Department of Education

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in English Education

In one year, successful MAT candidates will earn a master's degree and preparation for certification to teach English in grades 7-12, particularly in urban schools.

Brown's Master of Arts in Teaching in English Education prepares future teachers to teach literacy to secondary school students in diverse, multilingual classrooms. Our program believes that the stories students read and write in their classrooms can shape community, imagination, and action.

In Brown Summer High School, a summer enrichment program during their first semester, MAT-English candidates develop a teaching unit that is based on an engaging adolescent fiction novel. The classes they teach to local high school students are infused with discussion and close reading practices. They center daily writing and narrative writing exercises so that students' voices are amplified as they strengthen their skills in this genre. In their school-year residency placements, student teachers work with established curricula but augment their lessons with contemporary texts to reflect the diverse racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds that are present in the classroom and the world around us. 

MAT candidates take discipline-based pedagogy courses where they study novels, short stories, poetry, podcasts, and essays while learning how to teach the English curriculum. Areas of focus include developing expertise in instruction in composition and language to guide multilingual students, examining and encouraging multiple perspectives in the literature classroom, and structuring a strong daily writing routine.

Applicants should have a Bachelor's Degree with a major in English or substantial study in a related area.

Applications are no longer being accepted for the 2024-2025 academic year. The deadline was January 15, 2024. If you would like to be notified when the application is available for 2025, please complete this brief form.

Faculty Supervisor – English Cohort

Essential Information

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

Applicants are encouraged to speak with Laura Snyder to inquire about whether their courses meet certification requirements.

  • Online application. The application opens in September and the deadline is January 15. 
  • Transcripts. All applicants may upload unofficial transcripts for application submission. Official transcripts are ONLY required for enrolling students before the start of classes.

  • Three (3) letters of recommendation. Applications may be submitted without all three letters of recommendation, but an admission decision will not be released until they are received.

  • Personal statement. It should address why you want to teach your subject to structurally and economically disadvantaged students and how you believe education can be a tool for equity.

  • Writing sample. 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.

  • Resume/CV. Teaching experience or coursework in education is not required, though we expect applicants to have prior work with children or adolescents. 

  • TOEFL/IELTS: Required for any non-native English speaker who does not have a degree from an institution where English is the sole language of instruction.

  • Interview for selected candidates: An interview may be requested of potential candidates for admission. Applicants are strongly encouraged to come to Brown for an interview, but a telephone or virtual interview may be arranged if necessary.

The GRE is not required to apply for the MAT program. 

MAT candidates begin a summer session running from mid-June through early August. 

MAT candidates then begin year-long teaching residencies in late August, and coursework in early September. The year concludes with Commencement at the end of May.

The design of the program makes it necessary for all students to begin the program in June and complete the 12-month sequence.

The following plan of study is required of all secondary English MAT students:

EDUC 2500

Foundations of Teaching and Learning  

EDUC 2510A

Educational Theory and Practice in Teaching English 1  

EDUC 2515

Learning Theory and Special Populations  

EDUC 2520A

Educational Theory and Practice in Teaching English II  

EDUC 2525

Instructional Design, Planning, and Integrating Technology  

EDUC 2530A

Educational Theory and Practice III: English  

EDUC 2535

Teaching Literacy and Language to Emerging Bilinguals Across the Disciplines I  

EDUC 2545

Teaching Literacy and Language to Emerging Bilinguals Across the Disciplines II  

EDUC 2555

Assessment and Using Data to Support Student Learning  

EDUC 2565

Practicum and Seminar I  

EDUC 2575

Student Teaching and Seminar  

EDUC 2385

Education Inequality and Community Assets: Contexts and Change

The following tuition charges are in effect for the 2023-2024 academic year. Tuition generally increases by 3-5% each year. Tuition and fee charges for the 2024-2025 academic year will be set in early 2024. 

Per Credit $8,207
8 credits required for degree completion $65,656

Learn more about masters tuition and fees

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.

Learn more here.

Upon successful completion of all components of the Teacher Education program, MAT candidates receive a Master of Arts in Teaching degree.

After completing these requirements and passing the required Praxis II tests (Discipline Specific Test Secondary) candidates are eligible to receive initial certification from the RI Department of Education.

Rhode Island is a member of the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Interstate Agreement, allowing graduates reciprocal certification without transcript evaluation in most states. Graduates of the program may be eligible for teacher certification by transcript evaluation in states that are not NASDTEC members. Please note that several states require additional testing such as Massachusetts, New York, and California.

Multilingual learners (MLLs), who speak a wide variety of heritage languages in addition to learning English, comprise 10% of the U.S. school population, with numbers growing across the country.

Students in the MAT program enroll in a yearlong course dedicated to learning differentiation strategies for multilingual learners in their disciplines. They examine the intersection of culture and language, learn about the process of second language acquisition, and discuss specific issues affecting MLLs, including testing, family engagement, and challenges facing children who enter the U.S., and specifically Rhode Island, during their middle or high school years.

Through examination of sheltered instruction strategies, integration of WIDA English language development standards, and review of culturally responsive pedagogies, MATs will learn to plan and deliver high-quality instruction that is differentiated to meet the needs of MLLs. Students have multiple opportunities to practice strategies with multilingual learners in their residency sites and to reflect on their pedagogy with MATs in different disciplines. Through successful completion of the course, MATs will earn an MLL endorsement for their Rhode Island State Certification.

Please see our events calendar for a schedule of upcoming information sessions.

Giving my students tools to combat racism, prejudice, and bias is important. In English class, that could mean giving them an essay or news article that helps them make connections between the literature we’re reading and the issues that directly affect them today. I think it’s important for them to understand current events because education is an incredible tool that can transform the world.

Sofia Dias MAT’17
 
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