Middle Grades

Program descriptions

The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program in middle grades 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 middle grades education. Certification in this field is for grades 4 through 8. The M.A.T. provides professional and pedagogical studies that develop proficiency in the knowledge, skills, and habits of beginning teachers. Candidates must select two concentrations (English, Math, Science, Social Studies, or Reading) and have a minimum of 15 hours of coursework in each concentration.

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) program in middle grades 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.)

• A minimum of 25 semester hours of approved coursework in two concentration areas (English, Math, Science, Social Studies, or Reading).
• Transcript evaluation to determine content courses needed for certification. Fifteen hours of content coursework is required for each concentration area.
• 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
• Completion of a 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.

Faculty
The Middle Grades faculty work as a team to provide expertise to in-service teachers. Dr. Bonita Flournoy (Science), Dr. James Brewbaker (English/Language Arts), Ms. Gayle Herrington (Mathematics), and Dr. Bonita Williams (Reading) teach content and methodology courses in their specialty fields. All are active members of professional organizations and frequent presenters at meetings and conferences at the local, state, national, and international levels. Occasionally, part-time instructors who are area teachers and full-time faculty members from other divisions of the University or other programs in the College of Education teach content and general education courses. This expands the community of practice for pre-service middle grades teachers and allows access to a broad base of expertise.

Program requirements:    M.A.T.               M.Ed.               Ed.S.