Master of arts (M.A.)
About the program
Individuals seeking secondary teacher certification (grades 6-12) at WMU must apply for the Master of Arts in Secondary Education program. Candidates for this competitive program must hold a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and demonstrate prior experience with youth in formal education settings. This residential program provides a thirteen-month intensive program of study, with an emphasis on a full year clinical experience with local schools. Candidates will also complete a capstone project based on teacher action research.
Program strengths
- Increased emphasis on integration of pedagogy, methods and content-area skills. Bachelor's degree in subject area provides extensive content knowledge.
- One-year intensive master's degree format
- Yearlong, supervised internship experience from the start of the public school year in August through the end of the school year in June
- Cohort program of 25 or fewer students led by full-time faculty members utilizing a team teaching approach
- Structured co-teaching models with mentor teacher to increase support
Program structure
The MAT in Secondary Education is a thirteen-month intensive cohorted program of study that includes coursework in foundations of education and pedagogy, as well as a year-long clinical experience in local schools.
View the program structure.
Pathways to the WMU MAT in Secondary Education Program
Because this program is a post-baccalaureate degree, there are different pathways for admission. The undergraduate pathway includes WMU undergraduates (e.g., current undergraduates, incoming freshman and transfer students) who plan to earn a BS prior to pursuing a teacher certification may engage in education-related exploration in their CAS program to prepare for application to the program. Candidates who hold a Bachelor’s degree may apply after a transcript evaluation to determine whether their completed coursework meets the requirements of the content area program to which they are applying.
The post-baccalaureate pathway is for individuals who hold a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution who plan to pursue teacher certification. The pathway for post-baccalaureate candidates involves choosing a teachable subject area(s) and having transcripts reviewed for approved discipline coursework. Completion of the 13-month master’s degree in secondary education leads to both the degree as well as recommendation to the state of Michigan for teacher certification.