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Master of Arts in Teaching
Prepare to make a difference as a culturally responsive teacher with Duke MAT
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Teaching Success
Our undergraduate study options include a Minor and two Preparation Programs
Undergraduate Programs
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Service-Learning
Duke TeachHouse

About Us

Duke's Program in Education offers a Minor in Education.  Service-learning and field experiences are a foundation of all our programs. For undergraduates interested in pursuing a teaching license, we offer several initial teacher preparation programs:

  • Elementary (Grades K-6)
  • Secondary (Grades 9-12 in English, Social Studies, Science, or Mathematics)

At the graduate level, we offer a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) for those interested in pursuing initial licensure at the high school level.

All of Duke's initial teacher licensure programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI).

For In-Service Teachers, we offer a non-degree Academically/Intellectually Gifted (AIG) add-on licensure program.

Duke's Program in Education is also home to the International Center for Service-Learning in Teacher Education, an international consortium of university education programs, and the Duke TeachHouse, a living and learning community for students in our teacher preparation programs.

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Undergraduate Programs

Elementary Teacher License
(K-6)

The Elementary Teacher Preparation Program earns undergraduates a teaching license for kindergarten through sixth grade, and a Minor in Education from Duke. Our program prepares you for the critical thinking and decision-making that will be required of as a caring and reflective educator in K-6 classrooms. Our curriculum includes work in technology-rich environments with diverse student populations.

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Secondary Teacher License
(9-12)

The Secondary Teacher Preparation Program earns undergraduates a North Carolina teaching license for grades 9 through 12, and a Minor in Education from Duke. This license is now reciprocal with all 50 states. Duke students may seek licensure in one of four areas: English, Math, Social Studies or Science, depending on their major.

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Minor in Education

The Minor in Education is designed to provide students who are majoring in a Trinity College of Arts and Sciences discipline with opportunities to combine coursework in their majors with academic and field-based experiences focused on complex social, psychological, economic, historical, political, and cultural issues that impact schools and school children. This program prepares students to seek teaching licensure.

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Graduate & In-Service Teacher Programs

Master of Arts in Teaching

Duke's Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program is designed for talented liberal arts graduates who wish to teach their discipline in secondary schools. The program is open to students with strong undergraduate preparation in English, mathematics, the sciences, or social studies. Through graduate-level coursework in pedagogy and their content areas, students develop their teaching skills and become thoughtful leaders in the field of education.

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Academically/Intellectual Gifted Add-On Licensing

Duke's Program in Education offers non-degree, graduate level coursework in gifted education to in-service teachers. Teachers can obtain AIG (K-12) add-on licensure to their North Carolina teaching license by completing four courses (12 semester credit hours) and a one-week summer practicum. Our program is offered face-to-face or through a hybrid model of classroom and online instruction, and can be completed in one year.

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2021 MAT Graduates
14
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Education Courses Offered
90+
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Passing Rate for Licensure / Certification*
100%

*According to Title II Reporting, from 2017-2020, 100% of all Duke students taking teacher preparation assessment or license/certificate exams passed.
This compares to the NC statewide average of 75-82% passing, depending on year.

Our Research

Faculty in the Program in Education are engaged in a broad range of scholarly research with many of the projects funded through grants. Major interests of the faculty include service-learning pedagogy, educational leadership, teacher retention and renewal, and education policy. Central concepts that guide much of the research in the Program in Education are issues of equity, access, and social change. 

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International Center For Service-Learning in Teacher Education

The International Center for Service-Learning in Teacher Education (ICSLTE) is committed to sharing experience, practice and findings on service-learning in teacher education with colleagues throughout the world. ICSLTE provides a forum for this exchange and create opportunities to learn from each other as we develop these concepts in service-learning.

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Duke TeachHouse

Duke TeachHouse is a living and learning community for graduates of the Duke University teacher preparation programs: Elementary, Secondary, and Master of Arts in Teaching Programs. The intensive experience focuses on equipping early career educators with the confidence, competence, knowledge and networks necessary to develop leadership, creative problem solving, and innovation skills.

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