Master of Arts in Teaching

The MAT in Elementary Education is a four-semester full-time program that offers coursework related to teaching in a grades k-5 classroom. Upon program completion, students earn an Elementary Education teacher certification with an ESOL endorsement that makes them eligible to teach grades K-6 in schools across the state of Florida.

The program fully prepares pre-service educators for a career in the field of Elementary Education. The program’s content is constructed to meet all state of Florida requirements for professional educators.

Admission to the program is on a rolling admissions basis, meaning students are admitted to the program throughout the year. The course sequence begins each fall, but some courses can be taken in the preceding spring or summer. Students can also take courses on a part-time basis.

View the USF Catalog for more information about the degree plan and program requirements. 

Yes. You may take fewer courses each semester to meet your needs and schedule. However, courses are offered during the day to allow for classroom-based assignments.

While some courses are offered online, the majority of courses are face-to-face.

Your program coordinator and academic advisor can both help you map out your plan for completing the coursework.

The program is comprised of two supervised field experiences: a two-day/week practicum and a full-time internship. In both the practicum and full time internship, students work side-by-side with an experienced classroom teacher. With guidance, students practice managing the classroom as well as planning and implementing lessons. There are also course-related field experiences throughout the program.

Students can only intern in Hillsborough County Public Schools. Guest internships are not allowed for students accepted into the program.

No, the placements for your field experiences are determined by the program faculty. In most cases, you will complete a field experiences in both a primary grade (K-2) and intermediate grade (3-5) classroom at two different school settings. You will be responsible for arranging your own transportation to the school where you are placed. Field experiences will be completed in Hillsborough County; no guest internships are allowed in other counties.

With approval from the Program Coordinator, students may also choose to complete their final internship while working as a full time teacher. This option is for students who secure a teaching position in Hillsborough County after successfully completing the practicum (EDE 6946). Internship coursework is completed while students teach full-time in a K-6 classroom. If you are interested in this option, please speak with the Program Coordinator.

The state of Florida requires that all elementary classroom teachers are endorsed to work with English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). The ESOL endorsement is a three-course sequence that is embedded in the credit hours of the program. All students will graduate with an ESOL endorsement as part of their degree program.