Northwestern College adds Master of Arts in Teaching in early childhood

Northwestern College is adding a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) in early childhood degree to its graduate programs. Classes will begin this fall.

Offered online, the M.A.T. program is open to non-educator professionals or career-changers with a bachelor’s degree in any field who are seeking initial teaching licensure in early childhood education.

“Our early childhood programs have set the standard in Iowa,” says Dr. Angila DeJong, the M.A.T. program director and an education professor at Northwestern. “This degree is unique because it automatically includes the requirements for earning a birth through grade 3 inclusive setting endorsement, which means students will be trained to have special education children in their classroom.”

Northwestern already offers an early childhood endorsement through its Master of Education program, as well as a thriving online bachelor’s degree in early childhood.

Northwestern’s new M.A.T. program will contribute to efforts to address the nationwide shortage of teachers. Last year, Iowa legislators voted to raise the salaries for teachers, making it an opportune time to begin a career in teaching.

In addition to federal financial aid such as the TEACH Grant, Northwestern also offers an Alumni Grant, which allows M.A.T. students who are Northwestern alumni to take their initial class tuition-free.

Courses are delivered online in asynchronous eight-week terms so students can finish in approximately two years. The 33- to 44-credit program includes courses in child development, curriculum and assessment, literacy strategies, teaching with technology, early childhood science and math, and teaching young children with diverse needs.

Registration is now open; the first eight-week term begins Aug. 26.

More than 500 students are enrolled in Northwestern College’s graduate programs, which include online M.Ed. degrees, endorsements and certificates in fields such as early childhood, special education, teacher leadership, and school counseling. Other graduate programs include business administration, clinical mental health counseling and physician assistant studies.

For more information about Northwestern College’s graduate programs or other online learning opportunities, visit nwciowa.edu/graduate-professional-studies.

Northwestern’s Graduate & Professional Studies division offers flexible, affordable programs designed to help adult learners meet their professional goals. Many programs have 100% online coursework, including master's degrees in education (eight tracks); school and clinical mental health counseling; business administration; graduate-level education endorsements and certificates; undergraduate degree-completion programs in early childhood education; and certificates in medical and legal interpreting. The division also offers an on-campus master's degree in physician assistant studies, which is accredited by the ARC-PA.