The student-teaching internship is required of all teaching licensure candidates in the MAT program and provides near immediate real-world experience that connects educational theory with classroom practice. Our students are placed in a local public school and paired with a mentor teacher in their specialty area for a total of 16 weeks.
All placements are made in collaboration with district partners and guided — though not guaranteed — by student preferences. Most internship sites are within 40 miles of Chapel Hill, and students are responsible for their own transportation.
Internships must align with the candidate’s primary licensure area. Students pursuing optional add-on licensure in Special Education will also complete additional fieldwork experiences related to their add-on content area.
During the internship, candidates teach their own lessons, observe and assist their mentor teacher, participate in planning and grading, and become fully integrated members of the school community. Experienced mentor teachers provide ongoing feedback and encouragement based on classroom observations, while university supervisors conduct formal evaluations to offer consistent guidance and support throughout the teaching development process.
Internship Regulations
The University and the School of Education have established certain regulations that will help interns work more effectively with mentor teachers. Regulations require interns to adhere to the following:
- Observe the same hours required for teachers while on assignment in schools.
- Follow the local school calendar during the semester in place of the university’s calendar.
- Become a member of the school faculty throughout the student teaching internship. Participate in official school functions such as faculty meetings, in-service training programs, teacher workdays, parent meetings, etc.
Note: While the MAT program allows interns to substitute teach on days they are not scheduled for field placement according to the MAT calendar, individual schools or districts may have their own policies that could prohibit this.