Q. How long will it take to complete the degree?

Most MATC students complete the program in 1.5 to 2.5 years.  A typical pattern of enrolment for most students is 1-2 courses in the Fall Semester, 1-2 courses in the Spring Semester, and 1-4 courses in the Summer Semester. If you require financial aid, you will need to enroll in 5-6 credits any semester you wish aid to apply.

All requirements for the MATC must be met within five years.

MSU interns who are bringing nine (9) approved credits from their Teacher Certification Internship Year can complete the MATC in as little one calendar year, or four semesters.

Q. How much is tuition for the MATC program?

Find the most up-to-date information on tuition on Michigan State University’s official Tuition and Fees page. The MATC is listed as “Online Education Masters.” 

• Tuition Per Credit Hour (Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 Semesters): $933.00
• Total Credit Hours Required: 30

Tuition is the same for all MATC students regardless of residency.

MSU’s Tuition and Fees Calculator will help you estimate your tuition and student fees each semester. When using the calculator, select “In-State” for Residency, “Masters” for Level, “College of Education” for College and “Online MA/MS Education Programs” for Special Program Type. Most MATC students take one or two 3-credit courses per semester, so you can estimate your number of credits as 3 or 6 each semester.

You can find more information about tuition via MSU’s Office of the Controller website (the MATC program is included under “Online Education Masters”).

Q. Can MATC students apply for financial aid?

The College of Education’s Academic & Student Affairs Office has compiled some helpful information about financial aid on its website, including eligibility, how to start your application and when to apply.

Graduate financial aid advisors can be reached at ofagrad@msu.edu and through MSU’s Office of Financial Aid website. (Please note: This office is typically quite busy at the beginning of a semester.)

Q. Are there scholarships for MATC students?

The MATC does not currently offer recruitment scholarships for online master’s students, but the College of Education offers a series of scholarships that are open to all students, including online master’s students. Applications for these scholarships open in the Spring Semester and are issued in the following Fall Semester (applicants must be enrolled in both semesters to be eligible). Find the most up-to-date information on these scholarship opportunities and information on when to apply via the College of Education.

These scholarship opportunities include:

• College of Education Alumni Fellowship: Open to all CED graduate students
• Robert I. Boyd Scholarship in Education: Open to all CED graduate students
• Clifford E. Erickson Memorial Fund Scholarship: Open to all CED graduate students
• Dr. Kenneth Harding Graduate Student Endowed Scholarship: Open to all CED graduate students
• Anderson-Schwille Endowed Fellowship in International Education: Open to a non-U.S. citizen/international CED graduate student (student visa or permanent U.S. resident)
• Hinman Graduate Fellowship: Open to CED students who are Michigan residents, preferably Lansing residents
• The Michael B. Salwen and Okhee Lee-Salwen Endowed Scholarship in the College of Education: Open to CED students with financial need
• Janice Marston Memorial Fund Scholarship: Applicants must be a demonstrably needy and academically worthy CED graduate student
• Gaylin Green Miller Endowed Scholarship in Education: Recipients should be admitted students in the College of Education in good academic standing. Recipients will be selected based on financial need with financial need being determined by the federal government according to its policies and procedures. Priority will be given to students with current or previous residency in southeast Michigan
• Donald H. Nickerson Scholarship in Cultural Diversity and Minority Concerns: For American ethnic minority graduate students in education. Preference will be given to candidates studying to improve teaching and learning of diverse learners and underserved populations in the United States.
• Grace Hoffer Endowed Fund for Graduate Students in the College of Education: Open to all CED graduate students

Q. What courses might transfer into the MATC?

The College of Education, under policy approved by The Graduate School, allows master’s students to transfer previously taken graduate-level credits (including those earned during MSU’s Teaching Internship Year) into their degree program if certain criteria are met:

1. The credits are from MSU or another postsecondary accredited institutions of comparable academic quality;
2. The credits are graduate level;
3. A 3.0 or higher was earned;
4. The program determines that the courses are appropriate to a student’s program;
5. Coursework must be no older than five (5) years at the time of matriculation to the master’s program.

Transfer credits must be approved by the College of Education. If you have previously earned master’s-level credits you think may be eligible to transfer, please discuss them with your academic advisor during your first semester as an MSU College of Education master’s student. There are rare situations in which credits older than five (5) years at the time of matriculation to the master’s program may transfer into a master’s program.  If you wish to explore this, please discuss them with your academic advisor during your first semester as an MSU College of Education master’s student.

For MSU graduates who earned their initial teacher certification at MSU and completed the teaching internship year, TE 801, TE 802 and TE 804 are accepted as a transfer credits into the MATC program, as long as they meet the requirements listed above.

Q. When should I apply?

Ideally, at least three months before you wish to enroll (view MATC’s annual application deadlines). Enrollment can be for any semester, including summer.

Q. What happens to my application once I have submitted all materials? How long will it take for me to hear what decision has been made regarding my application?

The MATC has three admissions deadlines per year: April 1, July 15 and Nov. 1. Applicants can typically expect to hear an admissions decision four to six weeks after that deadline. If you have questions about your application, you are welcome to reach out any time to matc@msu.edu.

Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible for the semester they intend to start the program, however, late applications may be considered as long as space in the program and time for processing remain.

Q. How do I learn about enrolling once I am admitted?

1. Once you have accepted your Offer of Admission in the MSU admissions portal, you can find your MSU Student ID at the top of the Application Status page within the portal.
2. You will receive an email notification to log into their Admissions portal to retrieve your PAN. Students will need to click on “Show Personal Access Number (PAN)” button to display the 4-digit PAN.
3. Within the portal, you will need to click on the link “Activate your MSU NetID and email,” which will take you to the Admissions website to activate your NetID.
4. Use your MSU e-mail address to access the online course web systems Desire2Learn. You will also use your e-mail address to access Campus Solutions, where you can see your course schedules and grades, view and pay bills, and track your financial aid.

You can contact the MATC Academic Advisor Paul Kurf (kurf@msu.edu) regarding course selection, degree requirements and planning, and graduation.

Q. Is it too soon for me to enter the program? How much experience should I have?

The MATC is a general teacher education degree intended for practicing classroom teachers. The intent is to strengthen teachers in their classroom pursuits, regardless of grade level or subject matter. Consequently, a student in the MATC ideally is currently a teacher while taking the degree so that s/he may practice and apply the concepts learned in the program. The amount of prior teaching experience is irrelevant to success in the program; concurrent teaching is much more important. Please note that current employment in a working K-12 classroom is desired but not required for admission.

Q. I don’t meet all of the qualifications. Are there any exceptions?

Students have been admitted to the MATC program who lack one or more of the qualifications, but a) they are exceptions to admission policies who have had strong credentials in particular areas that make them likely to “grow into” the qualifications or b) they are admitted on a provisional basis, pending completion of particular conditions. If you have any questions about your consideration as a candidate for admission, or simply wish to consult with the MATC program advisor about the appropriateness of our program for you, please email Dr. Paul Kurf at kurf@msu.edu or call (517) 884-1889.

Q. I do not have teacher certification. Will the MATC prepare me to teach in public schools?

No, the MATC does not lead to initial certification. However, if you are interested in obtaining Michigan Provisional Teacher Certification, you may be interested in the College of Education’s Post-Bachelor Teacher Certification Program. The “Post-BA” is a program that enables persons with a bachelor’s degree (or higher) to be recommended for certification by Michigan State University through a combination of course work and graduated field placements culminating in a year-long internship in a K-12 school. To find out more about the Post-BA and its various requirements, please visit the College of Education’s Post Bachelor Teacher Certification Program website.

Are there restrictions on who may participate in the program based on residency?

The MATC may not be offered to residents of Kentucky. The state of Kentucky has not authorized its residents to participate in online M.A. programs in Education.

The K-12 ESL Graduate Specialization may not be offered to residents of the U.S. Territories and Canadian Provinces.

Q. Who are the students in this program?

Most of our MATC students are teachers at the elementary and middle-school levels; about a fourth are secondary teachers. Some are specialists in particular subject areas, but most are generalists responsible for teaching several subjects in the school curriculum. Some of our students are school psychologists and counselors, or they teach English as a Second Language, the arts, physical education or work with students with special needs across the K-12 spectrum. A few have responsibilities in staff development or district offices. Some classmates will be principals, administrators or district coordinators who are taking certain courses in this M.A. program to enhance their work or study in other degree programs. Some students hold administrative positions in foreign ministries of higher education or teaching positions in universities overseas. About 20 percent of our students represent non-Anglo, international and domestic, ethnic groups. Currently, about 80 percent women and 20 percent men are enrolled in our program.

Q. What are the underlying goals and assumptions of the program?

Our primary goal is to help educators become more critically reflective about their own beliefs and practices, and to become the kind of professionals who can frame and address complex problems in practice in creative and defensible ways.

We seek to prepare teachers for professional roles and activities beyond the individual classroom. Teaching occurs in a larger social context than the classroom and we believe teachers should assume more proactive, critical roles in shaping their work and those policies and practices that affect curriculum, teaching and learning in schools.

In this program, you can expect to study cooperatively with peers, to engage actively in learning, and to share your professional journey and examples of your work over time with peers and faculty. Finally, you can expect to participate actively in self-evaluation throughout your program of studies and to evaluate the effects this program has had on your thinking as a professional.

Q. How do I transfer credits?

You don’t; your advisor does. After admission, we encourage new M.A. candidates to meet with their academic advisor as quickly as possible to a) determine a program plan and b) discuss what credits previously taken need to be transferred to your M.A. program. There is no guarantee that taking course work at another institution will be approved, so please consult with the MATC program personnel prior to enrolling in any external credits, if between semesters at MSU.

Q. When do I start?

We encourage students to progress through the program in cohorts that begin their course work with TE 807 or TE 808. Students may begin the program any semester (Summer, Fall, Spring) but TE 807 or TE 808 should be taken early in the program, ideally during the first semester.

Q. How long will it take me to earn my master’s degree?

The program is designed so that it can be completed in three years or less. It may take you less time if you have already earned credit that will transfer or it may take you longer if you cannot or choose not to take a “full load” during the intensive summer sessions or at the degree centers.