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MAT SPED Admission Requirements

Requirements for Graduate School and Program Admission (**IMPORTANT: Admission into the MAT SPED program will only occur twice a year, in the Spring and Summer Semesters**):

For Spring applicants, all documentation for both the Graduate School and the MAT program must be received no later than December 15th (if this date falls on a weekend, the deadline will be the next business day).

贵辞谤听Summer applicants,聽all documentation for both the Graduate School and the MAT program must be received no later than May 15th聽(if this date falls on a weekend, the deadline will be the next business day).

Note:聽If you currently hold a teaching license (provisional or standard) and/or have completed a student teaching internship at this or any other institution, you are ineligible for admission into the UCA MAT program. If you are switching to UCA鈥檚 program from another teaching licensure program, you will need to disclose that information and provide a letter of good standing to the UCA MAT office.

Out of State Candidates:聽While we welcome any out of state candidates, there are some restrictions that apply. If you live out of state, you must have a job as the teacher of record in your intended area of licensure for the duration of your program. The state of Arkansas will not issue a provisional license out of state and we will not place you out of state for any field requirements. You may hold a teaching position in any public school or in an accredited charter or private school. Upon completion of the program, you will hold an Arkansas teaching license, which will then need to be converted to your state of residence. It is your responsibility to check with your state鈥檚 department of education to ensure reciprocity applies to an Arkansas teaching license. If you are a potential out of state candidate, please contact the program coordinator directly. The site below provides the contact information for the Departments of Education in each U.S. state and territory.聽 Contact your state鈥檚 department of education for specific licensing requirements for your state.

Non-U.S. Citizens:聽If you are a non-U.S. citizen residing out of country, you are not eligible for the MAT program. If you are living in the U.S., you must meet the qualifications found on the ADE site, in order to be eligible for licensure in the state of AR. These items can be found at this link:聽

Step 1: Apply to UCA鈥檚 Graduate School

Requirements for Graduate School Admission:

  1. Admission to the UCA MAT program (or any other teacher education program) requires evidence of clear background checks: child maltreatment registry + state and federal criminal history. If you do not already have 鈥渁pproved鈥� K-12 employability status through the Arkansas Educator Licensure System (AELS) OR if your AELS approval is more than three years old, you must complete the full background check process in order to be admitted to the UCA MAT. All directions you need to complete this process can be found here鈥�Directions for AELS Background Checks. Follow the directions carefully. You鈥檒l need evidence of your clear background checks when completing the Graduate School application. See below for more information about background checks.
  2. Start the Graduate School application available听丑别谤别.聽A $45 application fee is required.
  3. Submit original, sealed transcripts to the UCA Graduate School from all previous schools attended. (Not necessary for UCA transcripts). The required minimum undergraduate GPA for admission is 2.7.聽(If you fall below the 2.7 GPA, we suggest taking post-baccalaureate courses to help bring your GPA to the 2.7 minimum. Post-bacc courses can be from any institution, but need to be 3000 or 4000 level courses. We recommend those be in the content area where you wish to teach. We will not review applications that do not meet the minimum GPA requirement).
  4. Once prompted by the Graduate School, you will submit a聽. The guidelines and a submission link will be sent to you by the Graduate School via email, but can also be found at this link:聽.
  5. Upload all other required information (including proof of your MAT application AND proof of your cleared AELS background check聽into the Graduate School system. Once your Graduate School file is complete, it will be sent to the program coordinator for review.

All MAT Candidates: Background Checks & Provisional License Information

You MUST have a full background and child maltreatment on file with Arkansas Educator Licensure System. If you start the program on a provisional, or if you are already working as the teacher of record, paraprofessional, or substitute in a public or charter school, you should have one on file. This is an Arkansas state law and required for anyone enrolled in a teacher preparation program.聽For details regarding background checks, you may go to the聽痴汉俱乐部 Office of Candidate Services聽(OCS) site. Keep in mind that the Child Maltreatment check can take a few weeks, so please don鈥檛 delay in getting this completed. Please make sure you follow the steps just as they are outlined on the OCS page. If you do not provide proof of these CLEARED checks with your Graduate School Application, your application will not be reviewed.

You may go to this site to see if you have a cleared background check on file:聽. Just enter your information. You will upload a screenshot of your AELS page in your graduate school application (directions can be found in the graduate school application system.聽*These checks are also required, before you can have access to any Arkansas IDEAS training or professional development courses.

If you plan on teaching in your own classroom on a provisional license, while completing the MAT program, you must meet the requirements for a provisional license. Those requirements can be found on the聽UCA MAT Provisional License page. 聽A provisional license will not be awarded until you have met all of those requirements.

PRAXIS REQUIREMENT FOR MAT Special Education Candidates:聽

The Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requires you to demonstrate content competency by passing the required Praxis assessments before you can move past your first two MAT Special Education courses (6 credits).

Here is a breakdown of how this affects your course enrollment:

  • First Term: You may enroll in your first two UCA MAT courses (for a total of 6 credits) without having passed the required Praxis assessments (Praxis 5511 and 5355).
  • Second Term: In order to take two more MAT courses and earn up to 12 credits, you must at least pass Praxis 5511 before the start of your second term.
  • Beyond 12 Credits:聽In order to enroll in any courses after earning your first 12 credits, you must have passed both Praxis 5511 and 5355.

For information about the Praxis exams required for each license, go here: 痴汉俱乐部 OCS