About

Do you want to teach in the state of North Carolina? Do you want to earn an advanced degree to enhance your career?

The master of arts in teaching (MAT) is designed to facilitate the earning of an advanced degree while also completing requirements for a North Carolina license to teach. The MAT is offered in elementary education, English education, family and consumer science, health education, history education, middle grades education, music education, science education, special education (general curriculum, MAT Course Sequence III), and vocational education (business education and marketing education).

Some of the programs are offered part-time for lateral entry teachers. Most part-time candidates begin in the NC Teach alternative licensure program.

ECU Advantage

ECU graduates are highly sought after and can be found working throughout the region and around the United States. Many graduates become Nationally Board Certified and go on to earn doctorate degrees in their area of expertise.

What You Will Study

Program Coordinator: Jennifer Gallagher (310 Speight Building; 252-328-5117; gallagherj17@ecu.edu)

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program offers students coursework in rural education elementary education or rural education middle grades education through the edPirate cohort. Applications for the program are currently paused.  

The full-time program is designed to be completed in twelve months, beginning in the summer and finishing the following summer. Successful completion of the MAT leads to a graduate degree and initial (A) teaching licensure.

For information about the edPirate cohort, please contact Jennifer Gallagher (310 Speight Building; 252-328-5117; gallagherj17@ecu.edu).

Upon acceptance into a teaching area, the MAT Program Coordinator serves as the student's advisor.

The Master of Arts in Teaching, MAT requires 30 s.h. of credit as follows:

Required core courses - 9 s.h.
  • EDUC 6300 - Democratic Education in the Rural South (K-12)
  • EDUC 6310 - Responsive Community-Based Rural Classrooms (K-12)
  • SPED 6250 - Universal Design for Learning to Support Inclusive Rural Classrooms (K-12)
Teaching area specific courses - 21 s.h.

Choose one teaching area from the following:

    Rural education elementary education
    • HIED 6109 - K-6 Social Studies and Literacy Integration for Rural Education
    • MATE 6109 - K-6 Mathematics Instruction for Rural Education
    • READ 6109 - Introduction to K-6 Literacy Instruction
    • SCIE 6109 - K-6 Science Instruction for Rural Education
    • TCHR 6995 - Rural Education Internship I
    • TCHR 6996 - Rural Education Internship II
    • TCHR 6999 - Community-Based Practicum
    Rural education middle grades education:
    • READ 5317 - Adolescent Literacy in the Content Areas
    • TCHR 6010 - Responsive Teaching and Student-Centered Assessment
    • TCHR 6995 - Rural Education Internship I
    • TCHR 6996 - Rural Education Internship II
    • TCHR 6999 - Community-Based Practicum

    • Select 6 s.h.in a specialty area from the following:
    • ENED 6222 - Advanced Inquiry Theory and Curriculum in the English Language Arts Grades 6-12 Classroom
    • HIED 6222 - Advanced Inquiry, Learning Theory, Curriculum and Assessment in 6-12th Grade Social Studies Classroom
    • HIED 6333 - Advanced Social Studies Disciplinary Literacies and Discourses in Grades 6-12
    • MATE 6002 - Advanced Mathematics Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment in Grades 6-12
    • MATE 6331 - Reasoning with Number and Algebra
    • MATE 6341 - Teaching and Learning of Geometry
    • MATE 6351 - Data Analysis and Probability in the Middle Grades
    • READ 6105 - Fostering Connection, Belonging and Engagement in Literacy Instruction
Admission to Candidacy

Admission to candidacy for the MAT will be met when the following have been completed.

    Transfer Credit

    Transfer of credit regulations which have been established by the Graduate School apply to this degree program. Transfer of credit is only accepted when it is fulfilling a deficiency or content area of knowledge.

      Residence Requirements

      The residence requirement for a nondoctoral degree program is met when a student has earned at least one-half of the graduate degree credit for his or her program while in residence, which is defined as taking courses on the campus of East Carolina University, at designated off-campus residence centers. If the program is 100% DE, the residence requirement is met when a student has proven North Carolina residency.

        Other Requirements for the MAT

        General requirements for the completion of the master's degree are as follows:

          For more information about this degree visit the university's academic catalogs.
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