Share the Wealth of Your Knowledge with the Next Generation
Do you have a bachelor’s degree in Art? Are you a biologist looking for a second career? Do you love math and want to share your passion?This program is designed for individuals who would like to transition to a teaching career. The online courses offer research-based practices and methodologies to prepare highly effective educators and promote increased student performance in the classroom. Following the online courses, students complete a face-to-face internship and seminar, applying theoretical practices in a hands-on experience in the classroom alongside a mentor teacher.
Top Reasons
Advance your knowledge
Begin your teaching career by learning about research-based strategies and teaching methods to support you in a smooth transition as a classroom teacher.
Connect with your students through pedagogical approaches
Study current pedagogical approaches to bring to the classroom and to build connections with students and have a positive impact on P-12 student learning.
Connected
Partnerships with local Polk County schools provide opportunities for internships and assist with job placement upon completing your degree.
Flexible Schedule
You may choose to complete your degree in as little of 4 semesters, plus an internship. The MAT program consists of courses that are 100% online prior to an internship and a final semester of student teaching.
Clinical Experience
This program at Florida Southern College offers students the opportunity for a 70-day internship in a Polk County School classroom for a hands-on teaching (and resume building!) experience. However, students who receive their full Professional Teaching Certificate are exempt from the requirement.
Prestigious Credentials
At Florida Southern College, you can earn a highly regarded MAT degree at one of the top graduate teaching programs in the U.S. — at an affordable cost.
The Passion to Get Ahead
Sarah explains why Florida Southern was the right school for her to pursue her passion for education and professional goals.
Recognized Accomplishments
School districts recognize the time and effort teachers spend in graduate school, and want these individuals to stay in the district to help direct future growth of a school. Master’s degree holders are the best chance schools have to enact positive curriculum-wide changes and improve student outcomes. As an added benefit of earning a master’s degree, you gain a bigger voice in the national conversation on education. As educators further develop their understanding of teaching techniques, classroom management strategies, and professional resources, they become more valuable members of the educational community.
Featured Faculty
Brooke Veal
Program Details
Admission Requirements
- An earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education as verified by an official transcript from the conferring institution
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 overall or a composite score of 297 on the GRE or 393 on the MAT tests
- Current Résumé
- A personal statement of your expectations of a graduate program (your personal and professional goals)
- Personal Interview
- A photocopy of ID, passport, or driver’s license
- Applicants must complete a background check and receive background check clearance from the Polk County School Board (PCSB)
*Prior to admission or within the first 12 semester hours of MAT coursework, a passing score is required on all sections of the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE).
**One semester of student teaching is required before graduation.
Course Delivery
Online
100% of the courses are delivered online with the exception of your student teaching internship and course seminar within a Polk County Public School.
Curriculum
Core Courses - 30 hours
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
| EDU 6910 | Transformational Teaching and Learning Four hours. This course will focus on the study of the societal structure and problems affecting education; the effects on education from philosophical, psychological, cultural and societal differences and changes; and the effects of political and economical changes on education. Emphasis is on transformational teaching and learning theory, principles, methods, and child and adolescent development including theories and principles of learning. |
| EDU 6920 | Transformational Learning Environments Two hours. The goal of this course is to engage educators in the development of advanced instructional strategies to create transformational learning environments for teaching all students including those with limited English proficiency. The course will also address instruction in the English language and the development of the student’s mastery of the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Advanced classroom management skills will focus on creating safe learning environments in which effective transformational teaching and learning can take place by promoting a physically, emotionally, socially and academically secure climate for all students. |
| EDU 6930 | Transformational Teaching and Learning through Research Four hours. This course is an introduction to action research and the literature on transformational teaching, learning theory, principles, and methods with an emphasis on interpreting and evaluating the review of the literature. Action research design and methodology will be studied. Transformational teaching and learning research interests and goals will be identified and developed. |
| EDU 6940 | Transformational Approaches to Curriculum and Instruction Four hours. This course will include educational assessment practices that include analysis, application of data from statewide standardized assessments and other multiple sources to improve instruction and learning. Students will plan for, integrate, and assess transformational teaching and learning principles in the curriculum including multisensory approaches. Students will design an action research plan based on transformational teaching and learning theory, methods, and core principles. |
| EDU 6950 | Transformational Teaching and Learning with Diverse Populations and Special Education Four hours. This course will focus on students’ acquisition and mastery of key course concepts, enhancing students’ strategies and skills for learning and discovery, and promoting positive learning-related attitudes, values, and beliefs in all students leading to the social, emotional, and cognitive well-being of a healthy child. Effective transformational teaching and instructional techniques, strategies, and materials to meet the needs of diverse learners, including students with disabilities will be evaluated. |
| EDU 6960 | Assessing Transformational Teaching and Learning Four hours. This course will focus on assessing student learning outcomes as a result of student participation in a transformational teaching and learning curriculum, including the examination of current and new approaches to the evaluation of curriculum. Lines of inquiry may include researching the extent to which instructors accomplish transformational objectives or implement transformational teaching methods, and the extent to which students achieve transformational teaching goals. |
| EDU 6970 | Transformational Instructional Leadership Four hours. This course will explore the intersection of the principles of transformational leadership and transformational teaching and learning and the impact for maximizing students’ potential for academic success and enhancement of students’ attitudes, values, beliefs, and skills. |
| EDU 6980 | Advanced Research in Transformational Teaching and Learning Four hours. Prerequisite: EDU 6930. This course engages students in inquiry processes related to their own transformational teaching and learning practices, culminating in a transformational teaching and learning action research study. |
Internship Semester (Students’ final semester following completion of all course work):
| EDU 6610 | Internship Ten hours. The senior internship is designed to be the culminating education experience for education majors regardless of age/grade level specialty, subject matter, and/or major. The internship is 14 weeks/70 days long and involves teaching, modeling, observing and evaluating. The coordinator of field studies at Florida Southern College and a representative of the Human Resources Development Office of Polk County Schools assigns student to a Polk County Public School. The student takes over all responsibilities of a certified Florida classroom, teaching in her/his specialty area after receiving adequate preparation by the assigned teacher and supervisor. |
| EDU 6640 | Student Teaching Seminar Two hours. Prerequisites: Completion of major and permission of faculty. Weekly seminar for senior intern. Discussion and analysis of general methods of teaching in schools, with an emphasis on classroom management, experience, and presentation. |
Program Total - 42 hours
External Scholarships
Minority Teacher Education Scholarship
Up to $4,000
Florida Fund for Minority Teachers offers an annual scholarship to approved Minority Teacher Education Scholars who are enrolled as upper-division undergraduate or graduate students in a teacher education program.
Program Costs
2024-2025
| Base Required Fees | Cost |
| Tuition Per Credit Hour | $475 |
| Technology fee per semester is based on credit hours enrolled | $25 to $100 |
$250 Non-Refundable Enrollment Deposit (Upon acceptance and applied toward your first semester tuition balance)
Related Materials
I don’t have a background in education, is this program for me?
Yes, this program is designed for individuals who have a bachelor’s in an area other than education or do not hold a Florida Professional Teaching Certificate.
Can this program be completed 100% online?
This program is 100% online excluding the capstone internship which is completed in a Polk County Public School. However, most students receive their Professional Teaching Certificate and transfer into the Master of Education in Transformational Curriculum and Instruction program where no internship is required.
How many classes is considered full time?
A student is considered full time when taking a minimum of 8 credit hours at the graduate level.
How long does it take to complete the program?
Most students complete the program coursework in as few as four semesters then complete the internship during the fifth semester.
I’m teaching on a Florida Temporary Teaching Certificate; do I need to complete the internship?
You must complete the internship if you stay in the MAT program. However, once you complete your items on the FLDOE Letter of Eligibility, you will earn your Florida Professional Teaching Certificate. At that time, you can be switched to the MED TCI program which includes the same eight online courses, just excludes the internship.
Program Contact
Brooke Veal, MATL
Director of Field Studies and Evening Education Programs
Carol J. Barnett / Curry Education Office - 106
863.680.5004
Lori Rakes, Ph.D.
Dean of Education
Nina B. Hollis Endowed Chair of Education
Associate Professor of Education
Carol J. Barnett / Curry Education Office - 113
863.680.4172
