Delivery Methods
Locations
Virtual, Portland, Salem, or Redmond, Oregon (depends on format)
Credit Hours
36
Cost per Credit Hour
$800*
Tuition Cost for Entire Program
$28,800* (financial aid available)
* All stated financial information is subject to change.
The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) is a degree program that prepares students with a bachelor's degree to become a teacher. George Fox University's MAT program leads to Oregon PreK-12 preliminary teaching licensure in either multiple subjects for elementary school or a single subject for high school. Graduates are trained to work in public and private schools in Oregon as early childhood, elementary, middle, and high school teachers.
Fast Track Your Licensure
No matter the format or location, MAT students will be eligible for licensure after three semesters of core coursework and practicum. This means you can get a teaching job before finishing the MAT, and complete the remaining eight credits of coursework online while working. You may even qualify for development funds at your workplace to help cover the cost of those final courses.
Additionally, the practicum requirement is only one semester, which means just four months of full-time student-teaching instead of the eight months required by some other MAT programs. A two-semester practicum option is available for students who want to gain more experience prior to licensure. In the end, George Fox MAT students save time and money on their way to becoming a teacher.
Here's how it works:
Phase 1: Preliminary Teaching License (28 semester credit hours)
- Semesters 1 and 2 - Course work (part-time)
- Semester 3 - Student teaching practicum (full-time)
Students who complete these three semesters and pass all required state tests will be eligible for recommendation of teaching license. All practicum criteria must be met at the conclusion of the practicum or an additional practicum will be required. Students do not have to complete Phase 2 to begin teaching.
Phase 2: Master of Arts in Teaching (8 semester credit hours)
After completing Phase 1, students continue at their own pace online to complete the MAT.
- 4 semester credit hours of action research (required)
- 4 semester credit hours of selected course work*
*May be applied toward a specialization, such as ESOL, Reading, or SPED.
Flexible and Convenient
- Locations and Delivery Methods: Online virtual instruction or in person in Portland, Salem, or Redmond, Oregon
- Program length: 10.5 to 16 months
- Start dates: January, June, or August each year
» See which of our program formats is right for you
Add a Specialist Endorsement
By taking just 11 additional online credits (or 19 for Special Education), you can add a specialist endorsement to your degree in one of the following areas:
- English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
- Reading
- Special Education
» Learn more about our MAT Plus Endorsement option
Why Choose George Fox?
Faculty Expertise
Become a teacher alongside those who live the teaching life.
All Master of Arts in Teaching faculty are experienced PreK-12 teachers who have gone on to become leaders in teacher education. Our education faculty continuously develop curriculum and instructional strategies in which classroom practices are modeled and reinforced, providing a continuously evolving program that is relevant now and in the future.
Extensive Field Experience
Become a teacher of real kids in real classrooms and communities.
Field experiences play a critical role in becoming a teacher. During each semester, candidates develop knowledge, skills, and dispositions in a variety of settings, including:
- PreK-12 schools who partner with the program to provide quality student-teaching experiences
- Community-based teaching and learning programs
- Community-based service with local agencies providing services to children and adolescents
Cohort Model
Become a teacher through close community, teamwork and support.
Within each format and site, Master of Arts in Teaching students are assigned to a cohort of 15-20 colleagues who will become teachers together as a cohesive unit under the advisement of a School of Education faculty member. Cohorts take some classes together and act as a critical support during the intense work involved in earning a Master of Arts in Teaching degree.
Action Research
Become a teacher who understands deeply and becomes empowered through action research.
Action research is a way of thinking and teaching that continuously deepens a teacher's understanding of his or her teaching practice, the settings in which they teach, and themselves as teachers. These skills are learned through completing an action research project as an integral and central part of the Master of Arts in Teaching program.
Study Abroad
Become a teacher who is globally engaged through cross-cultural learning experiences.
Every year we offer a study abroad option for our students. Recent trips have taken students to Quito, Ecuador; Vienna, Austria; and China for two to three weeks. (Requires a minimum number of interested students)
Technology
Become a teacher in the digital world.
Emerging classroom technologies can be used to facilitate powerful learning in the classroom. The Master of Arts in Teaching program infuses and models classroom technology throughout the program.
Integrity and Values
Become a teacher with us.
We believe that becoming a teacher is about more than simply acquiring the skills and knowledge to teach. We view becoming a teacher as a journey of transformation, radically changing the mental and spiritual facets of ourselves. The Master of Arts in Teaching faculty and staff strive to walk beside each candidate in this transforming journey, providing support, pointing the way, and sometimes asking the hard questions that can catalyze critical moments of growth. Our faculty and staff strive to guide candidates in Jesus' spirit of gentleness and persistence.