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Secondary Education
In the M.A.T. program in Secondary Education at Brown, students study their disciplines broadly and in depth as they prepare themselves to help adolescents appreciate the structure and essential questions that comprise the discipline. M.A.T.s are coached in their efforts to transform subject matter into exciting and innovative curricula by Brown Teacher Education Faculty. These faculty are both scholars within their discipline and experienced high school teachers who maintain an active relationship with the school community. This fact underscores Brown’s commitment to school-university partnerships as the context for teacher education.
- Course of Study
- Admissions and Certification Information
- Interview
- Summer Practicum
- Program Schedule
- Typical Program Course Credits
Course of Study
The Graduate School at Brown offers a 12-month (summer plus academic year) M.A.T. program to prepare college graduates for careers as secondary school teachers of English, social studies/history, or biology/science. The program consists of three courses taken in, or directly related to, the student’s teaching field (e.g. English, social studies/history, or biology/science) and five courses taken in education, including the summer practicum and academic-year student teaching. Graduate transfer credit from other institutions is limited.
<Sample Course of Study diagram>
Admissions and Certification Information
Admissions
All applicants must have an appropriate background to teach their subject field.
English applicants should have a Bachelor of Arts in English or a related area. At least one course in composition is strongly recommended.
Social studies/history applicants should have a Bachelor of Arts with a major in history or a social science field (excluding psychology) and should have completed a minimum of three courses in history. Those with related majors should follow the directions below.
Biology/science applicants should have a Bachelor’s degree in biology or some other closely related field. If the degree is in a related field, applicants should also have substantial training in biology (five courses, at least two with a laboratory component).
American Studies majors are encouraged to apply in either English or social studies/history.
Applicants should have some prior experience working with adolescents. No teaching experience or coursework in education is necessary.
Applicants may determine whether they have completed sufficient coursework in their academic area of interest by emailing or faxing a copy of their transcript(s) to the appropriate faculty member for a preliminary review: TeacherEd@brown.edu or (401)863-1276.
Certification
By the completion of the Master of Arts in Teaching Program at Brown University, students are expected to have taken the following courses in their content area during both their undergraduate and graduate studies in order to fulfill certification requirements.
FOR ENGLISH:
Students must plan to complete a minimum of eight (8) courses in the study of literature and language, which should include work in the following:
- Theories of writing or theories of teaching writing
- Critical theory
- Literature of the western canon, including Chaucer, Shakespeare, and the English Romantic poets
- American literature
- American ethnic literature
- Modern and contemporary literature
- Literature in translation or world literature
- Poetry
- Drama
- Linguistics, focusing on the structure of language and social influences on language development and use
- Media studies
FOR SOCIAL STUDIES/HISTORY:
Students must plan to complete a minimum of nine (9) courses in history and social studies.
Six (6) courses in history must be distributed among the following:
- American history
- Western civilization
- Non-Western civilization
- European history
Three (3) courses in the social sciences disciplines may include coursework in:
- Anthropology
- Economics
- Geography
- Political science
- Sociology
FOR BIOLOGY/SCIENCE:
Students must plan to complete a minimum of eight (8) biology courses, which should include work in the following:
- Botany
- Zoology
- Physiology
- Genetics
- Ecology
Open Houses
Applicants are required to interview with program faculty before admissions decisions are made. While we strongly recommend a personal interview prior to the January application deadline, phone interviews may be arranged if circumstances prevent a campus visit.
Open houses will be held in the Education Department, Barus Hall, on the Brown campus on the following dates:
- Friday, October 19, 2007 (2:30-4:30 pm)
- Friday, November 2, 2007 (2:30-4:30 pm)
- Saturday, December 1, 2007 (12:00-2:00 pm)
Directions to Barus Hall can be found at: www.brown.edu/Departments/Education/directions. Suggested RSVP to: TeacherEd@brown.edu or (401)863-2407.
Summer Practicum
The summer practicum called Brown Summer High School, with an enrollment of approximately 250 secondary students, is held on campus. The courses are taught by teams of M.A.T.s guided by mentor teachers from local schools. Each team teaches one course tailored to the specific discipline and supervised through a collaborative process by the Teacher Education Faculty.
Program Schedule
Approximately half the M.A.T. students in any given year complete their student teaching during semester I and coursework in their teaching field during semester II. For the other M.A.T. students in the program, the arrangement is reversed.
Typical Program Course Credits
SUMMER
- 1 credit - Literacy Across the Curriculum
- 1 credit - Methods of Teaching
English, social studies/history, or biology/science, including a team-teaching practicum in Brown Summer High School
SEMESTER I
- 1 credit - The Psychology of Teaching and Learning
- 1 credit - Student teaching with Analysis Seminar
SEMESTER II
- 3 credits - 3 Advanced courses in subject area
- 1 credit - Elective Course in Education
