Department of Education

How to Apply

Brown University's MAT program seeks candidates with a strong commitment to youth, knowledge of school contexts, subject expertise, a record of achievement, and a belief in teaching to disrupt educational inequality.

The MAT Admissions Committee takes a comprehensive and holistic approach to reviewing applications. We urge applicants to highlight their experiences with children and schools in their essays and interviews. We recommend selecting recommenders who are familiar with you and can speak about various aspects of your candidacy.

Applicants are strongly advised to have some prior experience working with children or teenagers, such as in roles like tutoring, mentoring, or counseling. No previous teaching experience or an education degree is required. Coursework in your desired content area or teaching field (i.e., the subject you want to teach) is not included in the MAT program and must be completed beforehand.

Application Process and Materials

The application for graduate admission opens in early September and is due January 15 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. 

The personal statement should address why you would like to teach your subject to historically disadvantaged students and how you believe education can be a tool for equity.

You may scan and upload an unofficial academic transcript issued by the institution(s) from which you obtained your undergraduate (bachelor’s or first) degree and any advanced/graduate degrees. If your transcript is not in English, you must also scan and upload a copy that has been translated into English.

Transcripts and translated transcripts should include the following information: course names, course numbers, dates, grades (including incompletes, failed courses, and withdrawals), and grade modes (pass/fail).

We only require official transcripts from applicants who have been accepted into the program and choose to enroll. 

3 letters of recommendation are required. Within the application portal, you will have the chance to invite references to complete the evaluation form and submit a letter of recommendation. Your recommenders should know you well, think highly of your work, and be able to write a thoughtful and informative letter of recommendation on your behalf.

Current Brown undergraduates are required to submit 2 letters of recommendation as opposed to 3. 

An application may be submitted by the deadline without all three letters, though an admission decision will not be released until all materials are received.  

Applicants for the MAT-English discipline must submit a writing sample, no more than 5 typewritten single-spaced pages, in addition to their personal statement.

To upload, navigate to the "Personal Statement" section of the application. Below the file upload button for the personal statement is a file upload button for the writing sample (above the "Resume" portion).  

English language exams (TOEFL or IELTS) are required from non-native English speakers who did not earn a degree from an institution where English was the sole language of instruction. Learn more about language proficiency exam requirements

The MAT program awards both need and merit-based scholarships, with the majority of funds dedicated to need-based awards. All applicants will be considered automatically for limited merit-based funds.

Domestic applicants should submit the FAFSA. The Federal School Code for Brown University is 003401.

International students and students without an SSN should submit the CSS profile to apply for institutional need-based aid. The CSS code for Brown University is 3189. Applicants from Iran and North Korea cannot submit the CSS Profile and should email GS_Financial_Aid@brown.edu for an alternative solution.

Instructions

Graduate and professional students are considered independent students, so when you fill out your FAFSA form or CSS profile to apply for aid, you won't need to provide parent information.

Applicants whose information may be inaccurate (for example, due to the loss of employment, or other recent changes in financial circumstances that would make past financial information inaccurate), can fill out the Special Circumstances form

If you have questions regarding sensitive financial information, please contact the Graduate School's Office of Financial Aid at GS_Financial_Aid@brown.edu or (401) 863-2721.

A non-refundable fee of $100 is charged for processing each application received by the Graduate School. This fee must be paid when the application is submitted. An application will not be processed unless the fee is paid.

APPLICATION FEE WAIVERS

1) The Application Fee is automatically waived for:

  • Current Brown University undergraduates
  • Active duty U.S. Military personnel, as well as U.S. Military veterans. Please be sure to list your status within the application.
  • Domestic or international applicants who have participated in specific programs/events/conferences (see application for complete list).

2) If you would like to request an Application Fee Waiver based on high-financial need:

Application fee waiver requests can be found within the application and will be considered if they are accompanied by documentation of need. Acceptable forms of documentation are FAFSA, a letter from a college/university financial aid office, receipt of GRE or TOEFL fee waiver, unemployment verification, or other forms that provide significant documentation of financial hardship. 

The fee waiver request form must be submitted no later than three days before the application deadline. Applicants will be notified by email regarding the outcome of their request and should not submit their application until receiving notification about their waiver.

All students, including U.S. citizens and international students, are eligible for application fee waivers.

Coursework Requirements

Applicants should have a bachelor's degree or significant coursework completed in the subject for which they plan to seek certification. Please see below for each content area's required background and coursework for admission.

If you have questions about your previous coursework or would like a transcript analysis, please identify which 8-10 courses on your transcript meet the requirements of the desired content area and send a copy of your transcript to the appropriate faculty member.

English applicants should have a Bachelor's Degree with a major in English or substantial study in a related area of study. Applicants whose areas of study are Comparative Literature, American Studies, African American Studies, Ethnic Studies, Creative Writing or Composition are encouraged to speak with Laura Snyder to inquire about whether their courses meet certification requirements.

Transcript Requirements for English — 
A minimum of 8 courses (or 30 units) in English or related areas is required for admission and 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

Mathematics applicants should have a Bachelor's Degree with a major in mathematics or have substantial study in related areas. Those with related majors should contact Indira Gil to inquire about whether their courses meet certification requirements.

Transcript Requirements for Mathematics
Applicants should have completed a minimum of 8 courses (or 30 units) in mathematics which include:

  • Linear algebra
  • Differential equations
  • Statistics
  • Geometry
  • Calculus

Science applicants should have a Bachelor’s Degree with a major in biology, chemistry, physics/engineering or substantial study in related areas. Those with related majors should contact Diane Silva Pimentel to inquire about whether their courses meet certification requirements.

Transcript Requirements for Biology  
Applicants should have completed a minimum of 8 courses (or 30 units) before entering the program which includes foundations in:

  • Botany 
  • Zoology 
  • Physiology 
  • Genetics 
  • Ecology

Transcript Requirements for Chemistry — 
Applicants should have completed a minimum of 8 courses (or 30 units) before entering the program which includes:

  • Organic chemistry
  • Inorganic chemistry
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Physical chemistry
  • Biochemistry

Transcript Requirements for Physics/Engineering — 
Applicants should have completed a minimum of 8 courses (or 30 units) before entering the program which include:

  • Mechanics 
  • Electricity and Magnetism 
  • Optics 
  • Properties of Matter
  • Thermodynamics

Social Studies applicants should have a Bachelor's Degree with a major in history or a social science field (excluding psychology) or substantial study in related areas. Those with related majors should contact John Palella to inquire about whether their courses meet certification requirements.

Transcript Requirements for Social Studies
Applicants should have completed a minimum of 9 courses (or 36 units) distributed in multiple areas of social studies. Applicants should have at least 1 course in each of the following areas: American/U.S. History, Non-Western History, and Ethnic Studies. Their coursework should also show evidence of a breadth of knowledge that encompasses these areas:

  • Western Civilization
  • Anthropology
  • Economics
  • Geography
  • Political Science
  • Sociology  

September

Application Opens

January 15 th

Application Deadline

June

Academic Year Starts