Teacher Education, MAT

This program is no longer accepting applications

Please contact Graduate Recruitment & Admissions (graduateadmissions@ccsu.edu) for more information 

The MAT is a selective graduate degree and teacher certification program that prepares qualified students for careers as teachers. Graduate students specializing in History/Social Studies join an interdisciplinary cohort that might include English, World Languages, Sciences, Special Education, or Technology & Engineering.

The MAT program is designed to prepare future secondary educators to meet the needs of all learners within the general classroom, including those at risk and students with disabilities. Candidates experience cross-disciplinary preparation wherever possible, while building content teaching expertise in their specialization and relating each discipline to the larger school context. Candidates learn how to support students' literacy and language demands within their discipline, which is a particular need in today's secondary classrooms.

The MAT schedule of classes, field experiences, and full-time student teaching in assigned public school settings will be very demanding; therefore, it is difficult to maintain even part-time employment throughout the program. Candidates complete the program in a pre-set cohort that begins in late January of each year and ends in late May of the following calendar year. 

The MAT educational courses are managed by the School of Education, and the SSCI history/social studies courses are managed by the Social Studies Coordinator in the History Department. Please contact the Social Studies Coordinator with any content area questions or concerns.

Teaching is a constantly evolving field. Pursuing my MAT degree at CCSU gave me the opportunity to learn and experience not only the most current best practices in teaching, but the ability to become a lifelong educator. The demands and rigor of the MAT program perfectly mirrored the challenges of my first-year in the classroom, and I could not have chosen a better professional program to prepare for the job of my dreams.

Michael Sobolewski

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcome 1:
Content Knowledge – candidates demonstrate knowledge of social studies disciplines, knowledgeable of disciplinary concepts, facts, tools, structures of inquiry, forms of representation

Learning Outcome 2:
Application of Content Through Planning – candidates plan learning sequences that leverage social studies knowledge and literacies, technology, and theory and research to support the civic competence of learners

Learning Outcome 3:
Design and Implementation of Instruction and Assessment – candidates design and implement instruction and authentic assessments, informed by data literacy and learner self-assessment, that promote civic competence

Learning Outcome 4:
Social Studies Learners and Learning – candidates use knowledge of learners to plan and implement relevant and responsive pedagogy, create collaborative and interdisciplinary learning environments, and prepare learners to be informed advocates for an inclusive and equitable society

Learning Outcome 5:
Professional Responsibility and Informed Action – candidates reflect and expand upon their social studies knowledge, inquiry skills, and civic dispositions to advance social justice and promote human rights through informed action in schools and/or communities