Program Overview 

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 one concentration (Language Arts, Math, Science, or Social Studies) and have a minimum of 15 hours of coursework in that concentration, or a passing score on the GACE content exam prior to admittance.

All educator preparation programs are approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. In addition to the degree requirements, there are further requirements for teaching certification. Visit the Certification page on the CSU Center for Quality Teaching and Learning (CQTL) website for detailed information about certification requirements and the certification process.

Note for out of state students:

If you live outside the state of Georgia, state regulations may limit your distance education options. To find out whether Columbus State University is authorized to deliver specific programs in your state, please email your inquiry to state_authorization@columbusstate.edu. This email address is exclusively for questions regarding state approval of online offerings. Other types of questions should be sent to the academic department offering the online course.

Columbus State University's programs leading to all levels of licensure, endorsement, and professional certification are designed to satisfy the requirements of their respective Georgia boards governing licensure.  CSU does NOT guarantee that these programs will necessarily satisfy the criteria of professional boards in other states or territories. Programs affected by state licensing requirements may include, but are not limited to, programs in Nursing, Leadership, and Education.  Students from outside of Georgia who are considering a professional program should contact the appropriate board in their state of intended practice prior to beginning a course of study.

Additional program information can be found on the CSU Department of Teacher Education, Leadership, and Counseling website.

Follow the link below for professional licensure contact information by state.

Education Programs

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 (i.e., the letter “T” indicates that the certificate is in a teaching field and the number “5” indicates that the candidate’s highest degree is a master’s degree recognized by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission).

Program of Study 

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Area 1 Foundations
EDCI 6228	Foundations of Education - Special Education (Students must earn a grade of B or better in order to be certified to teach in the state of Georgia.)	3
EDCI 6227	Foundations of Education - Human Development, Motivation, and Learning	2
EDCI 6796	Introduction to Teaching and Inquiry-Based Instruction	3
EDSE 6165	Literacy in the Content Areas	2
Area 1 Total		10
Area 2 Teaching Field Studies
EDCI 6411	Clinical Experience	3
Choose one based on concentration:		3
EDMT 6215	Methods in Teaching Middle and Secondary Mathematics
EDSC 6215	Methods of Teaching Middle and Secondary Science
EDSE 6116	Teaching English Language Arts in Grades 4-12
EDSE 6145	Teaching Social Studies in Grades 4-12
Area 2 Total		6
Area 3 Professional Practice
EDCI 6412	Student Teaching	3
EDUF 6125	Classroom Management	2
EDSE 6755	Middle Grades and Secondary Education Seminar	1
Area 3 Total		6
Area 4 Advanced Studies
EDCI 6158	Trends and Issues in Middle Grades and Secondary Education	2
EDUF 6116	Educational Research Methods	3
or EDUF 7116	Applied Educational Research: Assessing and Monitoring Student Achievement
EDRG 6244	Literacy Curriculum and Instruction in Today’s P-12 Schools	3
Area 4 Total		8
Total Credit Hours		30

 Note: A minimum of 15 semester hours of approve coursework is required for admission to the MAT program. Additional hours of content coursework may be required depending on content background. Prospective students must request a transcript evaluation and meet with program coordinator to determine content courses needed for certification. Teacher candidates must demonstrate proficiency in one concentration areas (Language Arts, Math, Science, or Social Studies). 

Program Admission Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree in a closely related field or a minimum of 15 semester
  hours of upper level coursework in one of the middle grades concentration
  areas.
• 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 institution
  in fulfillment of the requirements for a baccalaureate degree.
• Passing GACE Content Assessment scores in the certification field.
• Candidates who recently graduated from a bachelor’s degree program (within a year) can be provisionally admitted in the absence of a GACE assessment score, however this requirement must be completed during the first semester enrolled.

Required GACE content exams by concentration area:

Certification Field- Required GACE Content Tests

• Middle Grades Language Arts- Test 011
• Middle Grades Mathematics- Test 013
• Middle Grades Science- Test 014
• Middle Grades Social Science- Test 015

Teacher Education Admission Requirements 

• Candidates must apply for Teacher Education during their first semester, after being admitted and starting classes.
• Admission to Teacher Education is completed through TK20. Candidates must have been admitted into the university and registered for courses at least two weeks before purchasing TK20. Information on Tk20 is can be located here. 
• Candidates must meet all requirements for admission to Teacher Education during their first semester of enrollment in the MAT program. For a list of requirements visit our Teacher Education page

Additional Program Requirements

• Students must earn a 3.0 GPA calculated on all graduate work attempted. "Academic Forgiveness" policy does not apply to graduate studies
• Students cannot graduate with a grade of "C" or below in more than two (2) graduate courses
• A minimum of 20 hours of the hours required for the degree must be earned in residence (⅔ of the required hours). Asynchronous (online) and distance learning courses administered through Columbus State University constitute courses taken in residence
• Transfer courses must be approved by the students’ advisor and program coordinator. Courses with earned grades of "C" or below cannot be transferred.
• All degree requirements must be completed within seven (7) years of first enrollment.