Education, Accelerated AB/MAT
Master's Candidacy
To earn a master’s degree at Washington University, a student must complete all courses required by their department; maintain satisfactory academic progress; fulfill all academic and residence requirements; and file an Intent to Graduate. For a general layout of master’s degree general requirements in Arts & Sciences, including an explanation of Satisfactory Academic Progress, students should review the Master’s Degree Academic Information page of the Arts & Sciences Bulletin.
Program Requirements
- Total Units Required: 37 minimum (including undergraduate certification coursework)
- Degree Length: One year
- The Accelerated AB/MAT Program allows qualified Washington University undergraduates to complete a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree in one year after completing the AB degree. The undergraduate and graduate degrees are awarded sequentially, if approved, with admission to the master's degree program in the fall semester following the completion of the undergraduate degree. The program is available only to students currently in their senior year and only for continuous enrollment the next year. There is no option for deferred admission.
- Students must achieve a grade of B- or better in order for courses to count toward the degree and certification requirements
- Note: Students must be enrolled in 9 graduate credits each semester to retain full-time status. As students complete their course work, if enrolled in fewer than 9 graduate credits, they must enroll in a specific Arts & Sciences graduate course that will show 0 units but does count as full-time status. Students should connect with their department to ensure proper enrollment prior to Add/Drop.
Required Courses
To qualify for the AB/MAT program, undergraduate students must have completed 30 to 36 credit units of content area courses (content areas listed below) with at least 12 credit units taken at the 400/4000 level.
As undergraduates, students will need to take a minimum of 10 credits of professional education courses:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Educ 313B | Education, Childhood, Adolescence, and Society | 3 |
| Educ 4052 | Educational Psychology: A Focus on Teaching and Learning | 3 |
| Educ 4053 | Early Field Experience | 1 |
| Educ 408 | Education and Psychology of Exceptional Children | 3 |
Additionally, as undergraduates, students must take one 3-credit foundations of education course from the following:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Educ 304 | Educational Psychology | 3 |
| Educ 453B | Sociology of Education | 3 |
| Educ 459F | Philosophies of Education | 3 |
| Educ 462 | Politics of Education | 3 |
| Educ 4621 | The Political Economy of Urban Education | 3 |
| Educ 481W | History of Education in the United States | 3 |
The first semester of the MAT includes a field experience seminar requiring 50 clock-hours of classroom experience, a 2-unit Curriculum and Instruction for Secondary Education course in addition to a lab associated with the chosen content area, a content reading course, and a content area course if necessary. If students are candidates for middle school certification (grades 5-9), they take two additional courses in Middle School Philosophy and Organization and Middle School Curriculum and Instruction.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| For All Teacher Candidates | ||
| Educ 5681 | Reading in the Content Areas | 3 |
| Educ 6000 | Curriculum and Instruction for Secondary Teachers | 2 |
| Educ 6843 | Field Experience Seminar | 3 |
| For Art content area, grades K-12 | ||
| Educ 5007 | Instructional Techniques for Art K-12 | 3 |
| Educ 6001 | Curriculum and Instruction in Art K-12 | 2 |
| For Dance content area, grades K-12 | ||
| Educ 600D | Curriculum and Instruction in Dance K-12 | 2 |
| For Language Arts content area, grades 5-9, and English content area, grades 9-12 | ||
| Educ 600E | Curriculum and Instruction in Secondary English | 2 |
| Educ 6451 | Teaching Writing in School Contexts | 3 |
| For World Language content area, grades K-12 | ||
| Educ 600L | Curriculum and Instruction in World Languages K-12 | 2 |
| For Mathematics content area, grades 5-9 and grades 9-12 | ||
| Educ 6006 | Curriculum and Instruction in Secondary Mathematics | 2 |
| For Science content area, grades 5-9 and grades 9-12 | ||
| Educ 600S | Curriculum and Instruction in Secondary Science | 2 |
| For Social Science content area, grades 5-9 and grades 9-12 | ||
| Educ 60SS | Curriculum and Instruction in Secondary Social Science | 2 |
| For grades 5-9 Middle School Candidates | ||
| Educ 6951 | Middle School Philosophy and Organization | 2 |
| Educ 6952 | Middle School Curriculum and Instruction | 3 |
The second MAT semester consists of 16 weeks of student teaching (8 credits) as well as courses for adolescent reading interventions (if not completed as an undergraduate) and a teaching-learning process course. Given the intensity of the academic requirements during this final semester of study, students must focus wholly on their culminating field experience and will not be able to accept outside employment or register for any additional course work.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| For all Teacher Candidates | ||
| Educ 6821 | The Teaching-Learning Process in the Secondary School | 3 |
| For K-12 certification candidates | ||
| Educ 694 | Student Teaching in Grades K-12 | 8 |
| For secondary certification candidates, grades 9-12 | ||
| Educ 692 | Student Teaching in the Secondary School | 8 |
| For middle school certification candidates, grades 5-9 | ||
| Educ 6922 | Student Teaching in Middle Schools | 8 |
Students may be certified in the following content areas:
- For grades 5 through 9: Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Science
- For grades 9 through 12: Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, English, Physics, Mathematics, Social Science (including history, political science, economics, geography, and behavioral sciences such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology)
- For grades K through 12: Art, Dance, World Language (Latin, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish)
It is strongly suggested that students apply for a subject in which they have completed (or will complete) a bachelor's degree (or earned the credits equivalent to an undergraduate major).
After students successfully complete the program and the state-mandated certification assessments, they are eligible for initial teacher certification in Missouri for their selected subject area. States all have their own unique requirements for teacher certification, but many have reciprocity agreements to allow currently certified teachers to transfer teaching credentials to a new state. Teachers may have to meet additional state requirements, but for most states, transferring certification is fairly straightforward.
Contact Info
| Contact: | Alyssa McDonald |
| Phone: | 314-935-6791 |
| Email: | alyssa.mcdonald@wustl.edu |
| Website: | http://education.wustl.edu |