Master of Arts in Teaching with PK-4 Certification
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Program Spotlights
Do you have a Bachelors degree? Do you love working with children? Marywood University's M.A.T./Pk-4 Certification Program is right for you.
The M.A.T./Pk-4 program is designed for the teaching professional whose goals include initial certification in Early Childhood Education and an M.A.T. degree. This program consists of a minimum of 49 hours of graduate work. Students with no education courses may need to take up to 60 semester hours. The courses are divided into four categories:
- Twenty-one semester hours in professional education courses which are intended to give the student an understanding of foundations of education, special needs youngsters, human growth and development, and the psychology of the teaching/learning process.
- Twenty-five hours in specialty area courses which provide an understanding of the curriculum taught at the elementary school level.
- Eight hours in practicum and student teaching, and
- Six hours in core Master's courses, providing the student the opportunity to integrate theory and practice in both research and learning theory.
These courses are certification requirements for those students seeking both the degree and Pennsylvania Instructional I certification. Eligibility for certification is determined by fulfillment of state requirements.
Prior to admission to the M.A.T./Pk-4 certification program, all applicants must meet with the Chair of the Education Department or designated department faculty member and the Director of Professional Field Experience. The Pre-Service Academic Performance Assessment Basic skills tests (PAPA) – Reading, Writing, Mathematics – must be taken and passed within the first 9 credits of the course work.
I. PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AND CORE COURSES
| EDUC 000 | Field Experience (minimum of 190 clock hours of observation and participation) | 0 |
| EDUC 500 | First Semester Certification Seminar (required for students seeking an Instructional I Certificate) | 0 |
| EDUC 501 | Research Theory | 3 |
| EDUC 502 | Multidisciplinary Foundations of Education | 3 |
| EDUC 554 | Learning Theories | 3 |
| EDUC 510* | Emergent Literacy: An Interdisciplinary Approach | 3 |
| EDUC 561 | Methods, Materials and Assessment ESL | 3 |
| PSY 513 | Child Development | 3 |
| S ED 507 | Characteristics of Mildly Impaired | 3 |
| S ED 539 | Behavior Management Approaches |
3 |
| EDUC 005A/005B |
Practicum I and Practicum II |
1,1 |
| S ED 511 |
Curriculum for Special Needs Learners (taken with Student Teaching) | 6 |
| EDUC 591 | Student Teaching |
3.3 |
II. CONCENTRATION
| R ED 524 | Creative Teaching of Language Arts | 4 |
| R ED 526 | Teaching Content Area Reading | 3 |
| S ED 523 | Programming for At-Risk Infant/Preschool | 3 |
| EDUC 506 | Problems and Issues | 3 |
| EDUC 470F | Mathematics | 3 |
| EDUC 470G | Science | 3 |
| EDUC 470H | Social Studies | 3 |
| EDUC 508* | Integrated Curriculum | 3 |
| Other courses may be selected with approval of the chairperson | ||
*Not required if dual certification
The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires that certain criteria be met prior to acceptance into certification or degree programs. Program requirements discussed in this section are subject to change based on guidelines established by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.