Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education, Alternative Certification (MAT)

Master of Arts in Teaching in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education
Unit: College of Education and Human Development (GE)
Department:  Special Education, Early Childhood and Prevention Science
Program Website
Academic Plan Code(s): IECEMAT, IECEMATO

Program Information

Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education Birth to Primary Teacher Certification Program

This program can be completed in a traditional classroom format or entirely online.

The field of early childhood education includes a vast number of professionals who begin working in early childhood settings when they turn 18 years of age. Since this group of professionals is working in child care settings full-time, a traditional program is not possible for them to continue on a pathway to a degree or certification. This program is designed to meet the needs of the working early childhood professional who will benefit from a completely online program and the opportunity to learn in their own classrooms while they teach and continue to improve their practice through ongoing professional learning opportunities.

This program is designed for candidates who are not certified teachers. The purpose of this program is to provide candidates currently holding a Bachelor’s (or graduate degree), a pathway to teacher certification while they are employed as a teacher of record in an approved early childhood classroom. Candidates must be concurrently enrolled and employed in order to maintain the temporary provisional certificate. If a candidate is not enrolled or employed as the teacher of record, the Division of Educator Preparation and Certification must be immediately notified.

The program emphasizes in-depth academic preparation and field experiences that allow teachers to be knowledgeable about the field of early childhood/special education and to develop critical thinking and lifelong learning skills. The program emphasizes:

• Nurturing students as active agents in their own learning
• Authentic, performance-based assessment of teaching and learning
• Meeting the needs of all students
• Responding constructively to sociocultural differences among students

The goals of this program include:

• IECE Teacher Certification
• Preparation of teachers for the education of typical and atypical children in different settings
• Provide background information on Kentucky Child Learning and Assessment Standards

Although this program has determined that it meets educational requirements for licensure in other US states and jurisdictions, this program is designed specifically to align with Kentucky certification requirements for the supervised student teaching or culminating clinical experience.  Therefore, students in this program are required to complete their student teaching or clinical experience at an approved placement location in the state of Kentucky.  Please contact the program director to discuss possible arrangements to complete culminating experiences in Southern Indiana before enrolling in the program.

Admission Requirements

Candidates who meet the following criteria may be eligible to apply to the Master of Arts in Teaching program:

1. Application to Graduate School. This should be completed three to four weeks prior to the application deadline.
2. Bachelor's degree with minimum undergraduate degree GPA of 2.75 (official transcripts required)
3. C or higher in ENGL 102 (or equivalent) and oral communication courses
4. TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo
5. Professional Writing Requirements
6. Signed Professional Code of Ethics/Technology User Agreement/Statement of Understanding of Admissions Guidelines
7. Three Letters of Recommendation
8. Interview

Candidates considering applying 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. 

Program Requirements

¹

Requires two semesters.

Midpoint Assessment: Completion of all courses listed above with 3.0 cumulative GPA and no lower than a “C” in each course;   satisfactory dispositions assessment; satisfactory performance on all Hallmark Assessment Tasks; Target performance or better on all rubrics.

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 not enrolled during the semester in which they intend to graduate must register for degree candidacy as outlined in Academic Policies, Procedures, and Requirements.

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

Praxis Disclaimer: Teacher certification requirements are subject to change. Before registering for certification 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 Teaching in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (Alternative Certification) 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. 

Although this program has determined that it meets educational requirements for licensure in other US states and jurisdictions, this program is designed specifically to align with Kentucky certification requirements for the supervised student teaching or culminating clinical experience.  Therefore, students in this program are required to complete their student teaching or clinical experience at an approved placement location in the state of Kentucky.  Please contact the program director to discuss possible arrangements to complete culminating experiences in Southern Indiana before enrolling in the program.

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.