Teaching: Secondary Education

This program is offered in-person.

This program offers a unique opportunity to earn both a teaching certification for grades 6-12 and a master’s degree within a cohort, 13-month program. Using dynamic and relevant curriculum with a focus on culturally responsive instruction, full-time faculty model learner-centered instructional practices. Candidates experience learning in a supportive cohort community of learners. A full year internship provides candidates with extensive personalized support from mentor teachers as well as program faculty. Secondary education candidates can enter this program through two main pipelines: WMU pre-education undergraduate content degree with an education focus, or with a content degree from WMU or an outside accredited institution.

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.

Why secondary education at Western Michigan University?

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
The College of Arts and Sciences provides the liberal arts core of the university, offering academic programs in the sciences, social sciences and humanities.
Our knowledgeable and supportive faculty will prepare candidates for a lifetime of innovating, adapting, learning and leading through immersive learning experiences.

High demand

It is estimated that we will need 69 million new teachers by 2030 to meet global education goals.
_{- United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization}

"I wouldn't trade my WMU experience for the world. My classes are amazing and I never feel like support is out of reach."

_{- Jordan O'Neal, Student (Read more)}

Additional information

Who should apply?

Incoming freshman, current WMU undergraduate students, or those who hold a bachelor's degree that have the goal of becoming a secondary education teacher.
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 bachelor's degree 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.
INCOMING FRESHMAN OR TRANSFER CURRENT UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
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.
CURRENT BACHELOR'S DEGREE HOLDER
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