Identified as one of the seven premier teacher preparation programs in the nation, Trinity University’s five-year experience offers a combined baccalaureate and professional Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree.
Trinity undergraduates intending to enter the M.A.T. program major in the subject(s) they plan to teach, and the B.A. or B.S. degree in an academic discipline is awarded at the completion of undergraduate studies. Students are encouraged to follow the undergraduate course sequence to gain valuable classroom experience and launch a successful teaching career. While the vast majority of program applicants are recent Trinity University graduates, each year, a number of highly-qualified post-baccalaureate students from other universities are accepted into this one-year graduate program.
Following college graduation, students begin the M.A.T. program, a nationally-recognized, rigorous, one year graduate program completed over three semesters. For matriculated students, the program begins in mid-July with six (6) semester hours of graduate-level courses in pedagogy, curriculum development, and professional leadership. With the start of the academic school year in August, students carry a graduate course load of twelve semester (12) hours during the fall and spring semesters while simultaneously completing a near full-time (unpaid) clinical teaching internship in an elementary, middle or high school in San Antonio. During this year, students are supervised by a carefully identified and specially trained Mentor Teacher and the Trinity University faculty. Due to the small cohort size (between 8 – 15 students), our faculty is able to offer students an exceptional amount of personal contact, support and supervision throughout this rigorous year of teacher preparation.
Trinity University does not offer Alternative Certification for teachers.
Upon completion of the fifth year, students receive a M.A.T. (Master of Arts in Teaching), a professional degree and earn their state certification to teach in a PK-12 Texas public school. Trinity's Program in Teacher Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), and graduates who wish to obtain certification in other states benefit from this association. Program graduates are in high-demand throughout Texas and the Department of Education prides itself on assisting all graduates who are actively seeking teaching positions to secure employment immediately upon graduation.
