Secondary English Language Arts

Program descriptions
The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program in Secondary English Language Arts Education is designed for individuals holding a bachelor's degree in a closely related field who wish to obtain a teaching certificate and master's degree in English Language Arts education. Certification in this field is for grades 6 through 12. The M.A.T. provides professional and pedagogical studies that develop proficiency in the knowledge, skills, and habits of beginning teachers.

The M.Ed. program in English Language Arts education is designed for teachers who hold a clear renewable T-4 teaching certificate. It provides advanced professional and pedagogical studies that develop expertise in the knowledge, skills, and habits of accomplished teachers.

Teachers holding a clear renewable T-5 teaching certificate with at least three years of teaching experience may apply for admission to the Specialist in Education (Ed.S.) program. Education Specialist candidates develop content and pedagogical expertise as well as seek to influence educational decisions outside their own classrooms. They become increasingly accomplished teachers who display leadership.

General Admission Requirements

Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.)

• Degree in related field or a minimum of 25 semester hours of approved coursework
• Transcript evaluation to determine content courses needed for certification
• Minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 (regular admission) or 2.50 (provisional admission) on all undergraduate work at an accredited United States institution in fulfillment of the requirements for a baccalaureate degree
• Minimum score of 800 (regular admission) or 700 (provisional admission) on the general portion (quantitative and verbal) of the Revised Graduate Record Exam (GRE) with "writing assessment" component; minimum score of 3.5 required on GRE writing component
• The successful applicant must not have a criminal record or discharge from the armed services that would prevent recommendation for related teacher certifications

   Master of Education (M.Ed.)

• Minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 on all undergraduate work at an accredited United States institution in fulfillment of the requirements for a baccalaureate degree
• A clear renewable teaching license or documentation of eligibility for certification (approved program completion and applicable licensure exam scores)
• The successful applicant must not have a criminal record or discharge from the armed services that would prevent recommendation for related teacher certifications

   Specialist in Education (Ed.S.)

• GPA of at least 3.0 on all graduate course work at an accredited United States institution in fulfillment of the requirements for a graduate degree
• A clear renewable teaching license or documentation of eligibility for certification (approved program completion and applicable licensure exam scores)
• The successful applicant must not have a criminal record or discharge from the armed services that would prevent recommendation for related teacher certifications
• Minimum of three years of teaching experience

Career opportunities
Successful completion of the M.A.T. program and passing scores on the appropriate Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) basic skills and content tests allow the candidate to be recommended to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission for teacher certification at the T-5 level.

Upon successful completion of the M.Ed. program, the candidate may apply to upgrade certification to the T-5 level.

Successful completion of the Ed.S. allows the candidate to apply to upgrade certification to the T-6 level.

Because there is a shortage of qualified teachers in this teaching field, many students in the graduate programs are eligible for incentive funds (to cover tuition and books) through HOPE/Promise. The master's and specialist degrees also earn classroom teachers a salary increase regardless of their specific teaching roles, whether in middle grades, early childhood, or library/media specialist. For this reason, the program attracts graduate students from other teaching specialties who are considering moving from a field such as middle grades to secondary education or who are interested in advanced studies of English content and pedagogy.

Faculty
Dr. James Brewbaker is program coordinator. Content faculty are members of the Department of English.

Program Requirements

M.A.T.

M.Ed.

Ed.S.