Education: Initial Licensure in Middle Education Concentration, M.A.T.

Program Mission and Goals

This Master of Arts in Teaching pathway with a concentration in middle education is designed specifically for, and only available to, candidates who already possess an undergraduate degree and who decide to pursue a teaching license after graduation or at the end of their undergraduate career. In addition, after a thorough transcript review, candidates must meet all required content area competencies for their chosen area of instruction as set forth by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) in order to be eligible for a Virginia teaching license in middle education upon completion of this program.

This three-semester graduate licensure program starts with foundational pedagogical concepts and skills, with the subsequent semesters building on those experiences. Candidates who complete the program will participate in field experiences in addition to student teaching, as well as be fully equipped with essential teacher “tool-kit” skills for successful classroom instruction. If a candidate has content area coursework remaining, their program may extend beyond three semesters in order to meet all requirements for licensure. 

Graduates of this program will:

• Learn how to be an educator through hands-on and practical learning experiences
• Design and deliver curricula that effectively impact student learning
• Implement cutting-edge best practices for classroom instruction
• Value diversity of and collaborate with colleagues, parents and students
• Experience fieldwork hours in diverse school settings in addition to student teaching
• Learn from nationally recognized faculty who consistently deliver real, formative support
• Be reflective practitioners who continually evaluate their instruction
• Value lifelong learning, engage in professional development and conduct educational research
• Help alleviate the Virginia teacher shortage

*Our programs specifically prepare students for a Virginia Teaching License. Contact the Education Support Center for more information on how to be eligible for an out-of-state license after completion of our program.

Admission Criteria

Program pre-requisites:

• An undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university.
• A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.7 or above.
• Grade of “C” or higher in a “foundations of education and the teaching profession” course. JMU’s EDUC 200 Foundations of Education in the United States satisfies this requirement.
• Grade of “C” or higher in a “human development and learning (birth through adolescence)” course. JMU’s PSYC 160 Life Span Human Development satisfies this requirement.
• Credit for a “C” or higher in a college level writing course.
• Passing score on the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (sent to MSME Department).
• Passing score on the Praxis Core Math Assessment or satisfactory SAT/ACT math section score (sent to MSME Department; contact for more information).                                         

Application Requirements:

• Resume (upload with online application)
• Virginia passing score on the Praxis Subject Assessment. Candidates may be conditionally admitted to the program but must submit a passing score to the JMU Education Support Center prior to beginning more than 12 credit hours of M.A.T. graduate coursework
• Interview with Academic Unit Head (will be scheduled after submission of application)

Degree Requirements

Candidates must complete 36 hours of graduate coursework including student teaching and a comprehensive action research project. All graduate-level coursework must be completed with a grade of B- or better. In addition, all content area course requirements must be met in order to be eligible for a teaching license.