Established by the College of Education at the University of Central Arkansas, the MAT program prepares highly qualified mid-career professionals and recent graduates of higher education to be Arkansas classroom teachers.

• Designed for individuals without teaching credentials but who have successfully completed a baccalaureate degree and wish to become a teacher in an expeditious fashion.
• Intended to assist potential teachers, those having a baccalaureate degree in a content area, to become practicing educators.
• A 36-hour graduate degree program with three tracks: P–4 Early Childhood, 4-8 Middle Level, and Secondary/P–8 & 7–12.

Master of Arts in Teaching Brochure

For detailed information on the program, see the Master of Arts in Teaching program description in the graduate bulletin.  Applicants to the MAT program must also apply for admission as a graduate student to UCA.  Information about the admission process can be found on the Graduate School website.  GRE Testing Information is available on the ETS website.

MAT Admission and Program Completion Requirements
This document outlines requirements for admission to the MAT program and requirements for completing the program.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

MAT News & Information

National Award Winning Program

The Master of Arts in Teaching Program received the Association of Teacher Educator's 2010 Distinguished Program in Teacher Education Award at the annual national convention in Chicago. 
Click here for more information.

Stay Informed.  Add the MAT Channel to myUCA!

You can easily access important information and announcements about the UCA MAT programming by adding our "channel" to myUCA.  Follow the instructions available here to add the channel and then receive program announcements each time you log-on to myUCA.

ATTENTION: Praxis III Changes

Effective with May 2011 graduates, the Arkansas Department of Education no longer requires candidates to complete the Praxis III assessment to earn a standard teaching license.  Upon graduation, candidates will apply for the standard 5-year license.  For those candidates who graduated in May 2011, you may re-submit your application to ADE to convert your initial license to the standard license.  Question?  See your MAT advisor.

Geography Conference for K-12 Teacher Candidates

The Arkansas Geographic Alliance is excited to announce that it will be hosting a workshop for K-12 teacher candidates on Saturday, April 21, 2012, at the Brewer-Hegeman Conference Center on the University of Central Arkansas campus. Click here for more information.

How to Apply for the MAT Program

Apply to the Graduate School and to the MAT program AT THE SAME TIME.

• Complete the Graduate School application available here.
• Submit original, sealed transcripts to the UCA Graduate School. (Not necessary for UCA graduates)
• Pay the application fee to the UCA Graduate School.
  
• Complete and submit on-line the MAT application available here.
  • Application must be submitted on-line, using this form. 
  • Paper copies are not accepted. 
  • You may only select ONE (1) licensure area on Page 2 of the application.
  • For 7-12 licenses, you must complete the appropriate transcript review pages. (See pages 5-11 of the application.)
• Submit a 2nd set of original transcripts to the MAT office. (Not necessary for UCA graduates)
• Submit 2 professional references to the MAT office using the forms available here.

Take the GRE (and, if necessary, the Praxis I).  GRE scores for candidates who already hold a Master's Degree may not be required.  All other candidates must submit GRE scores.

• GRE scores are required to be eligible for financial aid.
• If not applying for financial aid, GRE scores must be submitted as soon as possible but no later than the end of the first semester of classes.
• If passing scores on the GRE are not earned after the first attempt, do not repeat the GRE.  Instead, earn passing scores on the Praxis I exam to qualify for full admission to the program.  Passing scores must be submitted before the end of the first semester.
• The minimum scores for the Revised GRE are Verbal 144, Quantitative 138, and Analytical Writing 4.5.

Review this document for additional requirements for admission and program completion.  Additional details about admission and program requirements are available in the Prospective Students section.