Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program: BA in English and MAT in Middle and High School Education
Have you considered what you'll do after you graduate with a degree in English? What about teaching in K-12 schools? As a Tufts University undergraduate student you can take advantage of the fifth-year Masters degree program: BA/MAT in English and Middle and High School Education. At the end of your fifth-year you will have a Masters degree and be endorsed for initial licensure to teach in the state of Massachusetts or other states with our reciprocal agreements. How do you go about getting to that point? Follow our step by step path in consultation with the director of the Middle and High School Education MAT program, Ryan Redmond, and you'll be well on your way!
STEP 1 - Major in English
The table below lists courses recommended to align with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (DESE) Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) guidelines for the Middle and High School MAT degree. Many of these courses overlap with the English major. Course pathways are flexible and can include courses not listed below. You should choose courses in consultation with your major advisor and an Education faculty member (Ryan Redmond). *See below for double-counting and reserving courses* *See below for double-counting and reserving courses*
| Subject Matter Knowledge Areas | Tufts English Courses that could align with this area |
|---|---|
| Literature | |
American Literature including the Colonial Period; the Revolutionary Period; American Romanticism and the American Renaissance (to include Hawthorne, Emerson, Melville, Whitman, and Thoreau); the Civil War and the post-war period; and fiction, poetry, drama from the early 20th century to the present |
|
World Literature including British literature (including the Anglo-Saxon period, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Restoration and the 18th century, the Romantic Period, the Victorian Period, and the 20th century) and other European literature; literature of Africa, Latin America and Asia; Ancient Greek and Roman literature; the Bible as literature; world myths and folktales |
|
| Characteristics of the different genres of literature |
|
| Various schools of literacy criticism |
|
| Language, Rhetoric, and Composition |
|
| Reading theory research and practice |
|
STEP 2 - Consider applying for the fifth-year Master's degree program: BA/MAT in Middle and High School Education
Have a conversation with Education faculty member and MAT Middle and High School Director, Ryan Redmond about your interest in a career in teaching English. Take a sneak peak and consider enrolling in some introductory courses in Education, such as ED 001: School and Society , ED 013: The Global Educator: Education in Post Colonial Africa, or ED 189: The Role of "Story" in Education to see if it's right for you.
STEP 3: Admission Process and Criteria
Admission to the graduate degree portion of the program is separate from the undergraduate degree portion. Students may apply during the spring of their junior year or by the fall of their senior year. For application deadlines, please see the GSAS Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program information. Students must take at least one course within the Department of Education prior to applying.
Applicants are required to submit two letters of recommendation, with one letter from a faculty in English. Applicants are exempted from the GRE requirement, and are not required to pay the graduate application fee.
Prospective Fifth-Year Master's Degree students should consult with their undergraduate major advisor and Ryan Redmond, Director of the MAT in Middle and High School Education.
A benefit of the fifth-year program is you can take advantage of reserving up to 2 100-level or above courses taken during your undergraduate program to use for your masters degree program. This means they will not count towards your bachelors degree but will allow you to take these required courses at the undergraduate tuition rate and allow more flexibility when going through the MAT program. We encourage you to consider ED 130: Human Development and Learning and possibly a course that fulfills the foundations requirement, such as ED 161: Anthropology and Sociology of School or ED 162: Critical Histories of U.S. Education.
Additionally, up to 2 100-level courses can be double-counted earning you both credit for your bachelors degree and your masters degree. We recommend you do this with your English courses required for the MAT program.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Fifth-Year Master's students may seek financial aid assistance for their graduate degree. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences provides a graduate tuition scholarship proportional to the undergraduate tuition award at the time of application.
If admitted to the program, you will reduce the cost of your master's by applying credits already earned as an undergraduate. Students accepted into a Fifth-year Master's Program will be charged graduate tuition per-credit once they receive their bachelor’s degree and only for the courses that are left to complete.
Office of Graduate Admissions
We invite you to learn more about this program.
STEP 4: Start and complete the MAT in Middle and High School Education
Congratulations! You were accepted into the MAT program! Make sure you've worked with student services to have the courses you designated to either double count or be reserved for the MAT program listed on your transcript!
You will work closely with the director of the program, Ryan Redmond, to work on your schedule, obtain your field placement site and supervising practitioner (mentor teacher), and complete all requirements needed to successfully be endorsed for initial license. Here's an idea of what an example schedule could look like, including the possibilities for double counting or reserving courses from your undergraduate program.
10 courses are required to complete the MAT program
| Summer before you start | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|
ED 128: Foundations of Literacy ED 130: Human Development and Learning* ED 162: Critical Histories of U.S. Education* ENG graduate level course* | ED 101: Introduction to Teaching in Middle and Secondary School (includes pre-practicum) ED 142: Education of the Exceptional Child ED 113: Language Arts Curricula in the Middle & Secondary School ENG graduate level course* | ED 102: Supervised Teaching in Middle and Secondary School and Seminar (includes practicum) ED 123: Practice of Teaching: English |
| *courses that could be double counted or reserved during BA degree | *courses that could be double counted or reserved during BA Degree | GRADUATE in May and be endorsed for initial license and ready to start a career in teaching! |
Student and Alumni Perspectives
Abraham Alvarado, MAT Middle and High School, Class of 2022, speaking about 'From Undergraduate to Graduate to Teacher'
Watch more: Video Perspectives and Peek Inside a Classroom