Teaching program.  If you want to specialize in a topic such as history you may need additional undergraduate courses as well as the master’s program.

Moving to Curriculum and Instruction

One of the ways to obtain professional credentials for working in a management role developing curriculum is to get a Master of Arts in Education (MAEd), also known as a Master of Education (M.Ed.).  Both degrees require a level of academic commitment well beyond that of a MAT.  There are MAT programs that make curriculum an important part of the course of study.  An MAT can be a ticket to an administrative role if it’s from the right program.

Teaching One Subject

Teachers are familiar with the vast difference between preparing lesson plans for five topics every week and preparing for one.  At the secondary school level teachers have an academic specialty that is their sole obligation, moving from class to class throughout the day.  Obtaining a teaching license for one of these specialties can be a challenge, particularly for those who graduated with a BA in education.  Specialization at the MAT level requires a lot of undergraduate class hours in the specialty field.

Part Time Route to a Better Career

If you’re a teacher enrolling in a MAT program you are seeking professional and financial improvement, not a new career.  The MAT program is designed to make you a better teacher, provide you with tools to help structure academic improvements in your environment, or to give you the opportunity to move into a more advanced teaching role.  In any of these cases you will improve your pay rate.  Most MAT programs allow part time students who are working teachers three to five years to finish the program.  It’s a significant step up your professional ladder that does not require a huge sacrifice of hours and disruption of your personal and professional life and that may be possible through a scholarship or loan forgiveness program.

A Master of Arts in Teaching is a lot of learning packed into a year of fifteen months for students who have had no previous learning experience in teaching.  There are a lot of undergraduates that move into the MAT program with a career track already planned, so they know what they would like to teach, at what level they would feel the most comfortable, and with a sense of the duties and responsibilities that each level of K-12 teaching requires.

For those coming from other careers, with bachelors’ degrees in fields other than education, the challenge is to firm up an interest in teaching by developing a focus on where you want to teach, what you want to teach and what will be required to obtain a state license in order for you to realize your goal.  Below is a list of many – but not all – of the areas of focus offered by MAT programs at various universities.  These are the most common choices for aspiring teachers, in some cases the most acutely needed teaching professionals and in some cases the most lucrative choices for a teaching career.

MAT in Art Education generally requires an undergraduate degree in art, art history, or a BFA in a studio art of some sort.  One of the courses focuses on spotting exceptional ability in children, an especially rewarding endeavor in the field of art.

MAT in Elementary Education, Multiple Subjects can be an entry option for students who majored in English, Mathematics, History, Political Science, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Physics, or one of the Social Sciences.

MAT in Middle Grades Education Science and Math requires substantial background in these fields although the bachelor’s degree is less important than the course work.  As an example this MAT program requires 15 credits of undergraduate work in math and 15 credits in one or more of the sciences.

MAT in Music Education can be a combination effort from the Department of Music and the Department of Education; offering music teaching methods from the former and all of the rest of the classroom skills from the latter.  Entrants will need a bachelor’s degree in music and possibly an interview with admissions personnel.

MAT in Physical Education is a great option for parents who love to coach and who are seeking a mid career change.  Most P.E. teachers double as some sort of team coach and in many cases, that additional role can mean additional revenue.  The undergraduate prerequisites can sometimes be part of the MAT program but may lengthen it for those with little academic background in the field.

MAT in Secondary English Education requires a bachelor’s degree in English.  Some programs that limit their MAT offerings may make this one available only to teachers who already have a certification in English at a lower level.  It’s not an easy subject to cover for four years of progressive teaching through high school.

MAT in Secondary Education/Interdisciplinary Sciences is another challenging option; students with non-teaching backgrounds need a bachelor’s in one of the sciences.  Some schools limit this degree option to teachers who are already have a science teaching credential for a lower level, because there is so much science to learn in so little time.  But it is arguably the highest paying teaching job available in the public schools.

MAT in Secondary Education/Mathematics is going to require a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, possibly in engineering or in physics.  Obviously the math orientation is intensive and learning to teach four years of high school math is going to take you well into calculus, especially if you are teaching AP classes.

MAT in Secondary Social Studies/History will require an undergraduate degree in history or one of the social sciences, usually excluding psychology and the more focused areas such as criminal justice or communication.

MAT in Special Education can be one of several degrees.  Some are built around teaching skills for the disabled and may apply for every grade level.  Others are MAT programs for teaching academic subjects to students who need special assistance or attention for emotional or intellectual reasons and may be for certain grade levels.  There are multiple certification choices for this area in most states.

The Master of Arts in Teaching is a one year program that provides a streamlined opportunity to earn a teaching credential.  It is designed for undergraduate students who are interested in achieving a master’s degree in one year (called the fifth-year option) and moving on to a teaching career.  The second group of potential teachers that take advantage of the MAT program are people who have completed an undergraduate degree in some field other than education and are interested in making a mid-career switch to teaching.

There are online MAT degree options for this degree, which can be completed on a part time basis – an attractive option for working professionals who cannot afford to spend a year away from work.  Students who are coming out of an undergraduate program have the option of completing their master’s in one year and with that degree, entering the teaching profession.

Student Teaching

Despite the quick pace for this master’s degree the traditional field work that any teaching student goes through is included in the curriculum.  Even online students are obligated to complete a certain number of hours working in the classroom on a supervised basis.  Usually this occurs in the second semester, so full time students may find themselves with MAT class obligations and a schedule that puts them in a middle or secondary school as student teacher as often as four days a week.  The price for taking the quickest available route to a teaching credential is a rigorous year of academic work; as much as sixty percent of the student’s time pay be spent in a student teaching position.

Teaching Credentials

Obtaining a teaching credential can be a convoluted process in many states.  It gets more complicated as the level of education and specialization options enter the picture.  The MAT program is designed in part to produce teachers for middle school and high school classes who have the skills to teach one of the sciences, math or technology.  Successful completion of a Master of Arts in Teaching requires a background that is compatible with whatever academic specialization the student has selected.

Obtaining a teaching credential for a particular academic area may require passing a state test that demonstrates competency in the subject area as well as an exam that proves basic skills required in the classroom.  It is the standard test that is important for obtaining a provisional or internship credential.  Learning and proving the ability to teach a specialization such as chemistry takes place in the classroom as well.

Many states offer a provisional credential to newly graduated MAT students.  The provisional teaching license allows the graduate to work for two or three years and upon demonstrating successful teaching skills over that period the state will issue a standard license.  Some states issue temporary or provisional credentials to teachers from another state that does not have a reciprocity agreement with the new location for the teacher.  There are also tests in every state that new teachers, transferring teachers and teachers from another nation may be required to take.

The MAT Fast Track

The key to using this one-year road to a teaching career is careful planning.  Thorough knowledge of the state testing and credentialing procedures is necessary, and consulting with the Department of Education staff at the university where you are applying is a good idea.  The basic proficiency test that states require for potential teachers may be something that an MAT student should take before enrolling because there won’t be time to study for it once the MAT program is underway.

The other important planning component is aligning your undergraduate work with the teaching specialization for which you wish to complete certification.  MAT programs have academic prerequisites for their various programs, some of which you may wish to complete as a separate effort prior to enrolling in the MAT.  Even if you are a mid-career professional entering this program, some retroactive undergraduate classes may serve an important purpose in streamlining your degree completion and teacher certification efforts.

The MAT Academic Prerequisites

There are six options for academic specialization in this MAT program.  Students can choose a curriculum for teaching classes K-8, for teaching social studies, for teaching mathematics in either grades 5-9 or grades 9-12, and for teaching science in grades 5-0 or grades 9-12.  The University makes it clear that there are varying requirements for undergraduate background for these specializations.  Prospective math teachers are probably going to need an undergraduate degree in math, statistics, engineering, or one of the sciences.   Those who want to teach a science will need substantial academic background or work experience in the field.  The academic requirements for teaching social studies include a degree in one of the social sciences.  For a general teaching degree covering grades K-8 a degree in one of the liberal arts is necessary.

The Curriculum and Format

All of these degrees have flexibility in terms of the course load students must carry.  That’s up to the student, within certain limits.  Each term is a full six months and students who are studying full time are expected to carry at least eight credits – although more are possible.  Standard time to completion is 2 – 2 ½ years.  Some part time students may stretch it to three years.  The purpose of the six month terms is to provide continuity to the MAT program.  At the end of each term students meet or speak with their academic counselor and plan enrollment commitments for the following term.  The University expects every student to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements, which includes a minimum number of credits completed and a B average.

Students may expect to spend about twenty hours a week on schoolwork.  The student teaching experience will take between twelve and twenty weeks, depending on the area of specialization, the state in which you are enrolled, and the amount of time spent in the classroom each week.  Student teaching can often be a forty hour per week commitment.  During the student teaching experience students participate in a weekly conference call with a facilitator and a cohort of fellow students who are going through the field work experience at about the same grade level.

In order to complete the program each student is required to prepare a professional portfolio that contains a Teacher Work Sample.  This document defines the experience of planning and teaching a multi-week, standards-based instructional unit consisting of seven components: (1) contextual factors, (2) learning goals, (3) assessment, (4) design for instruction, (5) instructional decision making, (6) analysis of student learning, and (7) self-evaluation and reflection.

Walden University is primarily an online institution, one that has gone to great lengths to achieve accreditation status for its degree programs.  The Master of Arts in Teaching is primarily designed for people who are interested in becoming teachers and who have no background in education.  Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree and must be prepared to meet teacher licensing requirements in their state of residence.  Walden is based in Minnesota and its MAT curriculum meets Minnesota academic requirements for teaching licensure.  It is up to students from other states to determine the licensing requirements within their own states for the teaching specializations that the Walden MAT offers.  The program takes twenty to twenty four months to complete.

MAT Specializations at Walden

The MAT at Walden offers three areas of specialization: Early Childhood Education (Birth – Third Grade); Special Education, Learning Disabilities (K-12); and Special Education, Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (K-12).  For each area of specialization the curriculum is based on state and national industry standards.  Each program also has a set of milestones that mark the student’s progress; the faculty and student will engage in an evaluation at each of these benchmarks along the way.  Assignments will include “virtual field experience” as well as actual classroom experience.  The Minnesota based students will have access to local schools; students in other states can work with Walden advisors to make classroom arrangements.

MAT in Early Childhood Education

This area of educational specialization begins with developing an in-depth understanding of cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development in young children in order to be able to build on each child’s strengths and individual abilities.  Coursework includes substantial study of the foundational theories of child development and early childhood education, which have changed radically over the years as progress has been made in understanding how learning is accomplished.  Early childhood education extends well beyond academic learning to overall development of gross motor skills, fine motor skills and cognitive skills.  This program will also take students into the study of managing a diverse classroom and relating to family members and parents from diverse cultures.  Parental contact is perhaps more important at this age than any other.

MAT in Special Education/Learning Disabilities

Special education for children with learning disabilities can vary substantially from age group to age group.  Working in the field requires an understanding of the theories behind this type of education in order to be adept at managing students at any grade level.  Course work in this curriculum includes Current Issues in Assessment & Intervention, Today’s Classroom & the Diverse Learner, Instructional Strategies for Students with Learning Disabilities, and Planning Positive Behavior Support Strategies.  All of these course titles speak to the character of today’s classrooms as populated with multiple cultural representation, and to the changing theories and practices that special education has gone through in recent times.

MAT in Special Education/Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

As with learning disabilities, this specialization begins with the basics, delving into typical characteristics of children with emotional /behavioral disorders to understand what this general category of disorders means.  From there students move on to developing individual strategies based on disorder assessment and the individual child’s strengths and weaknesses.  In addition there is focus on building collaborative relationships with parents and colleagues so that there is continuity to the child’s treatment by and relationships with adults.

Two MAT Options

At Grand Canyon there are two MAT programs, neither of which will provide the necessary academic background for state licensure.  They are designed solely for working teachers, providing the opportunity to move to advanced teacher status.  The online programs have flexible formats because they are meant for working professionals; teachers don’t have to give up their jobs in order to complete these degree programs.  In fact, students must have access to a K-12 classroom in order to complete assignments.

The MAT with Emphasis in Professional Learning Communities is a degree that focuses on the administrative and leadership roles needed in schools and school districts.  The coursework includes some classroom management courses and work on current educational theory.  But there are also extensive course offerings in such areas as Educational Action Research, Data-Informed Decision Making for School Improvement, and Collaborative Structures in a Professional Learning Community.  Learning to work with the public school database can lead to a number of administrative opportunities.

The other option at Grand Canyon is the MAT with Emphasis in Teacher Leadership.  As with the other MAT program, this curriculum has some focus on classroom technique including courses in Classroom Engagement & Management, and Current Classroom Methods & Strategies.  In the area of teacher leadership the curriculum has several management oriented classes that prepare the student for a leadership or administrative role.  Among them are classes in Legal Issues in Education, Instructional Leadership and Collegial Coaching.

Academic Format

Grand Canyon University’s online program operates on a cohort system, taking students through courses sequentially and as a group.  While the classroom forum may be a laptop computer, the communication between students is significant and the individuals proceeding through the curriculum together also work together on multiple assignments.  Communication with faculty members is readily available online, via email or an online discussion board.  Working with fellow students one class at a time allows for an in-depth academic experience that is shared among a group of professional teachers who get to know one another well before graduation.

The Iowa Teacher Certification Option

Kaplan University has campuses in many states but the school is based in Iowa.  Thus the University is able to offer an online Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) with an Iowa teacher certification option.  The geographic issue with an online teaching degree is the requirement for student teaching hours as a part of the curriculum.  A student will not qualify for a state teaching license without completing an internship, and that has to occur in a place where there can be some faculty supervision.

There are many MAT programs designed for working teachers who already have a license and who can make any classroom participation possible within their professional framework.  But the Kaplan MAT is a degree for beginners who hold a bachelor’s degree in some other field, have no teaching experience, and who wish to enter the profession.  The Iowa certification program is available for teachers enrolled in a MAT specialization for teaching in grades 5-12.  Students who live close enough to the state to go through an internship in an Iowa school are also eligible.

MAT Non-Certification Option

For students who live too far from Iowa to pursue teaching licensure through the state, the curriculum provides options in other areas.  This degree is also designed for teaching in grades 5-12, and though a student in the non-certification track may not be studying for an immediate application for a provisional teaching license, the academic preparation is there nonetheless.  Kaplan University staff counselors can help students enrolled in this MAT track work out a program for pursuing alternative licensing in the state of their residence.  Most states have alternative licensing options for career changers who have completed a MAT degree; it is up to the student to align the Kaplan curriculum choices with state academic requirements.

Teaching Curriculum Options

At the middle school and secondary school levels teachers generally focus on one academic subject.  The Kaplan MAT provides these options for degree specialization: Secondary English, Secondary Mathematics, Secondary Science, Secondary Social Studies, Foreign Language, and Visual & Performing Arts.  The reading class is also tied to the area of concentration.  The field work for classroom observation and for student teaching will be aligned with the student’s choice of academic specialization as well.

For all students the curriculum focuses on middle school and high school teaching.  The curriculum for both tracks includes courses in Educational Psychology, Secondary Classroom Management, Secondary Student Assessment, and Child & Adolescent Development.  There is also a course in teaching reading for the selected content area; remedial reading and writing have become essential teaching skills in districts where the schools have been overwhelmed with large classes and/or first generation children.

Ashford is a Clinton, Iowa based campus university that has gone into online education to an extensive degree.  Their MAT program is not designed to qualify students for teaching licensure in any state; anyone considering applying can check with their state department of education to determine whether the curriculum for this program meets licensing requirements in that jurisdiction. The orientation for this program is teaching with technology rather than the basics of teaching.

The Curriculum

The details of the program stress that it is an option for all sorts of educators, not just classroom teachers.  The course of study is designed to teach educational practitioners to incorporate technology, tools, and instructional systems in a variety of learning environments including online learning.  If you are interested in becoming an online instructor and vacating your classroom, this degree would be a good beginning.  The opening classes for the program delve into instructional design, influence of learning theory on technology application as well as the various technologies available and their application to learning.  As with every other form of digital communication, the state of the art becomes obsolete within a matter of months so learning to keep up with the changes that come on line is a skill in itself.

Courses in Instructional Design & Delivery and in Research Design & Methodology prepare the student for working in curriculum and instruction environments in the public school system.  The marriage of presentation technology with research functions has overtaken the use of data systems in the classroom and the two fields will continue to mesh in the future.  The course in Trends & Issues in Instructional Design & Technology for Online Learning provides the training for aspiring online instructors, an area that virtually every traditional university in the nation is struggling with currently.  Colleges aren’t about to hire public school teachers as professors, but they may well need to build a staff that understands instruction as well as the delivery methods used to distribute distance learning.

Classes are delivered in modular format, one at a time.  Each class takes six weeks to complete.  Students can essentially see or hear the lecture and complete class assignments whenever it is convenient because of the asynchronous design.  The degree can be completed in two to three semesters.  There is a capstone project required to complete the program, in which students apply a research topic related to an educational need, setting, or interest.  The final project should demonstrate the student’s grasp of educational technology and an ability to be creative with it.

In 2008 the University of Southern California – Teaching made a couple of changes within its Rossier School of Education.  They eliminated the undergraduate program, which was attracting less than 100 students a year, and launched the more popular Master of Arts in Teaching program as an online option.  Students could complete a bachelor’s degree and earn a master’s in teaching in thirteen months.  Working teaches could enroll in an online program that didn’t require presence on campus, in a city known for its interminable traffic jams.  But the genesis of the MAT at USC was a joint effort between the school and an entrepreneurial enterprise called 2tor, a successful effort that has created unique software for a new level of interactive education being provided in distance learning format.

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Online, On Camera Classes

Some of the courses utilize a format that includes video participation of all students plus the professor.  The screen looks like a checkerboard with a face in each square and the interactive day in class can include exchanges between students, between student and instructor, and a discussion format that is supported by real time webcam technology.  Professors can divide a class of twenty or twenty five into three groups, listen in on all three discussions and call the class back together afterwards.

Other classes are presented as PowerPoint presentations, as videocasts of a lecture, or even employment of animation.  Professors can write notes on a virtual white board or call up a word document or slide as a discussion point.   Course materials are available on a twenty four hour basis and communication with professors is constant.  The classes are small enough that students get to know their colleagues and their instructors.  Students can attend “office hours” via the webcam for one-on-one discussions with a professor.  The university and 2Tor also provide 24/7 technical support for students, that goes beyond software glitches to computer problems at home.

Enrolled Students from 46 States

The online MAT at USC has doubled in size since its inception in 2008 and shows the signs of a successful venture.  Students have the option of enrolling in virtually any semester; four hundred students were enrolled in the Spring 2010.  Because USC has put so much effort into marketing this program and its unusually high academic quality the response has been nationwide.  And the faculty has bought into the online effort which has given it the credibility that Rossier has long achieved in its traditional graduate programs.  The school can be somewhat selective in the students it enrolls, but those that are accepted fined an exhilarating online experience awaits them.

Students who complete the MAT at USC are eligible for licensure as teachers in California.  For students who live outside the state the school has created an extensive database on teaching license requirements on a state by state basis.  The Certification Map has become a valuable asset for online MAT students at USC who want to teach in their home states.

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Meeting the Student Teacher Requirement

There are several terms today for what was once called student teaching, but it remains an important part of teacher education.  USC puts the time and resources into ensuring that every MAT student can find the proper opportunity for classroom participation under the guidance of an experienced teacher and with the oversight of a Rossier professor or administrative staffer.  The internship challenge for online programs has been successfully met through the energetic, proactive approach of the USC faculty and staff.

There is also a widespread reciprocity program among states that allows for transfer of a teaching license from one state to another without penalty or additional academic work. A USC Master of Arts in Teaching graduate can seek a teaching job in their home states if they pay attention to the licensure requirements in that state and the terms of reciprocity, which differ from state to state.  This MAT program comes closer than any other online master’s in teaching option available to duplicating the on campus experience in every dimension and to providing the support that allows its graduates to go out and teach.

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