Secondary Education - Alternative Certification 8-12 (MAT)

Admission Requirements

Candidates who meet the following criteria may be eligible to apply to the Master of Arts in Teaching, Alternative Certification program. Candidates considering application to the MAT program should contact the Education Advising and Student Services office (teacher@louisville.edu) prior to applying for admission. Admission is competitive. Candidates who meet minimum academic requirements are not guaranteed admission to the program.

  1. Complete graduate application. This should be completed three to four weeks prior to the application deadline.
  2. Passing scores on Praxis II Content Exam(s)
  3. Bachelor's Degree in content area from Accredited College or University with a Minimum 2.75 Grade Point Average (official transcripts required)
  4. Prerequisite Course Requirements – Applicants may apply to the program with up to six credit hours of content remaining to complete.
  5. C or better in ENGL 102 (or equivalent)
  6. C or better in oral communication course
  7. TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo
  8. Professional Writing Requirements
  9. Three Letters of Recommendation
  10. Experience working with diverse groups of children/adolescents
  11. Signed Professional Code of Ethics/Technology User Agreement/Statement of Understanding of Admissions Guidelines
  12. Acceptable interview

Program Requirements

EDTP 631Integrated Teaching and Learning I3
EDTP 632Integrated Teaching and Learning II3
Choose one methods course from the following:3
High School English Methods
High School Mathematics Methods
High School Science Methods
High School Social Studies Methods
World Language Methods, P-12
EDTP 633Integrated Teaching and Learning III3
EDTP 627Practicum for Alternative Certification Program (two semesters)3
Mid-Point Assessment 1
EDTP 503Developing Cross-Cultural Competence: Teaching Students from Diverse Backgrounds3
Choose the technology course appropriate for your content certification area:3
Digital Citizenship: Technology and Teaching
Technology Applications for Mathematics Teaching
Technology Applications for Science Teachers
EDTP 620Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum3
EDTP 678 Supporting the Second Year Alternative Certification Teacher I1-3
EDTP 679 Supporting the Second Year Alternative Certification Teacher II1-3
Minimum Total Hours30

To maintain your Temporary Provisional Certificate, you MUST be enrolled in Alternative certification coursework.

Midpoint Assessment:  Completion of all courses listed above; satisfactory dispositions assessment; no lower than 2.0 GPA in content methods class(es); 2.0 or higher GPA in Practicum for Alternative Certification; 2.50 cumulative GPA in content course requirements; satisfactory performance on all Hallmark Assessment Tasks; Target performance or better on all rubrics.

Certification Assessment: Satisfactory dispositions assessment; passing scores on PRAXIS content and PLT exams; completion of degree requirements.

Degree Assessment:  All program course work with 3.0 cumulative GPA (and no more than a total of two “C’s” in degree courses); satisfactory performance on all Hallmark Assessment Tasks; Target performance or better on all rubrics.

Degree Candidacy: Students who are not enrolled during the semester in which they are graduating must register for degree candidacy as outlined in the Graduate Catalog, under the section called academic policies and requirements.

Praxis Disclaimer: Teacher certification requirements are subject to change. Before registering for the test(s), please refer to the Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) website at epsb.ky.gov/ or ets.org/praxis/ky for current requirements.

The Master of Arts in Alternative Route to 8-12 Certification in Secondary Education program and all related content areas prepares students to meet the requirements for certification and/or licensure.  If you plan to pursue professional licensure or certification you should first determine your state’s criteria for examination and licensure to see how/if our program meets those requirements prior to enrollment. We recommend that you also contact your state’s licensing board directly to verify that the requirements have not changed recently and to answer any questions especially those regarding additional requirements beyond the degree. 

More information about certification or licensure is available at the following website:  https://louisville.edu/oapa/licensure-information (you may search by school or by the name of the program then click on 'View Details' to display the information).

For programs with an online option, more information about certification or licensure is available here: https://louisville.edu/online/About-Us?tab=disclosures