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.
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.
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.
—Jie Park, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
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.
10 courses, including a teaching practicum
- Middle- and secondary-level students take an additional course corresponding to their teaching field.
Your M.A.T. degree qualifies you for teacher licensure in Massachusetts, which is reciprocal with a number of other states through the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement. Clark’s program prepares graduates for a seamless transition into virtually any school. Nearly 50% of recent graduates have gone on to secure jobs in Worcester Public Schools, underscoring the strength of our longstanding partnership with our local community.
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.
Clark graduates achieve success as classroom teachers and educational administrators throughout Massachusetts, the northeastern U.S., and beyond.
“The M.A.T. program provided me with exactly the skills and mindset required to become a successful, mindful, and influential educator for the young minds I have the privilege to work with every day. I learned valuable lessons about teaching, learning, resilience, patience, and the importance of providing a supportive and loving model for children from high-risk, high-need communities.”
—Vanessa Dopke, MAT ’17
Frequently Asked Questions
What teaching skills will I learn?
- 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
What is the coursework?
Coursework: M.A. in Teaching Middle (5-8) and High School (8-12)
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
Coursework: M.A. in Teaching Elementary Grades 1 – 6
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
Faculty research areas
Sarah Michaels
Professor
Developing rigorous, coherent, and equitable classroom discourse
Professor Michaels is involved in research projects that focus on academically productive talk in math, science, and English language arts, from pre-kindergarten through high school.
Rosa Nam
Associate Professor of Practice
Exploring diverse adolescent literature
Professor Nam’s research focus includes critical literacy, contemporary diverse adolescent literature, and AsianCrit.
Carmen Ocón
Associate Professor of Practice
Working collaboratively in underserved communities
Professor Ocón focuses on educational policy, critical literacy, and sociocultural representations inside urban classrooms.
Jie Park
Associate Professor
Examining adolescent literacy and language practices
Professor Park studies how first-generation immigrant students acquire academic discourses, and what cultural and linguistic resources they bring to their schooling.
Raphael Rogers
Associate Professor of Practice
Enhancing student engagement with school
Professor Rogers explores interventions and methods that enhance student engagement with school and learning.
Nastasia Lawton-Stickor
Research Scientist
Understanding students’ self-constructed identities
Professor Lawton-Stickor collaborates with youth to understand identity construction, perceptions of learning, and perspectives on social issues in the context of their school, social, and family lives.
Katerine Bielaczyc
Associate Professor
New approaches to teaching and learning
Professor Bielaczyc develops technological and social infrastructures to create knowledge for personal, pedagogical, and systemic transformation. She also serves as director of the Hiatt Center for Urban Education.
Thomas Del Prete
Professor of Practice
Forming partnerships for success
Professor Del Prete focuses on university partnerships, urban teacher education, secondary school reform, and spirituality. He serves as director of the Adam Institute for Urban Teaching and School Practice.
Eric DeMeulenaere
Associate Professor
Analyzing the intersection of athletics and education
Professor DeMeulenaere has conducted research on high school sports participation, the relationship of school culture to educational change, frameworks for a “pedagogy of trust,” and media literacy.
Holly Dolan
Professor of Practice
Integrating new methods into the classroom
Professor Dolan focuses on facilitating the integration of a specially designed pre-K Number Worlds math program with “Accountable Talk” in several pre-school classrooms in Springfield, MA.
Letina Jeranyama
Associate Professor of Practice
New models for teacher professional development
Professor Jeranyama conducts research focused on secondary-level education, including an investigation into using the “rounds” model of teacher professional development supported by the Adam Institute.
Sarah Michaels
Professor
Developing rigorous, coherent, and equitable classroom discourse
Professor Michaels is involved in research projects that focus on academically productive talk in math, science, and English language arts, from pre-kindergarten through high school.
Rosa Nam
Associate Professor of Practice
Exploring diverse adolescent literature
Professor Nam’s research focus includes critical literacy, contemporary diverse adolescent literature, and AsianCrit.
Carmen Ocón
Associate Professor of Practice
Working collaboratively in underserved communities
Professor Ocón focuses on educational policy, critical literacy, and sociocultural representations inside urban classrooms.
Jie Park
Associate Professor
Examining adolescent literacy and language practices
Professor Park studies how first-generation immigrant students acquire academic discourses, and what cultural and linguistic resources they bring to their schooling.
Raphael Rogers
Associate Professor of Practice
Enhancing student engagement with school
Professor Rogers explores interventions and methods that enhance student engagement with school and learning.
Nastasia Lawton-Stickor
Research Scientist
Understanding students’ self-constructed identities
Professor Lawton-Stickor collaborates with youth to understand identity construction, perceptions of learning, and perspectives on social issues in the context of their school, social, and family lives.
Katerine Bielaczyc
Associate Professor
New approaches to teaching and learning
Professor Bielaczyc develops technological and social infrastructures to create knowledge for personal, pedagogical, and systemic transformation. She also serves as director of the Hiatt Center for Urban Education.
Thomas Del Prete
Professor of Practice
Forming partnerships for success
Professor Del Prete focuses on university partnerships, urban teacher education, secondary school reform, and spirituality. He serves as director of the Adam Institute for Urban Teaching and School Practice.
Eric DeMeulenaere
Associate Professor
Analyzing the intersection of athletics and education
Professor DeMeulenaere has conducted research on high school sports participation, the relationship of school culture to educational change, frameworks for a “pedagogy of trust,” and media literacy.
Holly Dolan
Professor of Practice
Integrating new methods into the classroom
Professor Dolan focuses on facilitating the integration of a specially designed pre-K Number Worlds math program with “Accountable Talk” in several pre-school classrooms in Springfield, MA.
Letina Jeranyama
Associate Professor of Practice
New models for teacher professional development
Professor Jeranyama conducts research focused on secondary-level education, including an investigation into using the “rounds” model of teacher professional development supported by the Adam Institute.
Sarah Michaels
Professor
Developing rigorous, coherent, and equitable classroom discourse
Professor Michaels is involved in research projects that focus on academically productive talk in math, science, and English language arts, from pre-kindergarten through high school.
Academic Excellence. Global Reach. Career Success.
Join our supportive community of scholars. Ready to take the next step?