The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program aims to develop reflective and transformative teachers capable of working collaboratively with children, youth, their families and communities for the sustainable well-being of educational, social and ecological systems. The mission of the Chapman MAT program is to prepare reflective teacher-researchers who use integrated, developmentally appropriate, and critical pedagogies, and are ready to collaborate within diverse educational communities in order to lead us towards a more economically, socially, environmentally and politically just world.
In California, the appropriate credential to teach a specific subject in a departmentalized classroom at the middle school or high school level is the Single Subject Credential. The Master of Arts in Teaching: Secondary Education program allows the candidate to obtain both the Single Subject Credential and the master’s degree through an integrated program of coursework, fieldwork, and student research.
Requirements for the Integrated Bachelor’s degree/Master of Arts in Teaching are the same as those listed in the MAT Secondary Education (Single Subject) credential section of the catalog. The integrated master’s degree option is designed principally for students from across the university who are interested in pursuing a teaching credential and master’s degree in teaching. This option offers selected exceptional students a seat in Chapman University’s MAT program. If accepted to the MAT Secondary Education (Single Subject) program, students can take up to 15 graduate-level credits from the MAT Secondary Education (Single Subject) during their undergraduate program and may, depending on their individual bachelor’s program requirements, count those credits toward the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Admission is selective.
Prospective integrated MAT Secondary Education (Single Subject) candidates must apply to the program by the integrated application date. Successful candidates will be notified of acceptance on the same dates as the rest of the MAT cohort. Students in the integrated bachelor’s plus master’s programs will matriculate into the graduate program after the completion of their bachelor’s degree. Students may not begin Year 5 coursework without certified completion of the bachelor’s degree from Chapman University. Advancement to the 5th year of study is dependent on:
- An academic screening of all MAT coursework and key assignment rubric scores.
- A dispositional screening.
- Successful passage of the CSET exams or equivalent demonstration of subject matter competency.
- Successful completion of the Certificate of Clearance requirement or possession of a California substitute credential.
Initial Undergraduate Admission to the Program
Initial undergraduate admission to the program is competitive and requires a:
- Minimum of 90 credits earned at Chapman University at the bachelor level prior to application to the program (senior standing).
- Minimum Chapman grade point average of 3.000.
- Passing score on the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST) or equivalent.
Bachelor’s Degree conferral requirements
Student’s respective bachelor degree (B.A./B.F.A./B.S.) program requirements, valid California Certificate of Clearance from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC), and passing score on the California Subject Exam for Teachers (CSET) must be completed prior to the end of year four of the five-year program in order to enter year five credential/master’s coursework.
Graduate degree and credential requirements
In addition to the courses below, see the Teacher Education Programs page for graduate admission requirements, California Commission on Teacher Education requirements for credentialing, graduate degree demonstration of mastery requirement, and graduate degree progression and completion requirements.
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