I'm thinking about getting one...started the application tonight..any suggestions? I already have a master's, so this would just be for the sake of certification/career restart after being an SAHM....
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Bumping this since I posted it on a Sunday night. Also, "an" or "a"? My first instinct was "an" but both look funny to me.
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What is your master's in and how many years of career experience do you have? In my state there used to be / they are working on a alternative route to licensure that you do not need a MAT to teach. I've talked to my local university and they suggested a MAT degree if I wanted to teach right now but said I could wait until the alternative program was approved if I didn't want to go that route.
From what I understand the alternative program for someone with a bachelors and 5+ years experience used to be 1 semester of courses (sometimes ecourses) and then 1 year of student teaching, now it'll be at least 2 years of student teaching but no other specifics have been decided yet.
I'm debating a career change but it all depends on how the program turns out I don' t want to go back to school for 45+ credit hours when I have a decent job.ETA: It's crazy that you bumped it while I was responding
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Depends how you're pronouncing it. "An MAT" if you're spelling out the letters, "A MAT" if you're saying MAT as the entire word.
Bumping for you!
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@jetsa: Oh wow that is really bizarre! Great minds think alike!
I have a degree in English and I actually took all the courses to certify to teach, I just didn't do the student teaching. I also have a master's in communication with 18 hours in English. I looked around and GA does have an alternative program called TAPP, but the kicker is--- you have to have a job already before you can enroll in the program. I emailed around to some of the jobs that are open at the moment and only one person got back to me saying they'd be willing to look at an application from someone who isn't certified. So I started the application and it won't let me complete it until I put in my certification credentials (a number).
I also have 5 years of college teaching experience; I dunno if that counts for anything!
The MAT program I am looking at takes 18 months and it is 33 credit hours. I just saw that you can transfer up to 9 hours of (graduate, I assume) credits, which is basically the equivalent of a semester's worth of work, so maybe if they let me transfer those hours I could get it done in 12 months: one semester of courses, and one semester of student teaching. It is online or hybrid (well, it is a local brick-and-mortar public university, but the classes are online).
@Freckles: I definitely say "EM AYE TEE" so for me, it would be "an," but then when it is written out, it looks funny!
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I think the thread title might've thrown people. I wasn't quite positive what a MAT was... I have a Master's in Ed though... To get certification, you need a Credential Program, not a Masters. And for salary, it doesn't matter which field your Masters is in, so I'd say no!
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@Mrs Green Grass: An MAT is basically just the last two years of an education degree, but with grad classes instead of undergrad. It is like, one semester of Intro to Ed. classes (foundations, psych, etc.), and one semester of content classes (graduate level). The last year is just student teaching the way it regularly would be if you got an undergrad degree that came with certification.
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Most certification programs in CA are just one year and include student teaching. (Not connected to undergrad.) Are there any like that around you?
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: ahh I see, it's all hypothetical for me right now, but 12 months sounds pretty good. Although it's crazy to me that you've got college teaching experience and can't teach at a school.
It looks like every states different and IL (my state) is making sure we have the longest program out there.
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@Mrs Green Grass: oh wow that's so different from here! Here the typical route is doing an undergrad degree and getting certified as a part of that. There is an alternative program available but you already have to be placed in the school and right now hiring is down so most of the jobs are being snapped up by people who are already certified. The other option would be the MAT program, for those who want to teach, have an undergrad degree already, but can't line up a job so they need the student teaching, which is coordinated through the university.
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@jetsa: I know that is so lame ! But I guess I don't know a lot about curriculum, standards. etc. I just make up my own class on the college level and no one cares!
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Weird! Well the job market really is something to consider. It's been extremely hard to get a job in my district for the past 6-8 years. most of my friends had to sub for a couple of years before they got real contracts.
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@Mrs Green Grass: the job market isn't wonderful here but if you want to teach the right thing there are openings. In my rural area, there are 4 secondary math jobs open right now but I'm not licensed yet.
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@Mrs. Sketchbook: that makes sense I guess but is still frustrating. That's what the semester of courses are on before I could student teach.
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