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Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)

Application for Admission

To apply for admission, please use the Brown Graduate School online application.

For additional information about admission to Brown's Graduate School, please visit: gradschool.brown.edu. To contact the Graduate School, please call (401) 863-2600.

Deadline for Application

All application materials must be submitted to the Graduate School. If sending hardcopies of recommendations and/or transcript(s), please submit materials to: Brown University Graduate School, Box 1867, Providence RI 02912. Click here for the MAT application checklist so you can stay on top of your application process. Completed applications must be received by the Graduate School by January 15.

Requirements

The Brown MAT program is looking for candidates who have demonstrated commitment to youth, an understanding of school contexts, strong content knowledge, and a record of achievement. We encourage candidates to share with us their experiences with children and schools in their application essay and interview. The MAT program reviews applications holistically. In order to gain the clearest understanding of who you are and what you bring to teaching, we recommend that you choose recommenders who know you well and can speak to multiple aspects of your candidacy.

Testing Requirements in Rhode Island
As part of national teacher quality initiatives, Rhode Island has implemented standards for students entering state-approved teacher preparation programs.

As part of your application, if you have taken the GRE, you may already have fulfilled Rhode Island's basic skills requirement for teachers. Applicants who have not received the cut score listed below can fulfill the RI testing requirement by taking and passing the Praxis I tests. Evidence of passing the basic skills requirement by the January application deadline is not mandatory.

You must provide evidence of meeting the required cut score on one (1) of the following tests PRIOR to enrolling in the Brown MAT program in June of the year you begin the program.

If you do not receive one of the cut scores, the following may occur:
1. You can retake the test.
2. If appropriate, the program may petition the state for an exemption so that you may begin the program in June and take more time to pass the required test.

Basic Skills Cut Scores

MAT applicants:

• GRE: 1050 composite
• Praxis I: Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST) or Computer-Based Pre-Professional Skills Test (C-PPST): 175 math, 175 reading, 173 writing (composite score 523 with no test score more than 3 points below cut). Visit the Praxis website for information about the test, fees, schedule, and registration.

Brown 5th-year MAT applicants:

• SAT: 1100 composite; 500 verbal, 500 math
• ACT: 22 reading, 19 math

Elementary

The GRE General Test is required. Register at: www.ets.org/gre. The Brown Test Code is 3094. The Praxis II Series Elementary Education: Content Knowledge test (#0014) is strongly recommended as it is a requirement for Rhode Island Certification. If you do not take the Content Knowledge test prior to the start of the program, you will need to complete it as a student in the program. Register for the Praxis test at: www.ets.org/praxis.

Secondary

The GRE General Test is required. Register at: www.ets.org/gre. The Brown Test Code is 3094.
For information about secondary content requirements, please visit our MAT information page

Elementary and Secondary

Applicants are required to interview with program faculty before admissions decisions are made. We offer in-person, Skype or phone interviews. Please contact Teacher_Ed@brown.edu for interview dates.

Your application should include the following:

  • Official transcripts of all prior academic work at institutions of higher education
  • Personal statement: Your personal statement should not exceed 5 double-spaced typewritten pages.
  • 3 recommendations: Recommendations do not have to be written by professors. If you have been out of school for several years, recommendations can be written by an employer or someone who can speak to your experience working with children or adolescents. If you are a recent graduate, at least one faculty recommendation is preferred.
  • GRE General Test scores
  • Writing sample (English only): Your writing sample should be an academic paper or section of a paper and should not exceed 5 double-spaced typewritten pages.

Status of Application Inquiry

Once the MAT Program receives your application from the Graduate School, you will be notified if your application is complete. Alternatively, you will be contacted if there are any missing application materials (eg, transcript, letters of recommendation, etc.). You will be notified of admission decisions no later than April 1.