Meredith College will launch a new Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree program in the Fall 2008 semester. The program includes a concentration in elementary education. The College’s first class of MAT students will begin classes in August. The new program is open to men and women who have earned bachelor’s degrees but do not hold a teaching license. Students can choose the full-time track, through which the program is completed in 15 months, or a part-time track that requires one additional year. All students begin the program of study in the fall. For someone who has never taught, the MAT offers the opportunity both to study at the graduate level and to earn a beginning teacher’s license. Earning a relevant Master’s degree qualifies a beginning teacher for a higher pay grade. “This is a program for people who have finished a bachelor’s degree and are willing to commit to intense study to fill one of the most important roles in our country,” said Mary Kay Delaney, head of Meredith’s department of education. “A teacher is charged with challenging and supporting students so that they grow,—this is a sacred and awesome task.” Meredith’s new Master of Arts in Teaching program addresses North Carolina’s statewide need for K-6 teachers. According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the state will need to hire 10,000 new teachers each year for the next 10 years to meet vacancies. Students in Meredith’s MAT program will complete professional studies courses in education and teaching, teaching methods courses, content area courses and a teaching internship supervised by Meredith faculty and a cooperating teacher. The MAT program builds on Meredith’s long history of excellence in teacher education. In addition to its undergraduate teacher education program, Meredith offers a Master of Education for experienced teachers. Applications are being accepted now for the Fall 2008 semester. For more information, visit www.meredith.edu/graduate/mat/ or call Erin Barrow, graduate program manager, at (919) 760-8316.
