Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Degree, for Experienced Teachers with Principal Certification at Rice University

MAT Degree, for Experienced Teachers with Principal Certification

MAT degree is a non-thesis master's degree. For general university requirements, please see Non-Thesis Master's Degrees. For additional requirements, regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, . Students pursuing MAT degree must complete:

• A minimum of 50 courses (30 credit hours) to satisfy degree requirements.   
• A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate-level study (graduate semester credit hours, coursework at 500-level or above).
• A minimum of 24 graduate semester credit hours must be taken at Rice University.
• A minimum of 24 graduate semester credit hours must be taken in standard or traditional courses (with a course type of lecture, seminar, laboratory, lecture/laboratory). 
• A minimum residency enrollment of one fall or spring semester of part-time graduate study at Rice University.
• A maximum of 2 courses (6 graduate semester credit hours) from transfer credit. For additional departmental guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.
• A minimum overall GPA of 2.67 or higher in all Rice coursework.
• A minimum program GPA of 2.67 or higher in all Rice coursework that satisfies non-thesis master’s degree with a minimum grade of B- (2.67 grade points) in each course.

This MAT degree program is offered for experienced teachers that have a minimum of 2 years experience teaching and desire a route toward Texas Education Agency (TEA) principal certification. 

courses listed below satisfy this degree program. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of program's academic advisor, or where applicable, department or program's Director of Graduate Studies. Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by department or program's Official Certifier. Additionally, these must be approved by Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document courses to be taken.

The English Language Proficiency Requirement may be waived for an international student who received a degree from an institution in which English is the official language of communication. Contact the admitting program for more information.

The following language proficiency tests are accepted by Rice graduate programs and will be used to assess English language proficiency. Please note the below scores are the minimum requirement, though some program requirements will be higher.

• The TOEFL IBT Home. A minimum score of 90 is required
• IELTS Indicator. A minimum score of 7 is required.
• Duolingo. A minimum score of 115 is required.