Secondary Teacher Education (Alternate Route) MAT

Program-at-a-Glance (Graduate)

Credit Hours:

Total Hours: 33

Cost per Credit Hour:

$519.12

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Completion Time:

4 semesters *contingent on finding employment

Accreditation:

CAEP

Special Requirements:

Official Praxis Core or ACT score of 21 or better or 3.0 or better on last 60 hours attempted

Learn more about this program:

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If you’re looking to transition into a teaching role, the Alternate Route program for a Secondary Teaching Degree from The University of Southern Mississippi can help you get into your own classroom in as little as one summer! If you have a bachelor’s degree in a field other than teaching, this is your chance to instill knowledge, confidence and growth to your students!

Teaching children is a valuable skill, and the demand for teachers is soaring. With a Secondary Teacher Education (Alternative Route) MAT degree from The University of Southern Mississippi, you could be ready to fill that need as soon as next fall. This 33-credit hour online program is a licensure option for students who wish to teach in a secondary class room for grades 7-12 while also earning a master’s degree. Our program guides you from the online classroom to your own classroom with the luxury of obtaining a master’s degree while you teach.

The online Alternate Route degree puts you on a path to licensure that includes a 9-credit hours of summer courses that prepares you to apply to the Mississippi Department of Education for a three-year non-renewable alternate route license and seek employment in a Mississippi school district. If you’re interested in teaching, our alternate route degree is set up to give you the opportunity to build on the knowledge and skills you already have to support your teaching abilities, rather than start from scratch. Looking for more? Our enrollment coaches are here to help. Click here for more info! This is your life, plus college!

A number of scholarship opportunities are available for online students! Our Online Student Scholarship gives first time, fully online students an opportunity for $500 towards their first semester. To get started with our Online Student Scholarship, or to view our list of available scholarships for which you may qualify, visit our Student Scholarship page now!

Check out these areas you can specialize:

Art
Biology
Business Education
Chemistry
English
French
Health
Home Economics

Library Media
Mathematics
Physical Education
Physics
Social Studies
Spanish

Course Requirements (33 hours)

Course	Credits
Adolescent Literacy in the Content Areas	3 hrs.
Curriculum in the Secondary School	3 hrs.
Management and Organization of Diverse Classrooms	3 hrs.
Field Problems	3 hrs.
Seminar in Secondary Education	3 hrs.
Secondary Education Methods	3 hrs.
Educational Research: Interpretation and Applications
Field Problems	3 hrs.
Technology in Education	3 hrs.
Assessing Student Outcomes	3 hrs.
The Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children	3 hrs.

Additional Note

Please note that the above information is meant to be a guide and is not official. For further information regarding courses for this degree, see the University Bulletin. Please be aware that not all course choices listed in the University Bulletin are available online. However, sufficient online options are available to complete this degree.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does this program admit?

The online alternate route teaching degree admits students in the fall, spring, and summer. However, in order to acquire the initial teaching license, students much complete the summer courses.

Does this program lead to initial licensure or an upgraded license in Mississippi or any other state?

Licensure requirements and approval are determined by each state’s licensing board. For additional information about professional licensure, please review the Professional Licensure Disclosures web page.

Is financial aid available?

Because the online alternate route teaching degree ends with a Master’s degree, you can receive financial aid.

What are the costs?

To find pricing information, visit our pricing page. For financial aid information, view our financial aid page. For detailed tuition information, visit our business services page.

Do you offer Senior Citizen tuition discounts?

The University of Southern Mississippi provides a Senior Citizen Tuition Scholarship Program for Mississippi residents age 62 or older. Legal residents of the State of Mississippi age 62 or older may enroll tuition-free in a maximum of six (6) semester hours for the fall or spring term. Courses on all campuses (Online, Hattiesburg, and Gulf Coast) are available to senior citizens on a space available, first come first serve basis. This scholarship program applies to fall and spring courses only.

To inquire about the availability of this scholarship, contact Precia Pedersen at precia.pedersen@usm.edu or the registrar’s office.

Are there scholarships available for grad students?

Yes! To view all the funding resources available to graduate students, please visit the Graduate Admissions Funding Resources page.

I forgot to apply for my license. Now when I log in, I don’t have a program verification. What should I do?

Contact the Program Coordinator. In conjunction with USM’s licensure official, we will do what we can to assist you.

I hold an endorsement to teach social studies but my hiring district has asked me to teach Spanish on an emergency basis. What should I do?

Speak with the Program Coordinator before agreeing to the new position because it could impact USM’s ability to observe you during the internship courses.

I’ve heard about a special, nonrenewable license. What is that?

Under state law (June 2016), alternate route candidates can receive a special, nonrenewable license at a district’s request so long as they are currently enrolled in and making progress towards an alternate route certificate or degree. USM’s role is minimal. USM simply verifies to your district and/or the state that you are enrolled. It will be up to you to communicate to your district and to ensure that you have met their requirements under this law.

I submitted my licensure application and my paperwork for supplemental endorsements, but now I have received a letter saying I must send my transcripts. Didn’t USM do that for me?

USM’s Registrar’s Office will not automatically send your transcripts to MDE. You can order them online through your Student Center in SOAR or through the Registrar’s website. They will send them electronically and you should get an email when they go out.

MDE sent me a letter saying my application is deficient and that I’m missing test scores and transcripts. Didn’t USM send those for me?

No, USM did not and cannot send these materials on your behalf.

Are we responsible for securing a job ourselves, or is there a way to get help with that?

You are responsible for securing a teaching position in a Mississippi public school with a new teacher induction program in an endorsed content area. If we hear of schools that need positions filled, we will certainly get the word out to you via our Facebook page. We suggest using the Securing a Teaching Position help document above to guide you.

Is the internship supervised? How does supervision look; is it part of another class?

Once you have secured a job, you take two (MAT) internship classes. CIS 694 is our fall semester internship class. CIS 794 is our spring semester internship class. The faculty member assigned to that class communicates with you on regularly for the semester. Additionally, there are assignments that she/he will ask of you. Visitations to your site by the supervisor will be coordinated with you as well.

Can I teach without taking the internship course?

Yes, if your district wants to hire you. However, candidates should realize that they can never convert a 3-year, nonrenewable license to a 5-year, renewable license without the internship courses. As a result, the 3-year license will expire, you will no longer hold a viable teaching license, and you may lose your teaching position.

I am thinking about taking some courses at another institution. Will these count at USM if I want to do the MAT?

Using your transcripts, we can look at the possibility of transferring up to 9 graduate credit hours from another institution for the MAT. These evaluations are done by the Program Coordinator on a case-by-case basis. Courses cannot be transferred for certificate programs like TMI.

I am not ready to graduate. How do I defer graduation?

The candidate will need to complete the Graduation Deferment Form to change the date of graduation. There may be fees associated with the deferment.

I filled out my graduation application and I paid my graduation or certificate completion fee. What do I do with the forms and the receipt?

Please print the form – sign and send to the Program Coordinator to sign (scan & email). There are fees associated with graduation or certificate completion. To pay the fees, go to the Graduate School website. Pay the fee and the late fees as applicable. Send the receipt payment with the application form to the Program Coordinator.

Admission Requirements

COVID-19 Guidance: For the latest guidance related to Educator Preparation and Licensure please refer to USM Educator Preparation COVID-19 Updates.

The Master of Arts in Teaching, Secondary Teacher Education (Alternate Route), is a 33-hour fully online program designed for those who wish to become classroom teachers and who have already earned a bachelor’s degree in an area other than education. During the first summer term of enrollment, the student completes a nine credit hour licensure block of coursework. Upon successful completion of these courses, the student is eligible for an initial, 3-year non-renewable teaching license. With this license, the student secures full-time employment as a classroom teacher with a Mississippi school district. During the first year of employment, the student enrolls in two teaching internship courses, receives mentoring from a fellow classroom teacher, and receives support and supervision from a university faculty member. After successfully completing one full year of teaching and the two internship courses, the student is eligible for a 5-year renewable teaching license.

The program offers pathways to licensure in the following content areas: Art (grades K-12), Biology (grades 7-12), Business Education (grades 7-12), Chemistry (grades 7-12), English (grades 7-12), French (grades K-12), Health (grades 7-12), Home Economics (grades 7-12), Library Media (grades K-12), Mathematics (grades 7-12), Physical Education (grades K-12), Physics (grades 7-12), Social Studies (grades 7-12), and Spanish (grades K-12).

Professional Licensure Disclosure: This program of study provides the coursework necessary to meet the professional competency standards for secondary (grades 7-12) alternate route licensure in Mississippi. Completion of the program requires students to teach full-time for one year in a Mississippi classroom. The University of Southern Mississippi cannot determine whether any program leads to licensure in any state other than Mississippi. It is recommended that students who intend to seek licensure in another state verify that their program of study meets the desired state’s licensure requirements. For assistance with out-of-state licensure questions, please refer to the Professional Licensure Disclosures webpage.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the requirements detailed in Admission Requirements and Procedures, applicants must meet the following requirements and submit the following documents:

Bachelor’s degree from a regionally or nationally accredited institution in a field other than education.
Have a minimum grade point average of 2.75 (4.00 scale) on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework.
Official score report indicating a minimum ACT composite score of 21 (singular test date) or passing scores on all three subject-area tests of the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators (CORE) or 3.0 GPA on last 60 hours attempted.*
Official score report indicating a passing score on the Praxis II Subject Assessment Examination in one of the fourteen approved subject areas listed above.*
Resumé
Statement of Purpose
Three Letters of Recommendation

*Praxis test codes, registration information, and minimum score requirements for the state of Mississippi are available at the ETS website.

Program Requirements and Academics Policies

In addition to the requirements detailed in General Degree Requirements and General Academic Information, students must:

Purchase a Tk20 by Watermark subscription.
Pass a criminal background check.
Adhere to the Mississippi Educator Code of Ethics throughout the program. Violations may result in dismissal from the program.
During enrollment in teacher internship (CIS 694 and CIS 794), pay the required fee to cover the costs associated with supervision.