Middle Grades Education (MAT)

Program of Study 

Area 1 Foundations
EDCI 6228Foundations 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 6227Foundations of Education - Human Development, Motivation, and Learning2
EDCI 6796Introduction to Teaching and Inquiry-Based Instruction3
EDSE 6165Literacy in the Content Areas2
Area 1 Total10
Area 2 Teaching Field Studies
EDCI 6482 Clinical Experience3
Choose one based on concentration:3
Methods in Teaching Middle and Secondary Mathematics
Methods of Teaching Middle and Secondary Science
Teaching English Language Arts in Grades 4-12
Teaching Social Studies in Grades 4-12
Area 2 Total6
Area 3 Professional Practice
EDCI 6483 Student Teaching3
EDUF 6125Classroom Management2
EDSE 6755Middle Grades and Secondary Education Seminar1
Area 3 Total6
Area 4 Advanced Studies
EDCI 6158Trends and Issues in Middle Grades and Secondary Education2
EDUF 6116Educational Research Methods3
or EDUF 7116 Applied Educational Research: Assessing and Monitoring Student Achievement
EDRG 6244Literacy Curriculum and Instruction in Today’s P-12 Schools3
Area 4 Total8
Total Credit Hours30

 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.