Master of Arts in Teaching

The Master of Arts in Teaching Program (M.A.T.) invites students with bachelor's degrees to combine professional preparation in education with graduate studies in their major subject field(s).

The Rice M.A.T. has three distinctive features that make it especially attractive. First, the degree is designed to be individually tailored around the core teacher certification requirements and the student's own particular needs or desires for enrichment. Second, extensive fieldwork in schools links the children, teachers, and classroom practices of urban schools to the course work. Third, students begin their teaching not as assistants in other teachers' classrooms, but teaching classes themselves in the Rice University Summer School for Grades 8 through 12. They design courses, prepare curriculum, and have full responsibility for their classes, guided by mentor teachers selected for the excellence of their own teaching.

At the core of the 33-hour degree program are the 18 hours of professional education courses and student teaching necessary for state certification. In addition, students take graduate-level courses in their teaching field(s) and select from related electives to enrich their teaching and their own intellectual growth. Students work closely with an academic advisor to plan their subject field studies.

Teaching fields offered include:

Professional education courses include extensive study of the historical, political, and philosophical backgrounds of American education; the structure, culture, and curriculum of secondary schools and their diverse students; and the developmental psychology of children and adolescents. These courses and their related field observations serve as the foundation for the seminars in teaching and curriculum development, which not only offer instructional methods but also close examination of the epistemologies and ways of learning that characterize the subject. The seminars and curriculum development courses do not offer a "Rice recipe" for teaching. Instead, they introduce future teachers to a broad range of teaching strategies, all linked by a commitment to engaging students as active learners and to making school knowledge authentic and meaningful. Students are encouraged to take elective courses such as Urban Education (EDUC 335/535) or Introduction to Special Education (EDUC 310/510), as well as courses in supporting fields such as psychology, sociology, and foreign languages.

A candidate for the M.A.T. degree must receive a B- or better in all courses.

Depending on a student's teaching field course requirements, it is usually possible to complete all course work--except the summer school teaching and internship--in one academic year. Part-time study can also be arranged with advisor consent.

Student Teaching. The Rice student-teaching experience is unique. The first prolonged teaching experience takes place during the Rice Summer School for Grades 8 through 12. During this six-week summer school, more than 600 middle and high school students come to the Rice campus to study courses designed and taught by Rice student teachers, who are supervised by mentorr teachers from Houston-area public and private schools. The Rice Summer School for Grades 8 through 12 encourages novice teachers to begin teaching subjects they are comfortable with in a supportive and creative setting and across age, grade, and cultural differences. In the past, students have designed such courses as "And Justice for All" (analysis of the Supreme Court), "The Write Stuff" (writing workshop), and "Physics of NASA," along with classes in math, art, sports, and languages.

Internship. The M.A.T. degree culminates with the internship--a semester of teaching as a professional, full-time salaried teacher in a Houston-area secondary school, supervised by Rice faculty and supported by an accompanying seminar. Interns are not traditional student teachers, however. The schools accept them as first-year teachers and the student teachers begin their teaching careers as they finish their academic programs. Permission for the internship is contingent upon completing a successful apprecticeship in the Rice Summer School for Grades 8 through 12.

Financial assistance includes a limited number of tuition waivers, partial tuition waivers, and opportunities for employment through the Education Certification Program, the research and teacher enhancement programs of the Rice University Center for Education, and related faculty-led activities throughout the university. Applicants for admission to the M.A.T. program who wish to be considered for financial assistance should so indicate on their application for admission.

Our graduate degree requires a teaching internship and eligibility for state certification, which are contingent on a student having eligibility to work in the United States.

Admission Information

Certfication Information

Rice University, Education Certification - MS 146, P. O. Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892
Physical Location: 30 Herman Brown Hall, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77005-1892
Voice: 713- 348-4826, Fax: 713-348-5459, E-mail: educ@rice.edu