How to Apply & Deadlines

Application Deadlines

Deadline for Summer 2022 start: Feb 8, 2022.

Pathways to Entry

The Master of Arts in Teaching program has two possible entry points.

Pre-MAT: for current UNC-Chapel Hill undergraduate students

If you are a current undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, you are eligible for the Pre-MAT option, which allows you to take specific graduate-level MAT courses during you undergraduate studies and transfer those credit hours into the MAT program upon admission.

You can apply for Pre-MAT early affiliation as early as the second semester of your first undergraduate year, but will still have to complete the admissions process outlined below once you have obtained your bachelor’s degree in order to apply to the Master of Arts in Teaching program.

More information about the Pre-MAT affiliation option.

Post-Bachelor’s: for all other students

If you have earned a Bachelor’s degree (or are in the final year of obtaining your bachelor’s degree) from an accredited institution, you can apply to the MAT program as a prospective graduate student.

Admissions Requirements

1. You must have (or currently be enrolled in a program leading to) a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
2. 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
  We recommend you answer the following questions in your Statement of Purpose:
  • What are your reasons and goals for pursuing a career in teaching?
  • Why do you think the MAT at UNC-Chapel Hill is the right program to help you meet those goals?
• 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

• Praxis exam scores 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.