Graduate Programs in Education

2007-08 Faculty Members:Tamara Beauboeuf, (chair) Thomas S. Dickinson, Sally Harvey-Koelpin, Marcelle McVorran, Patricia Sellers, Jamie Stockton, Eva Weisz

Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Post-Baccalaureate Licensure Program

The Masters of Arts in Teaching at DePauw was approved by the state of Indiana in March 2008 and will be implemented in August 2009.  As a liberal arts post-graduate program, its mission is to empower citizen-educators as intellectuals who are just, act upon democratic values, recognize interconnectedness as a fundamental human condition, and uphold educational practices that are inclusive and committed to the common good.

The MAT program leading to initial licensure is a nine month, full-time, intensive, field-based program open to the qualified student with an undergraduate degree.  Currently, the unit offers a licensure program in Elementary Education only.  Licensure in secondary education may be available after 2011. Applications to the Masters of Arts in Teaching are solicited in the fall semester prior to the date of expected admission. Specific deadlines are posted on the university’s website.  Admission criteria include:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a liberal arts area from an accredited university (satisfied by transcript)
  • Undergraduate major in a field compatible with what the applicant aspires to teach (satisfied by transcript)
  • Prior coursework in, or the equivalent of the following courses: foundations of education, educational psychology,and cultural and learning diversity (satisfied by transcript)
  • Minimum GPA of 2.5 overall and in major(satisfied by transcript)
  • Submission of GRE scores
  • Limited criminal history check by Indiana State Police
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Letter of application
  • Reflective essay on assigned reading
  • Personal interview with faculty committee

Admission requirements and materials may be downloaded from the university’s website.  As a field based program, MAT candidates will spend full days in the classroom, taking coursework Monday through Thursday, 4-6 PM.   Elementary and secondary candidates will take all classes together, with the exception of EDUC 520/521 and EDUC 530/531, which are specific to the needs of elementary and secondary teachers.

Teacher Licensure
Upon successful completion of the MAT program and the passing of appropriate Praxis II content area exams, MAT candidates will be eligible for recommendation to the State of Indiana for an Initial Practitioner’s License under the provisions of Rules 2002.  Licensure requirements for other states vary.

Kappa Delta Pi
The Xi Eta chapter of the Kappa Delta Pi international honor society in Education was established at DePauw University in 1977.  Membership in this honorary society is open for qualified students enrolled in the MAT.  The ideals of the society are: fidelity to humanity, science, service, and toil.

Courses in the MAT Program

EDUC 510. Curriculum and Instruction A      1/2 course
This is the first of a two semester course sequence that in the first semester introduces the pre-service teacher to the art of curriculum design, which includes a range of authenic assessment protocols. In the second semester, the focus is on the implementation of curriculum that is intellectually defensible in both content and pedagogy.
 
EDUC 520. Elementary Curriculum A      1/2 course
This is the first of a two semester course sequence that emplasizes educating the pre-service teacher to teach elementary students via methodologies of instruction in literacy and language arts in the first semester and social studies, mathematics and science in the second and to examine the importance of understanding children's thinking and reasoning processes as a means of planning effective instruction.
 
EDUC 521. Elementary Curriculum B      1/2 course
Continuation of EDUC 520: Elementary Curriculum A.
 
EDUC 530. Secondary Curriculum Methods A      1/2 course
This is the first of a two semester course sequence that emphasizes educating the pre-service teacher to teach via methodologies of instruction compatible with a specific discipline and content area and to examine the importance of understanding adolescent development and reasoning processes as a means of planning effective instruction.
 
EDUC 531. Secondary Curriculum Methods B      1/2 course
Continuation of EDUC 530: Secondary Curriculum Methods A.
 
EDUC 533. Secondary Science Methods      1 course
This course is designed to provide future science teachers with the basic content and methods of teaching in a middle school and high school learning environment. Students will examine the historical context of science education; engage in concepts of social justice, science literacy, and science inquiry; teach developmentally appropriate lessons to grades 5-12 students via a variety of pedagogical strategies.
 
EDUC 534. Secondary Social Studies Methods      1 course
This course is designed to provide students with the basic content and methods of secondary social studies. The term social studies will be defined, the historical background and philosophical trends of the field examined, and the national standards in the social studies and related disciplines (history, geography, economics, the behavioral sciences, civic education and global education) examined. A variety of methods pertaining to the teaching of social studies will be introduced and practiced.
 
EDUC 540. Leadership and Reflective Teaching A      1/2 course
Leadership and reflective teaching is a two-semester long, theoretically based, interactive, and experiential exploration of educators as moral and change agents. While the first semester is largely drawn from theory and examples of leadership and reflective teaching, the second focuses on the practice of such teaching and its implications. Drawing on literatures in leadership studies, culturally and politically responsive pedagogies, feminist studies, and institutional change, the course provides pre-service teachers with an in-depth examination of the responsibilities and concrete actions of citizen educators.
 
EDUC 541. Leadership and Reflective Teaching B      1/2 course
Continuation of EDUC 540: Leadership and Reflective Teaching A
 
EDUC 550. The Learner and Learning Environment A      1/2 course
The first of a two semester course sequence that in the first semester investigates the research data on human development, cognition, motivation and assessment. In the second semester the teacher-candidate uses this information to analyze classroom interaction and outcomes and to problem-solve and implement strategies to optimize the learning environment.
 
EDUC 554. The Supervisory Process      1/2-3/4-1 course
Suitable for student teaching supervisors, mentors and school administrators. Includes strategies for inducting beginning teachers into the profession. Emphasis is placed upon observation, development, evaluation and communication.