Agricultural Education, Master of Arts in Teaching
The 42-credit MAT in Agricultural Education leads to initial and professional certification, and is designed to be completed in two to three years of part-time study. The program provides students an accessible and flexible route to gaining teacher certification in the area of PreK-12 Agriculture via two possible certification pathways: Residency or Transitional-B. The MAT in Agricultural Education is offered in a blended learning format that combines online courses, face-to-face requirements, and clinical experience through immersion in New York State schools. The curriculum provides a strong foundation in pedagogy linked to content, including preparation in child and adolescent development, multicultural education, use of learning technologies, assessment of learning, as well as agriculture-specific courses. This program also features extensive mentoring by program faculty.
The Pathways to Certification
The Clinically-Rich Residency pathway allows students to attend part-time for one year while gaining the academic background and practical field experience that prepares them to enter a yearlong residency placement. After completing the first year of the MAT program (18 credits and 100 hours of field experience), residents begin a year-long placement with a certified agricultural educator. As the school year progresses, residents incrementally assume more responsibility for the classroom, building to an immersion and lead instructional responsibility for the critic teacher’s classes for eight weeks during the spring term. Students who successfully complete their coursework, meet performance expectations in their residency placement, and pass the appropriate certification requirements are eligible for the New York State initial certificate in Agricultural Education. After three years of teaching, students will be eligible for professional certification.
The Transitional-B pathway is a part-time option for working adults who want to become certified teachers of record while completing their MAT degree. Transitional B certification is a full New York state teaching certification that allows qualified MAT students to seek employment as teachers of record after just one year in the program. During the second and third year of the Transitional B certification pathway, students may continue their MAT coursework while working as a full or part-time teacher in a New York State school. In this setting, students will be mentored by MAT faculty members and networked with other Transitional B certification teachers across the state. Students who successfully complete their coursework, meet performance expectations in their clinical experience, and pass the appropriate certification requirements are eligible for initial certification. After three years of teaching, students will be eligible for professional certification.
Requesting Transfer Credit
Students in the MAT program should discuss the possibility of transfer credit with their academic advisor. Students then complete the MAT Transfer Request Form available from the Graduate Student Center on MyESC and send it to Graduate Student Services. Graduate Student Services forwards the request to the appropriate content area advisor and the MAT program coordinator for approval.
Program Delivery and Tuition Rate
This master’s program is delivered through online courses with some face-to-face meetings required. These face-to-face meetings are attached to specific courses and are held regionally throughout New York state. This program is billed at the non-MBA rate.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the MAT program is selective. The MAT program enrolls new students in the fall term only. To be admitted to the MAT program, the candidate must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and meet prerequisites in three areas:
- Subject matter preparation – you must:
- meet NYS certification requirements for content by having 30 credits in the subject area;
- meet any other certification content requirements that may apply (e.g., the NYS social studies distribution, at least 6 credits of advanced-level coursework).
- General education preparation – you must:
- meet the NYS certification requirements for the general education core
All graduate-level initial teacher certification programs in New York state require submission of entrance exams as part of the admissions application process. SUNY Empire State College will accept either the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Applicants with an advanced degree (e.g., M.A., MSW, Ph.D., Ed.D., JD) from a regionally accredited college or university may request a waiver from the graduate admissions exam along with an official transcript documenting their degree. Waiver requests should be sent to the School for Graduate Studies at Grad@esc.edu.
- meet the NYS certification requirements for the general education core
- Academic excellence – you must:
- have a cumulative 3.0 GPA or the equivalent;
- demonstrate the academic skills necessary to meet the academic and professional demands of the program;
- demonstrate the capacity to develop skills in using learning technologies.
Application decisions are based on:
- undergraduate and graduate transcripts which document the required GPA, content area and general education preparation;
- an application essay by the candidate which demonstrates the writing and critical-thinking skills needed for success in a demanding graduate program, as well as strong potential to make a successful transition into teaching as a profession;
- the candidate’s employment and volunteer/community service history; and
- interviews with college faculty.
An applicant who meets all other admissions requirements and has up to 6 credits of course deficiencies in relation to the NYS content area or general education requirements may be admitted to the program. The student must make up the deficiencies by the end of the second term in the program.
Application
Please see the Graduate Admission section of this catalog for a complete listing of materials required to complete a graduate application.
Program Tracks
There are two tracks within the MAT program: The Transitional B certification track and the Clinically-Rich Residency track. Both tracks offer an assortment of enrollment sequences. The enrollment sequence will depend on the required clinical coursework that aligns with a student's chosen track. Regardless of the track chosen, all sequence types contain the same first-year coursework.
Please Note: The clinical supervision courses (i.e., Mentored Teaching, Intensified Mentored Teaching or Residency Seminar courses) in both tracks must be completed with a B or better. If the course grade results in less than a B, students may repeat the course in accordance with the Graduate Evaluation and Grading Policy found in the Policies and Procedures section of this catalog.
Transitional B Certification Track
Transitional B Certification Enrollment Sequence
In the first year, students enroll on a part-time basis, completing 15 credits of graduate coursework and 50 hours of field experience (15 of which must be in Special Education). Upon successful completion of the first year of courses, meeting New York State Education Department requirements and obtaining a qualifying teaching position, students may apply for a Transitional B Teaching Certificate. While employed as a teacher of record, MAT degree candidates complete 15 credits in year two of the program and 12 credits in year three. Students are responsible for obtaining their transitional B teaching position and are not placed into clinical settings by the program. During this period, a mentor teacher in the school setting, MAT program faculty and MAT program field supervisors provide instructional support. Successful completion of years two and three of the program, including the capstone, result in the award of the MAT degree. Upon completion of the final New York State teacher certification exam, program completers are eligible for New York State Initial teaching certification (and Professional certification with 3 years of teaching experience).
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| EDUC 6005 | US Schools in Social Context | 3 |
| EDUC 6137 | Child and Adolescent Development | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| EDUC 6127 | Teaching and Learning: Agricultural Education | 3 |
| EDUC 6015 | Exceptionalities: Individualizing Learning | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Summer | ||
| EDUC 6045 | Teaching Diverse Learners | 3 |
| EDUC 6132 | Content Area Study: Agricultural Education | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| EDUC 6122 | Teaching and Curriculum: Agricultural Education | 3 |
| EDUC 7045 | Mentored Teaching I | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| EDUC 7010 | Educational Evaluation | 3 |
| EDUC 7050 | Mentored Teaching II | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| EDUC 6125 | Literacy | 3 |
| EDUC 7055 | Mentored Teaching III | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| EDUC 6130 | Literacy Across the Curriculum | 3 |
| EDUC 7060 | Mentored Teaching Capstone | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 42 | |
Intensified Mentored Teaching Track for Transitional B Certification Enrollment Sequence
The one-year Intensified Mentored Teaching track allows students to complete a year of Mentored Teaching as the teacher of record while on Transitional B certification. In order to pursue this pathway, the MAT student must secure a full time (1.0 FTE) teaching position in their content area for the entire school year (September-June). The intensified track features a 6-credit course, Intensified Mentored Teaching 1 (IMT1), during the first semester of classroom teaching. This 6-credit course will include eight observations by faculty members and additional mentoring and support through both online and face-to-face components of the course. Intensified Mentored Teaching 2 (IMT2) is a 3-credit course, taken during the second semester of classroom teaching, and includes seven observations by faculty mentors. The pedagogical impact of an intensified year of mentored teaching strongly supports students’ initial teaching experiences, enabling the faculty to offer increased support to students during this critical first year as a teacher of record. Upon completion of the final New York State teacher certification exam, program completers are eligible for New York State Initial teaching certification (and Professional certification with 3 years of teaching experience).
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| EDUC 6005 | US Schools in Social Context | 3 |
| EDUC 6137 | Child and Adolescent Development | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| EDUC 6127 | Teaching and Learning: Agricultural Education | 3 |
| EDUC 6015 | Exceptionalities: Individualizing Learning | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Summer | ||
| EDUC 6045 | Teaching Diverse Learners | 3 |
| EDUC 6132 | Content Area Study: Agricultural Education | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| EDUC 6122 | Teaching and Curriculum: Agricultural Education | 3 |
| EDUC 6125 | Literacy | 3 |
| EDUC 7026 | Intensified Mentored Teaching I: Agricultural Education | 6 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| EDUC 6130 | Literacy Across the Curriculum | 3 |
| EDUC 7010 | Educational Evaluation | 3 |
| EDUC 7031 | Intensified Mentored Teaching II: Agricultural Education | 3 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Summer | ||
| EDUC 7060 | Mentored Teaching Capstone | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 42 | |
Residency Track
Clinically-Rich Residency Enrollment Sequence
The Master of Arts in Teaching Clinically-Rich Residency Program uses a blended model of delivery, with online, face-to-face and clinically-based instructional modes. After completing the first year of the MAT program, students begin a year-long placement in a 7-12 classroom with a critic teacher certified in the resident’s content area. Residents will assume more responsibility incrementally for the classroom, culminating in the complete assumption of the critic teacher’s classes for eight weeks during the spring term.
During the year-long residency, students will complete additional coursework that links theory to classroom practice. Residents receive intensive mentoring by faculty members and field supervisors. The program concludes with the capstone project within the MAT program. Upon completion of the final New York State teacher certification exam, program completers are eligible for New York State Initial teaching certification. After three additional years of successful teaching, completers are eligible for Professional certification.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| EDUC 6005 | US Schools in Social Context | 3 |
| EDUC 6137 | Child and Adolescent Development | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Spring | ||
| EDUC 6127 | Teaching and Learning: Agricultural Education | 3 |
| EDUC 6015 | Exceptionalities: Individualizing Learning | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Summer | ||
| EDUC 6045 | Teaching Diverse Learners | 3 |
| EDUC 6132 | Content Area Study: Agricultural Education | 3 |
| Credits | 6 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| EDUC 6122 | Teaching and Curriculum: Agricultural Education | 3 |
| EDUC 6125 | Literacy | 3 |
| EDUC 7005 | MAT Residency Seminar I | 6 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| EDUC 7010 | Educational Evaluation | 3 |
| EDUC 6130 | Literacy Across the Curriculum | 3 |
| EDUC 7015 | MAT Residency Seminar II | 3 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Summer | ||
| EDUC 7020 | Residency Capstone | 3 |
| Credits | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 42 | |
Upon successful completion of the program, the teacher candidate will be able to:
- demonstrate how his/ her teaching practice reflects equity, democracy, and diversity and how lessons are meaningful or relevant to students;
- integrate content-specific language and differing viewpoints and methods of inquiry grounded in appropriate NYS Standards in teaching practice;
- demonstrate clear, theory-based approaches to instruction in the content area;
- demonstrate multiple means of differentiated instruction for diverse learners;
- articulate effective approaches to assessment in instructional decision-making and the capacity to reflect on and improve practice;
- demonstrate the use of technology to improve practice and assessment, and to meet the needs of diverse learners;
- articulate issues of accessibility in technology use; and
- demonstrate growth and reflection related to his/her teaching practice.