Master of Arts in Teaching
The Master of Arts in Teaching degree (MAT) is designed for students who hold a Bachelors degree in music, but who are not licensed to teach in the public school system. The program leading to the MAT degree in comprehensive education requires a minimum of 36-42 semester hours of graduate study. The difference in semester hours is a function of the teaching experience that the candidate brings to the program. A full-time, semester-long internship or the equivalent is required. The MAT consists of a professional core of 15 semester hours, 12-18 hours of teaching methods and clinical experiences, and 9 semester hours in the concentration. Pending satisfactory completion of state-required licensure examinations, the program leads to a recommendation for an advanced license from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Completion of degree requirements includes satisfactory completion of Praxis II tests, the Teacher Work Sample Portfolio and the Comprehensive Portfolio.
Pre requisites Completion of the MAT degree leads to teaching licensure in the state of North Carolina . Since most candidates for the MAT degree will not have taken many essential music education courses, it will be necessary to complete these classes before concluding the MAT degree. Prerequisite requirements will vary by department and depend on the credentials presented by the candidate. Candidates may satisfy the prerequisite requirements by attending the classes during regular meeting times, or by demonstrating competency in the given areas. Pre-requisite check sheet is included in the appendix.
Core Curriculum (9) MAT students are required to take MUS 601: Writing about Music and MUS 528 or MUS 529 Conducting. In addition, students are required to choose two courses from MUS 520: Studies in Music Literature, MUS 525: Twentieth Century Music, MUS 621: History of Music Theory, or MUS 611: Influences of Folk Traditions. These four courses are offered on a two year rotation. One course will be offered each regular semester. MUS 601 Writing about Music is offered every fall semester. At this point, there are no music core courses offered in the summer.
Professional Core (15) Nine credits are required (EDCI 602: Methods of Research; SPED 620 Today's Students; and PSY 621: Advanced Educational Psychology). Six credits are chosen from: EDCI 613: The Teacher Leader; EDCI 604 Curriculum Development; or EDCI 605 Foundations of Modern Education.
Teaching Methods and Clinical Experiences (12-18) A Minimum of 12 credits are required including: MUS 640: Seminar in Music Pedagogy; MUS 695: Music Education Seminar; EDCI 617: Teaching and Learning in Schools. In addition, students are required to have EDCI 689: Internship where they will be placed in a public school for hands-on teaching.
Teacher Work Sample Unit The Teacher Work Sample Portfolio is documentation of teaching a unit to a group of students, loosely based on the Teacher Work Sample Methodology from Western Oregon University . The TWS Portfolio is intended to show the impact of the university student (teacher candidate)on the learning of students taught by indicating the level of knowledge or skills the students possess before the unit and the level of knowledge or skills after the unit has been taught. The unit must be sequenced set of at least five (5) daily lessons addressing one or more goals from the North Carolina Standard Course of Study appropriate for the grade level and subject where the teacher candidate is assigned. The teacher candidate should prepare a unit of learning, teach the unit including pre- and post testing students, and reflect on the unit. The TWS Portfolio should be completed during the student teaching semester (or the second semester of the internship). The complete portfolio must be submitted to the university supervisor no late than four weeks before the last exam day of the semester. The university supervisor will share an evaluation of the portfolio and provide a written copy of the evaluation to the teacher candidate.
Portfolio The Master's Comprehensive Portfolio is a formal, organized set of documents and artifacts demonstrating the teacher's growth, as a self-directed, reflective practitioner. The Master's Comprehensive Portfolio is intended to provide tangible evidence that the candidate has met each of the advanced competencies required for the degree. The portfolio is not a collection of everything the candidate has done in the master's program; it is a carefully selected, organized set of entries demonstrating achievement of each of the standards.