Teaching with Early Childhood PreK-3 Certification, M.A.T

The MAT allows those holding a bachelor’s degree to pursue Early Childhood: PreKindergarten-Grade 3 teacher certification and a master’s degree in just 37 semester credit hours.  After completing the required coursework, aspiring teachers will have a firm grasp of early childhood pedagogy and content as well as effective classroom management, general instruction, and approaches to cultural differences and exceptionalities among students in today’s classrooms.  Graduates will be prepared to enter the education field as leaders who can play an instrumental role in students’ lives.

Students have three options for completing the field experiences and clinical teaching requirements.

• Option 1: Placement in a classroom with a trained mentor teacher at one of UHCL’s partner school districts. In this option, students may choose to complete a paid teacher residency with select partner school districts. 
• Option 2: Students who work as an Educational Aide in a Preschool through 3rd-grade classroom in a Texas public school will be able to complete all of their field experiences and clinical teaching in that position. 
• Option 3: Students may complete an Internship as the Teacher of Record in a Texas public school. This option requires students to be hired by the school district, complete the required Pre-Internship coursework and field experiences, and pass the Science of Teaching Reading and Early Childhood: Preschool-Grade 3 Generalist TExES exams BEFORE applying for the Internship Certificate from the Texas Education Agency.