Education, Elementary Education (PreK-6), M.A.T.

The Elementary Education M.A.T program is a continuation of the undergraduate program. Candidates in this five-year-program are prepared to teach students in grades PreK-6. The program is approved by the Virginia Department of Education and successful graduates of the program receive a Virginia Teaching License for PreK-6.

Admission Criteria

All criteria are considered when reviewing the candidates for admission to the Elementary Education program. To be fully admitted to the Elementary Education M.A.T. degree program, candidates must have successfully met:

• All requirements for admission to teacher education.
• All requirements for admission to The Graduate School, including:
• Successful completion of JMU undergraduate degree with an IDLS major and ELED minor
• Undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or better
• Passing scores on Praxis Subject Assessment - Elementary Education Multiple Subjects

Program Mission and Outcomes

The Master of Arts in Elementary Education (PreK-6) initial licensure program seeks to foster in its candidates:

• an understanding of the ways that children are affected by social contexts and by the children’s own abilities/disabilities.
• the knowledge and pedagogical skills to support each child’s success.

These school professionals will:

• critically challenge conventional wisdom and common practices to identify hidden assumptions and activities that constrain or privilege some at the expense of others;
• openly consider and explore a range of teaching philosophies and practices and their relevance in particular contexts;
• ask questions and develop an inquiring approach;
• reflect deeply on relationships with their own families, peers, and university and school mentors and their students;
• express knowledge, skills and attitudes in ways that communicate the creative and academic expression of the profession and the self;
• develop an appreciation for the global connection of all humanity and our interdependence on the finite, natural resources of the earth;
• experience life among people whose social contexts are unlike their own to broaden and deepen their respect of and sensitivity to various cultures and social contexts; and
• appreciate the complexity of human development from conception throughout the period of childhood/preadolescence.

Program Description

The Master of Arts in Teaching program prepares candidates to teach students in grades PreK-6. Drawn from research and theories in child development, teaching and learning, the course work and field experiences prepare teacher candidates to employ an interdisciplinary approach to instruction that reflects an understanding of the diverse nature of learners and their families.