Master of Arts in Teaching

View information for the Department of Teacher Education

Derek Riddle, Ph.D., Program Director

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program is designed to provide an accelerated pathway for individuals to obtain both a teaching credential and a master’s degree concurrently. This innovative program aims to prepare educators who are not only skilled in pedagogical practices but also deeply committed to fostering humanizing, inclusive and equitable learning environments. The program is particularly focused on supporting and uplifting the cultural assets and linguistic resources of Latinx communities and other groups who have been historically disenfranchised and marginalized. The program is anchored in anti-racist teaching practices and is committed to advancing social and racial justice, equity, and inclusion within K-12 educational settings. By anchoring the program in anti-racist teaching practices, it is expected that students will be able to interpret how power, structures, privilege, oppression, agency and/or resistance shape classroom spaces, school policies, and pedagogy. By integrating these principles, the MAT program seeks to cultivate educators who can effectively create classroom spaces that recognize and celebrate students’ diverse backgrounds, while also responding to their needs.

The Master of Arts in Teaching Program graduates will demonstrate expectation for perservice teacher performance set forth by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. They will especially demonstrate they can:

• Engage and support all students in learning (TPE 1)
• Create and maintain effective environment for learning (TPE 2)
• Organize subject matter for student learning (TPE 3)
• Plan instruction and design learning experiences for all students (TPE 4)
• Assess student learning (TPE 5)
• Develop as a professional educator (TPE 6)
• Provide effective literacy instruction for all students (TPE 7)

Students in the Master of Arts in Teaching Program will: 

• MAT candidates will design lessons that draw upon students’ cultural and linguistic strengths and learning needs, using anti-racist, social justice, inclusive, humanizing, and equity-based strategies that honor and uplift the diverse backgrounds of all students.
• MAT candidates will design frameworks to establish inclusive, safe, and equitable routines, procedures, and behavioral expectations while maintaining high expectations for all students and actively confronting and dismantling systemic barriers to learning.
• MAT candidates will design lessons both individually and in collaboration with other educators and community members, ensuring the lessons are accessible, aligned with state standards, and draw upon the knowledge and experiences of Latinx students and other historically marginalized groups.
• MAT candidates will collect and analyze data from formative and summative assessments to drive instructional decisions, ensuring that assessment practices are equitable and responsive to the diverse assets, strengths, and learning needs of students.
• MAT candidates will critically reflect on their teaching practices through an anti-racist and social/racial justice lens, demonstrating professional responsibility for all aspects of student learning and continuously improving to better serve diverse populations.
• MAT candidates plan and implement evidence-based literacy instruction that incorporates asset-based pedagogies, inclusive approaches, and culturally and linguistically affirming and sustaining practices.
• MAT candidates will utilize scholarship and research methodology to address relevant questions and contribute to the broader K-12 discourse that advances social/racial justice, equity, and inclusion.