Requirements
(An alternate route to teacher licensure)
William Carey University has been approved for a unique program designed to provide an opportunity for non-education graduates to enter the teaching profession and to earn a Master of Education degree in the Art of Teaching. The program is designed to lead to standard licensure with the option of earning a master’s degree. A maximum of six hours can be transferred from another institution’s program.
Program Goals and Objectives
In response to the increasing need for more teachers in the state of Mississippi, the alternate route program provides an opportunity for an individual with a bachelor’s degree in a non-teaching field to become a certified teacher who is knowledgeable in the following areas:
- designing effective teaching strategies;
- implementing successful classroom management techniques;
- utilizing appropriate assessment practices;
- collaborating with school and community stakeholders, and
- meeting individual needs of diverse learners.
Admission to the Alternate Route
Graduate Admissions Requirements
- Complete and submit an online application to William Carey University Graduate Admissions.
- Pay application fee.
- Submit official transcripts of an undergraduate degree in a nonteaching field.
- Have a grade point average of 2.75 or higher on the core courses of the undergraduate degree.
- Submit passing ACT or PRAXIS CORE scores and PRAXIS II Specialty Area score.
- Submit two professional references.
- Students who choose the MAT elementary track will submit Foundations of Reading test scores.
Steps toward Standard Licensure
- Admission to the Alternate Route Program
A candidate must fulfill the general graduate admission requirements* and have an undergraduate degree in a non-teaching field with a required minimum grade point average of 2.75 or higher (on a 4.00 academic scale) on his/her college core. Also required is a passing score on the PRAXIS CORE or an ACT composite score of 21 or higher, and a passing score on a PRAXIS II specialty area examination from an approved program area.
- Initial Course Requirements (6 hours)
A candidate must first successfully complete EDU 536 - Classroom Management and EDU 650 - Tests, Measurements, and Evaluations . These courses must be successfully completed prior to applying for initial licensure* and enrolling in EDU 634 - Fall Trimester Internship followed by EDU 635 - Winter Trimester Internship . A candidate must successfully complete the two trimesters of internship within three years in order to apply for a standard teaching license.
*Elementary track candidates must pass the Foundations of Reading Test prior to applying for initial licensure.
- Admission to the Internship ( EDU 634 - Fall Trimester Internship – 3 hours and EDU 635 - Winter Trimester Internship – 3 hours)
After successful completion of steps one and two, and proof of employment in an accredited school as a full time teacher in the area of initial certification, within the approved radius of William Carey University, a candidate may enroll in EDU 634 - Fall Trimester Internship followed by EDU 635 - Winter Trimester Internship .
Alternate route candidates will enroll in EDU 634 and EDU 635 – Internship in a cohort group. A cohort is defined as a group of students who begin and conclude the internship at the same time. Interns will move through the two trimesters of internship in consecutive order ( EDU 634 - Fall Trimester Internship – three hours followed by EDU 635 - Winter Trimester Internship – three hours.)
After completing these three steps, a candidate is eligible to apply for a standard Mississippi Educator License. If the candidate wishes to enter the M.Ed. program, the 12 hours earned in steps two and three will count toward the Master of Education in the Art of Teaching degree. A candidate wishing to transfer to another M.Ed. program must complete all requirements for standard licensure prior to applying for admission to the second program.
A candidate who is officially admitted to the MAT program may continue to take program courses prior to internship; however, the student can not graduate without successfully completing the two-term internship and comprehensive exams. Comprehensive exams will not be required for those students who meet the waiver requirements. (see Comprehensive Examination and Degree Application).
- Completion of the Masters in the Art of Teaching Program
This program is specifically designed with a 15-hour core for all three tracks: elementary (grades 4-6), secondary (grades 7-12 in a specific subject area), and special education – mild/moderate disabilities (K – 12). The elementary track has a total of 33 hours; the secondary track has a total of 30 hours; and the special education— mild/moderate disabiliites track has a total of 33 hours. Because there are 15 hours initially earned for licensure counting toward this degree, there are no electives in this program.
Current Areas Available for Licensure Through the Special Alternate Route MAT
- Art
- Biology
- Business
- Chemistry
- Elementary Education (grades 4-6)
- Economics
- English
- French
- German
- Health
- Home Economics/Family and Consumer Science
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- Library Media Specialist
- Marketing
- Mathematics
- Music Education
- Physical Education
- Physics
- Spanish
- Special Education—Mild/Moderate Disabilities
- Speech Communication
- Social Studies
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