The MIT Program is a four-quarter, 60-credit cohort program. Cohorts begin twice a year-in late August or early September and the beginning of March. Please note these start times occur three weeks prior to Seattle University's scheduled start dates for fall and spring quarters. Students starting in late August or early September finish the following summer and are ready to be employed in September. Those starting in early March attend spring quarter, have the summer off and then complete the program the following academic year, graduating in June.
Learn more about each endorsement:
The MIT Program is full-time, with classes scheduled Monday-Friday. With a few exceptions, classes are scheduled from 9:00 am-3:00 pm. During the time students are in the field, schedules will vary based on the schedules of the K-12 school sites.
The MIT Program has an excellent reputation for preparing teachers. The graduate degree puts beginning teachers at a significantly higher pay scale; consequently, MIT graduates continue to earn more each year they teach. Combining certification with a master's degree in four quarters maximizes the MIT student's preparation program and provides a solid foundation for beginning teaching.
The program is small and personal. The faculty know each MIT student and place an emphasis on developing a community of learners through a cohort model. The program is team-taught and team-planned making it integrative, cohesive, and a model for effective teaching. The faculty are nationally recognized in their fields and, perhaps more importantly, recognized by classroom teachers for their contributions. MIT faculty frequently teach in K-12 schools and collaborate with teachers on curriculum, research, and scholarship.
After the first week of classes on campus, MIT students are placed in a two-week observation in a classroom in the Puget Sound region. Following the two-week observation, students return to campus for reflection and discussion about their experience. Following this experience, MIT students are placed in pairs in partnership schools for a peer coaching field experience in which they observe and teach three separate weeks throughout the quarter.
During the second quarter of the program, MIT students begin to participate in their student teaching setting while attending classes on campus. Integrating the teaching internship with on-campus classes allows the prospective teacher to integrate theory and practice. MIT students are placed in teaching internships located within a 30-mile radius of campus. Prior to being assigned to a classroom, students are interviewed by the cooperating teacher. The teaching internship continues into the third quarter of the program. Additionally, MIT students participate in service learning at school sites and in a focused field experience in a middle school setting. Approximately 50% of MIT program occurs in field settings. Read more about our field-based learning here.
The MIT program does not offer an Instrumental Music Endorsement. However, the state website outlines how teachers can add endorsements once they have a WA teaching certificate. Music is listed on the “Test Only” tab which means that you would be able to add the endorsement by taking and passing the music test.
We ask that all endorsement forms be completed online. The endorsement form, instructions, and information on Endorsement Advising can be found here.
Yes, you need to fill out your endorsement form with your courses and any courses you plan to complete before the start of the program. You can just leave the grade section blank for any course you are planning to complete however, it needs to be completed before the start of the program.
No, this test is not required to apply. If admitted, you will have until August 10th of your entry year to attempt this exam. Ideally, you would pass the exam before your experiences in school (i.e. field-based experiences in Blocks II and III).
If you are a native English speaker, you do not need to complete ACTFL. International students can learn more here.
In order to be eligible for a master's degree program, you will need to complete an endorsement verification form for us to fully understand what courses you will need in order to be fully prepared for our program.
Yes, we require two letters of recommendation from professionals who can speak to your experience working with youth (aged K-12).
Current Seattle University students planning on apply to the Master in Teaching program can submit unofficial SAT scores for now. Post-admissions, you will be required to send us an official copy. Since you are an undergrad at SU, you can let us know post-admissions that we have your scores, and we will likely be able to pull them from the system.
Current undergrad students should also be aware that some experience working with school-aged youth (K-12) is strongly recommended before applying to the program. To gain school-based classroom experience, applicants can reach out to a nearby school or district to identify volunteer requirements (schools may require volunteers to complete an application, complete training, sign permission forms, get fingerprinted, etc.)