Application Deadlines
Deadline for MAT (summer 2025 start): Feb. 11, 2025
Admissions Requirements
- You must have (or currently be enrolled in a program leading to) a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
- You must complete your BS or BA and all prerequisite courses before you begin the MAT program.
Application Requirements
All prospective students must apply through ApplyNow.
You must submit the following materials with your application:
- A minimum of three letters of recommendation
- Unofficial transcripts from all universities you have attended
You must be in good academic standing and priority will be given to candidates with a 3.0 or higher cumulative.
We recognize that a GPA reflects only one facet of a candidate’s preparation for graduate study. Therefore, we strongly encourage candidates with GPAs below this threshold to apply. In this case, include a brief justification for why you are a strong candidate for the MAT in your statement of purpose. - Statement of Purpose
Write a statement of purpose, approximately 500 words, that offers a thoughtful response to the following questions:- What are one or two formal or informal learning experiences that you believe helped you make the decision to become a teacher? What strengths do you bring to the MAT program?
- Read the SOE Conceptual Framework. How do you envision contributing to this framework as a teacher candidate in the MAT?
- Resume
Priority will be given to candidates who have experience working with children and youth. - Passing test scores (see Testing requirements below)
- Application fee: $95 (non-refundable)
In addition, all applicants are required to have an interview with program faculty as part of the application process.
Testing Requirements
- GRE and Praxis are NOT required for MAT admission.
- Passing TOEFL / IELTS test scores (for international applicants only).
Please note: You must pass tests appropriate to your intended track by program completion in order to be recommended for licensure. See the licensure testing page for more information.
For International Applicants Only
- Please submit your application as early as possible so that you can complete additional paperwork required for your Form I-20 request through ISSS: https://isss.unc.edu/newstudent/
- Once your application is submitted, please contact jialiu@email.unc.edu so that your application will be flagged for review.
- You must consult with the Graduate School instructions for graduate applicants for requirements of international students that are in addition to the MAT Admissions requirements.
- Accepted International Students must arrive in the United States by the program start date on their Form I-20 in order to begin coursework at UNC.
- After you arrive in Chapel Hill and complete ISSS Check-In, you are required to apply for Curricular Practical Training in order to be assigned to a fieldwork placement. For more details, see: https://isss.unc.edu/student-employment/cpt
- If an international student would like to pursue NC professional educators licensure post-graduate, the NC Department of Public Instruction has advised that all applicants must have a social security number and work authorization in order to be considered for an NC license.
Prerequisite Courses
The following content areas have specific prerequisite course requirements for admission. Your transcript must indicate successful completion of these course(s), which is equal to a grade of ‘C’ or better if completed for a grade, or a grade of “P” (pass) if completed for pass/fail.
Required Courses
All applicants who apply for Elementary Education, Special Education or ESL are required to fill out the Prerequisite Approval Form. The filled form should be submitted to Jia Heiny at jialiu@email.unc.edu for approval.
- LING 101: Introduction to Linguistics (or approved equivalent)
- EDUC 532: Learning and Development or EDUC 401 Introduction to Early Childhood Development or PSYC 250 Child Development (or approved equivalent)
- EDUC 307 (previously listed as MATH 307): Mathematics in Elementary Schools (or approved equivalent)
Highly Recommended UNC Courses
- EDUC 567: Children’s Literature in Elementary and Middle School
You may automatically meet the prerequisite requirements if you have a bachelor’s degree in the related content area.
If you do not have a content-related bachelor’s degree (either BA or BS), you must have 24 hours of approved content consisting of at least three (3) student credit hours from each of the following categories. Examples of possible course names or topics are listed below each category.
- Biology
- Ecology
- Botany
- Zoology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Earth Sciences
- Geology
- Earth Science
- General Sciences
- Astronomy
- Physical Geography
- Genetics
- Anatomy and Physiology
*An additional nine (9) student credit hours may be earned across these five categories to complete the 24 hours.
You may automatically meet the prerequisite requirements if you have a bachelor’s degree in the related content area.
If you do not have a content-related bachelor’s degree (either BA or BS), you must have 24 hours of approved content consisting of at least three (3) student credit hours from each of the following categories. Examples of possible course names or topics are listed below each category.
- US History
- Survey of US History
- US History Since 1945
- World History
- World Civilizations
- World Regional History courses, such as Asia, Africa, etc.
- U.S. Government and Civics
- Minority Politics
- American Politics
- Geography
- World Regional Geography
- Physical Geography
- General Social Studies
- Anthropology
- Economics
- Psychology
- Sociology
*An additional nine (9) student credit hours may be earned across these five categories to complete the 24 hours.
You may automatically meet the prerequisite requirements if you have a bachelor’s degree in the related content area.
If you do not have a content-related bachelor’s degree (either BA or BS), you must have 30 hours of approved content consisting of three to six (3-6) student credit hours from each of the following categories (as indicated below). Examples of possible course names or topics are listed below each category.
- British Literature (Medieval) Chaucer-Pope (3 credit hours required)
- British Literature (Romantic) Wordsworth-Eliot (3 credit hours required)
- Shakespeare (3 credit hours required)
- Pre-1660 Literature (minimum 3 credit hours required)
- Renaissance Drama
- Literature of the Early or Late Renaissance
- Renaissance Women Writers
- Milton
- Old English Literature
- Renaissance Authors
- 1660-1900 (6 credit hours required)
- 18th century literature, drama or fiction
- Irish writing 1800-2000
- English Romantic Period
- American Literature pre-1860 or 1860-1900
- The American Novel
- Southern American Literature or Southern Women Writers
- Post 1900 (3 credits required)
- The Western
- American Poetry
- Introduction to Latino/a Studies
- Jewish American Literature
- Contemporary NC Literature
*An additional nine (9) Student Credit Hours may be earned across these categories to complete the 30 student credit hours required for the MAT program. Undergraduate majors in English may include 30 or more required credit hours.
Recommended UNC Courses—for BA/MAT or HDFS majors interested in 6-12 English MAT
- ENGL 313 Grammar of Current English (or equivalent)
- ENGL 314 History of the English Language
- ENGL 368 African American Literature, 1930-1970 OR ENGL 369 African American Literature 1970-present
- ENGL 373 Southern American Literature
- ENGL 374 Southern Women Writers OR ENGL 446 American Women Authors
You may automatically meet the prerequisite requirements if you have a bachelor’s degree in the related content area.
If you do not have a content-related bachelor’s degree (either BA or BS), you must have 24 hours of approved content consisting of at least three (3) student credit hours from each of the following categories. Examples of possible course names or topics are listed below each category.
- Concepts in Algebra and Geometry
- Linear Algebra
- Abstract Algebra
- Real Numbers and Algebra
- Discrete Math
- Computational Discrete Math
- Discrete Structures
- Calculus of Functions of One Variable I & II
- Calculus I
- Calculus II
- Calculus III
- Advanced Calculus
- Introduction to Probability and Statistics
- Stat I
- Biostatistics
- Probability
- Geometry
- Euclidian and Non-Euclidian Geometry
- Geometry of Curves and Surfaces
- Computational Geometry
*An additional nine (9) student credit hours may be earned across these five categories to complete the 24 hours.