COURSE CURRICULUM

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program at San José State University is a 30-unit graduate degree designed to prepare future educators to become socially responsible, equity-focused, and highly skilled teachers for diverse urban and suburban school settings. The program emphasizes social justice teaching practices, cultural literacy, and democratic education while developing strong instructional expertise across multiple subject areas. A key goal of the program is to prepare candidates to effectively teach multilingual learners and students with disabilities within inclusive general education classrooms. Students also learn how to create supportive, student-centered learning environments grounded in social-emotional learning principles that promote engagement, belonging, and academic success. Through structured clinical experiences, candidates engage in collaborative co-teaching with experienced mentor teachers, allowing them to connect educational theory with real classroom practice and develop professional teaching competencies in authentic school environments. The program is structured around different credential pathways, including Multiple Subject, Single Subject, and PK–Grade 3 Early Childhood Education tracks, each combining foundational coursework, curriculum and instructional methods, research preparation, and culminating academic work. Foundational studies include areas such as educational sociology, educational psychology, bilingual education issues, and critical perspectives on schooling and equity. Curriculum and instruction courses prepare candidates in subject-specific pedagogy such as literacy, mathematics, social studies, science, arts, or physical education depending on their chosen track. Research components focus on qualitative methods in education, enabling students to analyze classroom practices and improve instructional effectiveness. The culminating experience typically involves a special studies project or master’s thesis that demonstrates independent research and applied understanding of educational theory and practice. Overall, the MAT program integrates academic coursework, research training, and intensive field experiences to develop reflective, inclusive, and effective educators who are prepared to meet the needs of diverse learners in contemporary educational settings.