Each M.A.T. degree in a foreign language area prepares graduates for teaching with professional licensure at the K-12 levels in a specific language. M.A.T. degrees are available in the foreign language areas of French, German, and Spanish.

Learning Outcomes

• Candidates (a) demonstrate a high level of proficiency in the target language, and they seek opportunities to strengthen their proficiency (See the following supporting explanation and rubrics for required levels of proficiency.); (b) know the linguistic elements of the target language system, recognize the changing nature of language, and accommodate for gaps in their own knowledge of the target language system by learning on their own; and (c) know the similarities and differences between the target language and other languages, identify the key differences in varieties of the target language, and seek opportunities to learn about varieties of the target language on their own.
• Candidates (a) demonstrate that they understand the connections among the perspectives of a culture and its practices and products, and they integrate the cultural framework for foreign language standards into their instructional practices; (b) recognize the value and role of literary and cultural texts and use them to interpret and reflect upon the perspectives of the target cultures over time; and (c) integrate knowledge of other disciplines into foreign language instruction and identify distinctive viewpoints accessible only through the target language.
• Candidates (a) demonstrate an understanding of language acquisition at various developmental levels and use this knowledge to create a supportive classroom learning environment that includes target language input and opportunities for negotiation of meaning and meaningful interaction and (b) develop a variety of instructional practices that reflect language outcomes and articulated program models and address the needs of diverse language learners.
• Candidates (a) demonstrate an understanding of the goal areas and standards of the Standards for Foreign Language Learning and their state standards, and they integrate these frameworks into curricular planning; (b) integrate the Standards for Foreign Language Learning and their state standards into language instruction; and (c) use standards and curricular goals to evaluate, select, design, and adapt instructional resources.
• Candidates (a) believe that assessment is ongoing, and they demonstrate knowledge of multiple ways of assessment that are age- and level-appropriate by implementing purposeful measures; (b) reflect on the results of student assessments, adjust instruction accordingly, analyze the results of assessments, and use success and failure to determine the direction of instruction; and (c) interpret and report the results of student performances to all stakeholders and provide opportunity for discussion.
• Candidates (a) engage in professional development opportunities that strengthen their own linguistic and cultural competence and promote reflection on practice and (b) know the value of foreign language learning to the overall success of all students and understand that they will need to become advocates with students, colleagues, and members of the community to promote the field.

Degree Requirements (48 Hours)

All candidates must complete 21 hours of graduate course work focusing specifically on their respective language and specific language-teaching area, and 27 hours of graduate course work in professional education more generally, as well as fulfill all other requirements for Class I licensure. Course work in a respective language should cover a range of topics in the areas of linguistics, literature, culture, and the teaching of the respective language, and should be taken in consultation with the student’s academic advisor in order to prepare for the MAT comprehensive exam.  A breakdown of required courses across the Spanish, French, and German programs are as follows: