Special Programs for Graduate Students

Most graduate students seeking licensure at Vanderbilt enter one of the Master of Education programs designed "traditionally" with course work and practica in the first semesters, ending with fifteen weeks of full-time student teaching. However, another master's level program is available:

The Master of Arts in Teaching Program

The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree is offered through the Graduate School and is available for secondary licensure endorsements only. The Graduate School requires a minimum of 36 semester hours (18 hours in the major subject, and at least 9 hours in education) for the degree. The 36-hour minimum requirement meets degree requirements, but does not provide for enough hours to complete teacher licensure requirements. If you are working on the M.A.T. degree and teacher licensure, you will take at least 18 hours in the subject area of your M.A.T. major and planned endorsement for teaching grades 7-12, and at least 27 hours of education course work and student teaching. Consult the department in which you major for degree requirements.

Upon admission to an M.A.T. program through the Graduate School, and after having decided to pursue a teaching license as part of the program, students should request a copy of the admissions file from the Graduate School Registrar's Office be sent to the Director of Graduate Studies in the Peabody Department of Teaching and Learning. Because admission to a graduate-level teacher education program includes a screening process for teacher licensure, the file must be reviewed in the Department of Teaching and Learning with a decision to admit to teacher education in order for the M.A.T. student to pursue the licensure component of the program. This review should be done prior to beginning course work so that the audit process can identify any deficiencies to be cleared during the program.

Some M.A.T. students do not plan to obtain teacher licensure because they are working toward a doctorate and will not teach until they achieve the doctorate to teach at the university level. However, it is recommended that these students strongly reconsider acquiring a teaching license so that the option of teaching in grades 7-12 is open for them throughout their continuing education and career.

The undergraduate liberal arts background and the subject area background of M.A.T. students seeking teacher licensure must be evaluated in the same manner as M.Ed. students. Therefore, M.A.T. students should pursue the audit process with audit forms A, B, and C as described for M.Ed. students.

Endorsement areas available with the M.A.T.
In general, an undergraduate major (or its equivalent) is held in the endorsement area. Additional course work may be necessary to meet all standards required for teaching the subject. An audit form C for each subject (endorsement). Official colored forms are available at the Department of Teaching and Learning and in the Office of Teacher Licensure.