Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from this program will:

• Understand how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and design and implement developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.
• Understand individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high standards.
• Work with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
• Understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) they teach and create learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.
• Understand how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.
• Understand and use multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making.
• Plan instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.
• Understand and use a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.
• Engage in ongoing professional learning and use evidence to continually evaluate their practice, particularly the effects of their choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapt practice to meet the needs of each learner.
• Seek appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession.

Program Overview

The UMKC School of Education, Social Work, and Psychological Sciences' department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies subscribes to the Missouri Teacher Standards (MoTS), which can be found on the website of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education – https://dese.mo.gov/.

The School of Education, Social Work, and Psychological Sciences requires all teacher candidates to have current professional liability insurance during all field experiences and student teaching. Students must provide verification of current professional liability insurance to the Educational Field Experiences office or the coordinator or lead of the MAT Program. Students can obtain this insurance by becoming a “student member” of educational organizations (e.g., MSTA or NEA) that provide such insurance or by purchasing coverage through an independent insurance agent. The University does not promote membership in any specific educational organization.

Candidates admitted to the Professional Teacher Education Program must uphold all academic and social regulations and policies established by the School of Education, Social Work, and Psychological Sciences. Candidates are subject to any Missouri legislative action or State Board of Education policy that may become effective during the lifetime of this catalog. The responsibility of the School of Education, Social Work, and Psychological Sciences is to recommend qualified candidates for licensure to the state and to ensure our candidates meet or exceed these requirements. While the degree programs outlined in the catalog are aligned with state requirements, certification is dependent on both the degree requirements and successful completion of all state assessments required by the Missouri State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

During the student teaching semester, teacher candidates follow the school district’s calendar, not the UMKC academic/semester calendar.  Teacher candidates begin student teaching according to the school district's calendar and not the first day of the UMKC academic/semester calendar.

A 3.00 cumulative GPA and 3.0 professional GPA are required at completion of the program. Grades of C or better are required in all professional education classes. Prospective students and teacher candidates should meet regularly with an academic advisor to determine specific course requirements.

Admission Requirements

• Undergraduate degree from an accredited university
• Minimum Grade Point Average of 2.75. Candidates with lower GPAs may be considered on the strength of other components of their application. Admission may be conditional on maintaining grades of B or higher upon entry to the program.
• Transcripts documenting successful completion of an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution
• Two letters of recommendation that address the candidate’s potential to be an educator
• Missouri Substitute Teacher Certification
• Candidate narrative statement describing the intentions and purposes for becoming a middle or high school teacher in a high-need school district
• Completion (with passing scores) of the state-required content assessment is required at time of admission. Applicants may be conditionally admitted without having attempted the state-required content assessment but must complete it in order to enroll in courses. Conditional admits must pass the assessment before completion of 12 credit hours.

Program Requirements

Prerequisite Coursework

Academic work completed prior to admission will be reviewed on a course-by-course basis to determine which prerequisites have been completed. Any remaining prerequisites needed must be taken by the student and do not count toward MAT degree requirements.  Students must earn a C or above in all pre-requisite courses; grades in these courses count toward the calculation of professional program GPA required for certification (minimum 3.0).

Degree Requirements

¹

Students in Art and Foreign Languages will take a total of 9 semester credit hours in either TCH-ED 5419 Student Teaching in Elementary School or TCH-ED 5437 Student Teaching in High School.

Certification Requirements

• Complete DESE application for Initial PC license
• Pass all required state assessments
• Minimum GPA requirements: 3.00 cumulative and 3.00 professional education coursework, including pre-requisite courses

Licensure Disclosure

The Master of Arts in Teaching is considered an alternative pathway to certification in the state of Missouri, where content knowledge is demonstrated by earning of Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and passing of state content assessment relevant to the certification being sought (see MO CSR 20-400.530-550). Students completing the MAT meet educational requirements for Missouri licensure in one of the following areas depending on specific courses taken and field experiences completed: Middle School (5-9) Language Arts, mathematics, science, social science; Secondary (7-12) English, mathematics, social science, chemistry, biology, earth science, physics; or K-12 art, French, Spanish, or German.

UMKC’s teacher preparation program is approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and holds accreditation with the Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation (CAEP). Students who complete one of our teacher preparation programs are highly recommended to apply for Missouri’s initial certification whether one plans to reside in Missouri or not. Regulations for each state provide licensing options to guarantee access to start who hold a valid initial license from the state a student completed an approved preparation program, and some require licensure in hand from the state in which the teacher preparation program was completed.

This Disclosure is limited to our best ability to determine whether our curriculum would sufficiently meet the educational requirements for certification in another State as a middle, secondary/high school, or K-12 educator in one of the content areas listed above. Comparability of state licensing will be based on official, approved compilation of rules and regulations. Students may need to complete additional requirements, such as, coursework, assessment, background checks or classroom experience before receiving full certification. A provisional license may be awarded while students complete these requirements. Please contact the state agency where you plan to licensure before   relocating to ensure you are fully aware of all licensure requirements.

UMKC strongly recommends that students review the applicable licensure board(s) in their state of residence or in the state where they intend to obtain a license before beginning an academic program that results in licensure or certification and prior to beginning any practicum/internship. See UMKC's Professional Licensure Disclosures page for more information. 

Program Director

Jennifer Waddell, PhD

Questions about Licensure

Brad Martens

States in Which the Curriculum Meets the Educational Requirements for Licensure

AL*, AK*,  American Samoa**, AZ*, AR*, CA*^, CO^, CT~, DE*, DC*, Federated States of Micronesia**, FL, GA, Guam^ HI, ID~, IL*^, IN^, IA*, KS, KY*, LA, ME^~, MD, MA, MI^, MS, MN* MO, MT^, NE~, NV*, NH~, NJ~, NM, NY, NC*, ND*, Northern Mariana Islands^, OH, OK, OR*^, PA, PR^, Republic of Marshall Islands**, Republic of Palau**, RI, SC, SD*, TN^, TX*, USVI^~, UT*^, VT, VA~, WA^, WV*, WI~, WY.

States in Which the Curriculum Does Not Meet the Educational Requirements for Licensure

N/A.

* Must hold Missouri licensure
** None of the licensures that the MAT prepares for exist.
^ One or more of the licensures that the MAT can prepare for does not exist; see individual states for information.
~ Requires curriculum review of content-area coursework. Missouri licensure strongly encouraged, particularly for students who do not hold a content-area degree in their certification area.