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Be the change. Help urban students discover the power of their minds and voices through teaching.

When you enter the Clark University Master of Arts in Teaching program (MAT), you join a cohort of passionate, like-minded students, professors, and partner teachers dedicated to actively pursuing social equity and justice through careers in teaching. Our commitment to powerful pedagogy, in close partnership with urban schools, sets us apart. We are the first teacher preparation and initial licensure program to earn approval with distinction from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Our intensive one-year master’s program begins in May on the Clark University campus. By August, and for the remainder of the program, you will be fully immersed at one of five partner schools within the Worcester Public Schools system. This approach provides you the time to develop the practices and the meaningful relationships that lie at the heart of effective teaching in our urban schools.

These exceptional hands-on learning experiences are the result of carefully arranged, intentional placements that allow you to work closely with a teacher, university mentor, and a classroom of students. When you complete the program, you will be qualified for licensure and equipped to help generations of Clark alumni transform urban education.

The MAT program is an integral part of Clark’s Adam Institute for Urban Teaching and School Practice, which has formed a learning community in deep partnership with students, teachers, and schools in Clark’s Main South neighborhood. We encourage you to visit the Adam Institute’s website to learn more about the MAT program and the Adam Institute learning community, partner schools, impact, reputation, and initiatives, including the teacher diversity initiative.

Learn more on the Adam Institute website

Why a Master’s in Teaching at Clark University

  • Teach at one of our five urban partner schools, including the nationally recognized University Park Campus School, working closely with partner teachers, many of them program alumni.
  • Assume full responsibility for a class of elementary, middle school, or high school students during the majority of your graduate study.
  • Gain a competitive professional edge—most who seek to stay in Worcester are hired by the district. Nearly 50% of recent grads have secured jobs in Worcester Public Schools.
  • Deepen your learning experience through Teacher Rounds, Clark University’s signature collaborative learning practice that convenes small groups of M.A. in Teaching students, teachers, and education faculty for focused observation, inquiry, and reflection.
  • Become a part of a learning community of students, teachers, and schools in Clark’s Main South neighborhood, a partnership with  Clark’s Adam Institute for Urban Teaching and School Practice.
Teaching high school students

Helping new immigrants achieve their dreams

Assistant Professor Jie Park earned a National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship in support of her research on literacy education and development among recently arrived immigrants who are entering high school.

Recent-arrival adolescents are expected to master disciplinary knowledge and concepts while learning English as an additional language

The Essentials

Program Overview

Our curriculum will expose you to engaging coursework and immerse you in the community and school system as you learn about the philosophy of education and the unique challenges of teaching in an urban setting. Our yearlong, cohort-based program begins in May with classroom-based learning. Courses covering curriculum planning are also open to veteran teachers within the Worcester Public Schools system, creating a unique classroom environment in which experienced educators and M.A. candidates exchange perspectives and learn from each other. In August you’ll be placed in a classroom at one of our partner schools, where you will observe and assist an experienced teacher.

Over the course of the school year, you gradually assume greater responsibilities, with late afternoon coursework at Clark complementing and reinforcing practical experience gained in the classroom. By the conclusion of the program, you will qualify for teacher licensure in Massachusetts.

Master of Arts in Teaching Middle (5-8) and High School (8-12)

Term: Summer

EDUC   311      TEACHING & LEARNING I
EDUC   348      UNDERSTANDING BEST PRACTICE

One of the following Curriculum & Knowing courses, corresponding to your teaching field:

EDUC   342      CURRICULUM & KNOWING IN SCIENCE
EDUC   353      CURRICULUM & KNOWING IN ART
EDUC   354      CURRICULUM & KNOWING IN HISTORY
EDUC   355      CURRICULUM & KNOWING IN THE HUMANITIES
EDUC   357      CURRICULUM & KNOWING IN MATHEMATICS

Term: Fall

FULL-TIME CLASSROOM PLACEMENT
EDUC   308      LITERACY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
EDUC   359      TEACHING & LEARNING II (MID/SEC)
EDUC   380      TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

One of the following Ways of Knowing courses, corresponding to your teaching field:

EDUC   385      WAYS OF KNOWING IN HISTORY
EDUC   389      WAYS OF KNOWING IN THE HUMANITIES
EDUC   387      WAYS OF KNOWING IN MATHEMATICS
EDUC   386      WAYS OF KNOWING IN THE NATURAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES
EDUC   399      DIRECTED STUDY (Visual Art or Spanish, which includes second language acquisition)

Term: Spring

FULL-TIME CLASSROOM PLACEMENT
EDUC   361                  HUMAN DEVELOPMENT & LEARNING
EDUC   362                  TEACHING AND LEARNING III (Mid/Sec)
EDUC   378 or 379       PRACTICUM: SECONDARY EDUCATION Middle or Secondary

Term: Summer

EDUC   311      TEACHING & LEARNING I
EDUC   357      CURRICULUM & KNOWING IN MATHEMATICS

Term: Fall

FULL-TIME CLASSROOM PLACEMENT
EDUC   359      TEACHING & LEARNING II
EDUC   360      LITERACY DEVELOPMENT
EDUC   383      WAYS OF KNOWING IN HISTORY (half-unit course)
EDUC   384      WAYS OF KNOWING IN THE HUMANITIES (half-unit course)
EDUC   387      WAYS OF KNOWING IN MATHEMATICS 

Term: Spring

FULL-TIME CLASSROOM PLACEMENT
EDUC   361      HUMAN DEVELOPMENT & LEARNING
EDUC   362      TEACHING AND LEARNING III
EDUC   380      TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
EDUC   388      PRACTICUM: ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
EDUC   386      WAYS OF KNOWING IN THE NATURAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES

  • Assume full responsibility of a class of elementary, middle school, or high school students
  • Understand and develop solutions to the everyday challenges of teaching
  • Connect curriculum to students’ lives
  • Help students discover the power of their minds and voices
  • Recognize and meet the needs of a diverse population of students
  • Collaborate with peer educators to develop lesson plans and targeted interventions
  • Appreciate the interconnected role schools and teachers play in urban communities

Requirements

10 courses, including a teaching practicum

  • Middle- and secondary-level students take an additional course corresponding to their teaching field.

Course Catalog

Additional information about the Master of Arts in Teaching