MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING (MAT)
EARLY CHILDHOODUCATION ( P - 3 )

The Master of Arts in Teaching Program in Early Childhood Education is a 36 credit program designed to provide graduate students with a master's degree as well as an initial certification to teach preschool through third grade (P-3). Students who apply to this program must hold a bachelor's degree in a liberal arts field, complete the Graduate Admissions & Support Services Application, and meet the Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services requirements. In addition, applicants must provide evidence of substantial and meaningful experience with groups of children.
Students who have not taken the prerequisite courses as part of their undergraduate work are responsible for taking these courses as part of their work programs.

Core Courses (15 Semester Hours)
ECEL 501, Perspectives on Early Childhood and Elementary Education in a Diverse Society (10 hours field experience) 3
ECEL 518, Families, Schools, Communities: Diversity, Culture, Democracy
OR
ECSE 508, Partnerships with Families: Early Childhood Special Education 3
READ 500, The Nature of Reading 3
ELRS 503, Methods of Research 3
Choose one of the following:
ECSE 519, Language and Early Literacy Development 3
READ 600, Workshop: Contemporary Issues in Reading 3

Content/Methods Courses (9 Semester Hours)
MATH 577, Math Education in Elementary Schools 3
ECEL 517, Integrating Science and Technology in Early Childhood and Elementary Classrooms 3
ECEL 516, Social Studies and the Arts: Understanding Democracy in Elementary Classrooms 3

Professional Sequence Courses (12 Semester Hours)
ECEL 528, Early Childhood Curriculum in Inclusive Settings 3
ECEL 510, Clinical Experience I: Inclusive Early Childhood and Elementary Settings 2
ECEL 502, Seminar I: Inclusive Early Childhood and Elementary Classrooms 1
ECEL 511, Clinical Experience II: Inclusive Early Childhood and Elementary Settings
OR
ECEL 514, In-service Supervised Graduate Student Teaching 5
ECEL 504, Seminar II: Inclusive Early Childhood and Elementary Classrooms 1

Additional Student Responsibilities:

• Students are responsible for seeking advisement from their academic advisor for registration and completion of degree requirements.
• Students are responsible for completing the Physiology and Hygiene requirement and Speech requirement for state certification.
• Any student who has not completed the equivalent of one semester of general psychology, and two semesters of child development as an undergraduate must take the courses at the graduate level.
• All MAT students must register to take the Comprehensive Exam during the Clinical I semester. The exam is administered once in the spring and fall semesters. Registration for the fall exam is due October 1st and February 15th for the spring exam. Registration forms and information on the Comprehensive Exam may be found on the department website.
• It is the student's responsibility to be familiar with all policies designated in the Graduate Catalog and the current Center of Pedagogy Teacher Education Handbook.
• Students are required to apply to the Center of Pedagogy for Clinical I placement the semester before placement begins.
• In order to complete the program, students must file the proper audit forms in the Registrar's Office October 1 for May graduation, March 1 for August graduation, and June 1 for January graduation.
• Applications for Certification are required to be submitted to the Registrar's Office during the following period: October 15 to November 15 for January graduation, March 15 to April 15 for May graduation, and July 1 to August 1 for August graduation.
• Any variation from this work program must be approved by the Office of Graduate Admissions & Support Services through the proper filing of a substitution form.

TO APPLY TO THIS PROGRAM, PLEASE VISIT http://www.montclair.edu/graduate/prospective/app.shtml