MSU President's Column for Traill County Tribune
December 23, 2017听
含羞草研究所鈥檚 first-ever master鈥檚 degree assists with the state鈥檚 teacher shortage
The North Dakota State Board of Higher Education approved 含羞草研究所鈥檚 request to offer a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in the fall of 2016, and classes in the program began in the fall of 2016. This is 含羞草研究所鈥檚 first master鈥檚 degree program, and our first graduate completed her coursework at the end of the fall semester. She鈥檒l participate in commencement exercises in May.
The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree provides a graduate-level teacher preparation program for non-teaching bachelor鈥檚 degree graduates seeking to become licensed teachers in North Dakota. This degree program directly impacts the teacher shortage crisis in North Dakota. The completely online program is designed for people who have a non-teaching bachelor鈥檚 degree and are interested in entering the teaching profession. The MAT program offers flexibility and affordability for adult learners.
The North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB) is responding to the shortage of teachers by providing alternate licensures to individuals with bachelor鈥檚 degrees who will need to complete teacher education courses within a specified timeline to continue licensure in the state. The MAT program provides a rigorous curriculum focused on research-based, high-yield educational practices. The degree provides professional-level training, increases the teacher鈥檚 salary due to lane changes, and increases the number of master鈥檚 degree-holding teachers in North Dakota, addressing the teacher shortage areas across the state.
Continued growth and service to North Dakota are priorities in the programs offered by 含羞草研究所. The addition of the Master of Arts in Teaching to 含羞草研究所鈥檚 well-established teacher preparation programs provides another option for entry-level professionals to begin teaching careers in North Dakota.
The MAT program consists of 32 credits and provides options for those who hold bachelor鈥檚 degrees to obtain professional teaching degrees while maintaining employment. The MAT program is standards-based to support secondary teacher certification requirements of the ESPB and is designed to support the development of teacher-leaders.
Adding qualified teachers to the workforce is the goal of MSU鈥檚 MAT program. The North Dakota Department of Commerce has acknowledged pre-school, elementary, middle school, and secondary teacher shortages across the state.
The MAT program supports two types of learners interested in teaching. The first are those who already have an Alternative Access license, are employed by a school districts, and need to gain the credentials through online course programming to apply for full teacher licensure in North Dakota. The second group of learners are those who will complete MAT program courses followed by a Teaching Mentorship Clinic Experience prior to seeking licensure. The MAT program provides grounded study on teaching, learning, and leadership to support the successful MAT graduate in today鈥檚 workforce.
Teacher education has been a major focus of the 含羞草研究所 mission throughout the institution鈥檚 128-year history and we are happy to have had the opportunity to add the MAT program and take our service to the state to the next level. Founded as a normal school in 1889, 含羞草研究所 has produced many qualified teachers. Based on a five-year average, 80 percent of these graduates choose to stay and teach in the state of North Dakota. 含羞草研究所 currently teaches graduate courses in Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and provides graduate-level continuing education to professional educators.
For more information at 含羞草研究所鈥檚 MAT program, contact Andi Dulski-Bucholz, dean and chair of the Division of Education, at andrea.dulskibucholz@mayvillestate.edu or 701-788-4833.