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M.A.T. in Middle Grades Admission Requirements

The program monitors and develops candidates’ content knowledge from program admission to program exit.

Admission Requirements
To ensure that prospective teachers applying to the M.A.T program offered by the Watson School of Education know the content they will be teaching, applicants seeking admission to the M.A.T program in middle grades education are required to submit the following to the Graduate School:

• An application for graduate admission;
• Official copies of transcripts of college work (graduate and undergraduate);
• Official scores on Miller Analogies Test or Graduate Record Exam;
• Three recommendations by individuals in relevant professional fields; and
• In addition to materials required as part of the Graduate School application process, a letter of interest describing commitment to the teaching profession, prior experiences working with young adolescents, prior experiences in middle level schools, and philosophy of teaching and learning.

Candidates for the M.A.T program are strongly urged to have teaching experience documented before they apply in order to be knowledgeable about education in middle level schools and working with young adolescents. Such experience may include substitute teaching, part-time teaching, volunteer work, and so forth. A score of 400 on the Miller Analogies Test (or a 1000 combined score on the GRE Verbal and Quantitative sections) and an undergraduate grade average of “B” (GPA = 3.0) are minimum requirements for graduate admission.  However, admissions decisions are based upon several factors, and where other indicators of success warrant, individuals who fall below the established criterion in one of the areas may be considered for admission.

A Bachelor’s degree must be completed before graduate study begins. After a review of an applicant’s undergraduate transcript, the applicant may be required to complete additional courses for a certifiable content field (minimum of 24 hours of approved coursework). If an applicant requires more than 9 hours to acquire a certifiable content field, the program recommends completing the required courses as a special undergraduate prior to applying for the M.A.T. program. The required 24 hours in a certifiable content area (mathematics, science, social studies, language arts) are aligned to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study to assure adequate content knowledge to teach the middle level curriculum.

The admissions process for this program may require an interview. Final selection will be based upon consideration of academic record, test scores, writing samples, recommendations, and possible interview performance.