Program Handbook

Graduate Certificate in Teaching

Master of Arts in Teaching

Online Handbook

Overview

Welcome to the possibilities in the world of teaching! It is one of the most rewarding and challenging professions
you could ever consider. As a teacher, you will touch the future.

The Graduate Certificate in Teaching leads to the initial teaching license, called the Standard Professional I license. The Graduate Certificate requires a full semester internship or full time teaching as a Lateral Entry Teacher. These courses can be applied to the Master of Arts in Teaching.
The Master of Arts in Teaching completes the Master’s level coursework started in the Graduate Certificate. Full time placement in the classroom is beneficial to complete this phase of the program.

If you are already a fully licensed teacher wishing to earn the advanced teaching license, please see our M.Ed., M.A., and M.S.A. programs

Available Programs

Child and Family Development

Birth to Kindergarten Education (B-K)

Elementary Education (K – 6)

Middle Grades Education (6–9)

English

Social Studies

Mathematics

Science

Secondary Education (9–12)

Comprehensive Science

Comprehensive Social Studies

English

Mathematics

Special Education (K–12)

General Curriculum

Adapted Curriculum

Foreign Languages (K–12)

French

Spanish

German

Fine and Performing Arts (K–12)
*Fall admits only, March 15th deadline for application.

Art*

Dance*

Theater*

Teaching English as a Second Language (K-12)

Admissions

Graduate School Application Deadlines:[1]

Fall Semester: May 1st (priority deadline) / July 15th (final deadline)

Spring Semester: October 1st (priority deadline) / November 15th (final deadline)

Summer Term: April 1st (priority deadline) / May 1st (final deadline)

Graduate Certificate in Teaching (Initial licensure only)

Criteria for admission:

(1) An undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited four-year institution.

(2) A cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0. Contact the Office of Teacher Education Advising and Licensure (704-687-8725 or trecruitment@uncc.edu) for alternative ways to demonstrate academic competence that may be used to replace this specific GPA.[2]

(3) Three recommendations from persons knowledgeable of your interaction with children or youth.

(4) Statement of purpose.

(5) Clear criminal background check.

Apply online

Master of Arts in Teaching (Advanced licensure)

Minimum criteria for admission:[3]

(1) Completion of the Graduate Certificate in Teaching.[4]

(2) A minimum graduate GPA of 3.5 in the Graduate Certificate in Teaching.[5]

(3) One recommendation from a full-time faculty member who has taught you in the Graduate Certificate in Teaching program.

(4) A statement of purpose.

Apply online

[1] The Elementary Education program has limited space available for each cohort; apply early. Some programs only admit students in the fall semester; please check with individual programs for further details.

[2]Contact the Office of Teacher Education Advising and Licensure at 704-687-8725 or trecruiter@uncc.edu for assistance with the GPA forgiveness route before applying to the Graduate Certificate in Teaching.

[3]Some programs have additional admission requirements to the M.A.T. program (higher entry GPA, required standardized tests, etc.) please check with individual programs for further details.

[4] This process includes completion of the candidacy form and application for graduation from the Graduate Certificate program. University policy requires that no course listed on a master’s student’s candidacy form be older than six years at the time of graduation. Therefore, a student must complete the full master’s program within a six year window that begins when the first class is taken in the Graduate Certificate. Application for Degree Deadlines: Summer Session I 2010 Graduation - May 25, Summer Session II 2010 Graduation - July 7, December 2010 Graduation - September 1.

[5]Students with a GPA below 3.5 in the Graduate Certificate may be considered for admission to the M.A.T. program with scores above the 30th percentile on either the GRE or Millers Analogies Test. Please check with individual programs for further details.

RALC Post-Baccalaureate student (Post-bac)

If you are seeking licensure through the Regional Alternative Licensing Center (RALC) and are not interested in the MAT or the Graduate Certificate in Teaching, you need to enter the university simply as a post-baccalaureate student. Be sure to fax your RALC plan to the Graduate School so that you will be admitted as a RALC student and become eligible for some financial aid.

Criteria for admission:

Completed Online Application
Be sure to complete the fields as below:
- College or School = “College of Education”
- Desired Degree = “Undesignated”
- Desired Major = “Regional Alternative Licensure Center”
Fax a copy of your RALC plan to the Graduate School (704-687-3279)
Once you are admitted, you should contact the departments hosting the course you need to get authorized to register
If you have questions, please contact the Teacher Recruiter/Advisor (704-687-8684) for assistance

GPA Forgiveness Post-Baccalaureate student

If you are interested in entering the Graduate Certificate in Teaching but your GPA is below the required minimum of 2.5 with favorable recommendations, you will need to enter the University as a post-baccalaureate student. Please note: There is no financial aid available for post-baccalaureate students.

Criteria for admission:

1. Completed online application:
Be sure to complete the fields as below:

College or School = “Undesignated”
Desired Degree = “Undesignated”

Desired Major = “Post-Baccalaureate: Non-Degree Program”

2. Once you are admitted, you should contact the TEAL office (704-687-8725) to get authorized to register for courses

In order to be admissible to the Graduate Certificate in Teaching program, you must complete 6 hours of coursework in the program with a 3.0 or better and pass Praxis I. During the semester you are completing your six hours and Praxis I, you will need to apply to the Graduate Certificate in Teaching.

Application deadlines for these programs are as follows:

Summer: April 1st
Fall: July 15th
Spring: November 15th
These deadlines are for completed applications! If your application is complete (full application, recommendations, transcripts, application fee and test scores if applicable) after these deadlines, it may be denied.

Program Progression

Advising assistance before you begin:

The Advisors are available by email, phone, and appointment to answer many of your questions: please call (704-687-7353) or complete a contact form online.
Advisors are available Monday – Thursday (7am – 6pm) and Friday (9am – 5pm) as well as some Saturdays. Please email Sequoya Mungo (sequoyamungo @uncc.edu) to set up an appointment.
The Graduate School holds regular orientation sessions

Once you are admitted:

You will be assigned an academic advisor once you are admitted to the M.A.T. or Graduate Certificate in Teaching. Your letter of acceptance from the Graduate School will give you a faculty contact that will either serve as your advisor or assign your advisor.
At least once a semester, you should contact your advisor by email, telephone, or appointment to make sure you are on track.
If you don't know who your advisor is, contact the department of your licensure program.

Teacher Education courses:

Most teacher education courses have targeted assessment products that are part of the overall assessment system for the licensure program and for the College of Education.
Most teacher education courses have technology assignments that can become part of your technology portfolio.
Most teacher education courses require approximately 20-30 hours of clinical activities in classrooms.
Progression into Phase II of the M.A.T. requires admission to the M.A.T.

Classroom-based placement requirements:

· Candidates who are not already teachersmust have daytime flexibility in order to schedule approximately 20-30 classroom contact hours per semester per 3-hour course. The times of classroom visitation and activities must align with course requirements; for example, activities for an elementary literacy methods course must be scheduled during literacy instruction; activities for a secondary science methods course must be scheduled in a high school science course in the area of desired licensure.

· Candidates who are fully employedas lateral entry teachers or teacher assistants may use their own classrooms for many course assignments as long as they are teaching in the field and at the level of desired licensure. Lateral entry teachers will be required to complete some clinical assignments in other classrooms or schools in order to prepare them to work with the diversity of students across grade level ranges and ability levels, as well as across a range of cultural, ethnic/racial, linguistic, economic, and regional differences. School systems and specific schools vary in their policies about permitting a teacher's assistant to fulfill student teaching internship responsibilities while still employed as a teacher's assistant.

Content courses:

Background requirements for the Standard Professional I license (Middle and High School) are most often met with undergraduate courses - either previously taken as part of the undergraduate degree or during your early graduate work
Content background courses may be available online or face-to-face at community colleges or other institutions across the state. Check with your advisor about the applicability of courses you may find elsewhere.

Technology competencies:

The state of North Carolina requires that all candidates for the Standard Professional I teaching license demonstrate certain advanced technology competencies via a portfolio of artifacts.

The College of Education has designed an electronic portfolio for the collection of these technology artifacts. Click here to see the technology portfolio.
All means of demonstrating competencies are grounded in coursework, professional practice, and the student teaching internship requirements.
Students will complete these requirements as part of their required coursework throughout the program.

Graduate student teaching/internship:

The last course in Phase I of the M.A.T. and in the Graduate Certificate in Teaching is a graduate student teaching internship. It is a supervised, full-time, semester-long experience with increasing responsibility in a classroom of your licensure field.
You must apply early in your last semester of coursework to register for this course.

Criteria to begin the internship course:

Formal admission to the Graduate Certificate in Teaching or the Master of Arts in Teaching
Completion of all professional education coursework with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and no more than two grades of C
Completion of all background coursework requirements in the teaching content area with a GPA of 2.50 or better and no grades lower than C
Documentation of completion of 15 of 18 technology requirements on the TK20 System
Documentation of field experiences in at least two diverse settings prior to graduate student teaching. You must have documentation of three diverse settings in order to obtain licensure.
If you are a public school lateral entry teacher, the student teaching internship will most likely take place in your regular classroom. However, you must be teaching in your desired field of licensure.
If you are not teaching, you will be placed in a public school classroom with a cooperating teacher who is fully licensed in your field.
If you are a private school teacher, the student teaching internship may be able to take place in your regular classroom; however, such placement is heavily regulated by the NC Department of Public Instruction requirements. Please check with the Office of Field Experiences (704-687-8802) well in advance of this semester to avoid potential problems.

Master's Research Project or Comprehensive Portfolio:

Each M.A.T. program has an approved set of options for your Capstone Experience, generally a master's research project or a comprehensive portfolio.

Graduation:

The Graduate School has strict deadlines for submitting materials for M.A.T. graduation clearance which are your responsibility!
- Candidacy form- very early in your final semester
- Application for graduation(must be completed through Banner)- very early in your final semester
- Report of completion of the Master's Research Project or Comprehensive Portfolio (completed by your advisor) - about a month before graduation
The University Bookstore is in charge of caps and gowns

Applying for Standard Professional I licensure:

Your advisor and the supervisor of your student teaching internship will help you with the licensure application process.
The TEAL office (119 COED) processes applications for the Standard Professional I license.
In times of high volume, it may take the TEAL Office 3-4 weeks to send your licensure application to DPI. It may take DPI 4-6 weeks to send the licensure to you.
The licensure application is available online.
If you have problems, contact the TEAL Office for help: 704-687-8725.

Applying for Advanced "M" licensure at the completion of the M.A.T.:

The TEAL Office processes applications for the advanced license.
The licensure application is available online.
In times of high volume, it may take the Registrar's Office up to a month after the commencement ceremony to post a graduation date to your transcript. Therefore, it may take the TEAL Office 4-5 weeks to send your licensure application to DPI. It may take DPI 4-6 weeks to send the licensure to you.
If you have problems, contact the TEAL Office for help: 704-687-8725.

Employment

Lateral Entry teaching:

Seeking a position as a lateral entry teacher means you have at least a bachelor's degree and are interested in starting teaching right away while you work on your licensure requirements. You must meet the state’s minimal requirements to become a Lateral Entry Teacher.

Employment opportunities in nearby public school systems:

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte serves 12 public school districts in the surrounding area.

Anson County Schools

Cabarrus County Schools

Charlotte-Mecklenburg

Cleveland County Schools

Gaston County Schools

Kannapolis City Schools

Iredell-Statesville Schools

Lincoln County Schools

Mooresville City Schools

Rowan-Salisbury Schools