Master of Arts in Teaching Program Summary

 Master of Arts in Teaching
(MAT) 

Non-Traditional Licensure Program

Program Summary

To help alleviate the teacher shortage in Arkansas, Henderson State University, through combined efforts of the Teachers College and participating school districts, has designed the Master of Arts in Teaching Degree. This degree focuses on candidates with no teaching credentials but who hold a baccalaureate degree in arts or sciences in an academic discipline, and who have the desire to enter into the teaching profession as expeditiously as possible. The MAT Degree Program is based on the premise that the candidates have, as a result of their baccalaureate degree, the knowledge of content necessary to become an effective teacher in a 4-8 or 7-12 classroom.

The MAT Program, through its course structure and sequence, addresses the critical knowledge and skills for the methodology or techniques of teaching as well as focuses on the art of teaching. The program is designed to allow for constant guidance and feedback on the day-to-day activities and investigate effective strategies for change or resolution.  By being employed while involved in the program, the participants have the unique opportunity for on-the-job training, strong support from a mentor teacher, plus concurrent formalized instruction in the art and science of teaching (also includes observation throughout the program by teachers and Henderson personnel.)

Program Goal

The goal of the program is for individuals to, at the end of a two-year program, achieve both their initial teacher licensure and a MAT Degree. To meet this goal, the MAT Program is field based and focuses on the competencies exhibited in the four domains and the nineteen criteria found in the Pathwise training program. The MAT Program consists of accelerated professional development courses coupled with knowledge and experience gained from a teaching position in the public schools.