Pre-Master of Arts in Teaching (Pre-MAT)

UNC-Chapel Hill students may apply to affiliate with Pre-MAT as early as the second semester of their first undergraduate year. Early affiliation status provides the opportunity to enroll in up to 12 credit hours of specified graduate-level courses in the School of Education, which may later be considered for transfer credit toward the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree, if admitted.

A maximum of 12 credit hours of Pre-MAT courses may be double counted toward both the undergraduate program of study and the potential future MAT. graduate program. To be considered, a grade of B or better must be earned in each course. 

The elementary education licensure option within the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program will be offered during the 2026–27 and 2027–28 academic years. Admissions for elementary education licensure will pause beginning with the 2028–29 academic year. All other MAT licensure options — including secondary education — will continue to be offered without interruption.

Undergraduate students interested in initial elementary education licensure should explore the B.A.Ed. in Elementary Education program, beginning in fall 2026, rather than the Pre-MAT pathway. The Pre-MAT affiliation remains an excellent option for students planning to teach secondary subjects. For guidance on selecting the program that best fits your goals and timeline, please contact the UNC School of Education’s Office of Student Affairs.

UNC-Chapel Hill students may apply to affiliate with Pre-MAT as early as when they are accepted to Carolina.

Pre-MAT students are eligible for the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program, which offers up to $5,000 per semester in forgivable loans for students committed to teaching elementary education, special education, or secondary STEM education in North Carolina.

Pre-MAT students are eligible to participate in the following international exchange programs:

International Experience and Reflection in Teacher Education (INTER) is an exchange program for pre-service teachers at the UNC School of Education to engage with pre-service teachers at the University of Hamburg in Germany, the University of Education, Winneba in Ghana, the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, and Griffith University in Australia.

Student Teachers Across Regions (STAR) Program matches our students with peers from Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador.

Affiliation with Pre-MAT does not replace the application process. Students must still apply to the MAT program through the Graduate School, but affiliated applicants are placed in a priority pool during admissions review.