May 18, 2025  
Fall 2025 Graduate Catalog 
    
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Fall 2025 Graduate Catalog

Earth Science, MAT

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School of Professional Development
Degree Awarded: Master of Arts in Teaching in Earth Science
Contact Information - Science Education

Keith Sheppard
Email: Keith.Sheppard@stonybrook.edu
Phone: (631) 632-2989

Linda Padwa
Email: Linda.Padwa@stonybrook.edu
Phone: (631) 632-7075

Program Advisors

Hanna Nekvasil, PhD
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Hanna.Nekvasil@stonybrook.edu

Gregory Henkes, PhD
Graduate Program Advisor
(631) 632-2905
Gregory.Henkes@stonybrook.edu

Department Website

The Master of Arts in Teaching program is designed as a course of study leading to New York State certification for teaching Earth Science in secondary schools (grades 7-12), with an extension option for grades 5-6. Candidates admitted may also qualify for a General Science Extension for grades 7-12. This program, offered in collaboration with the School of Professional Development, the University’s Departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chemistry, Geosciences and Physics, and D-TALE, is designed for those who have little or no previous coursework in education or formal classroom teaching experience.

 

MAT Admissions

Application Website

  • Application essay.
  • A bachelor’s degree with an academic major or its equivalent (or a minimum of 36 credits) in the content field. Transcript must reflect a 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA as well as a 3.0 minimum GPA in science courses.
  • One year of college-level study of a foreign language with a grade of “C” or better (this may include American Sign Language)
  • Three letters of recommendation. Two of the three recommendations must be from faculty with whom you have completed a course of study at the college level. It would be preferable that these faculty be in the area of your major.
  • In those cases where the departmental admissions committee deems it desirable, personal interviews with departmental representatives may be necessary.

MAT Program Requirements

The degree program consists of 44 credits, distributed among the areas listed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is three credits. All degree requirements must be completed within five (5) years from the semester date of admission as a matriculated student.

The departmental MAT advisor, in consultation with the student, will determine a set of Earth Science courses for the M.A.T. degree in Earth Science. For more information and a sample checklist, visit the Department of Geosciences.

Graduate Science Courses- 15 credits

Courses not listed are selected with the approval of a departmental advisor

Professional Studies in Education - 23 credits

Note

At the program director’s discretion, an undergraduate course from a registered and approved program may be approved as a substitution for any of the courses listed below. In all cases, the undergraduate course must have been completed with a B or higher and the student must then take a different graduate pedagogy course to fulfill the graduate credits required for the graduate degree.

  • CEE 505: Education: Theory and Practice
  • CEF 547: Principles and Practices of Special Education
  • CEE 594 : Language Acquisition and Literacy Development
  • CEE 565 : Human Development

Speak to your graduate program director for more information and approval.

Supervised Student Teaching - 6 credits

Written Project

Students will be required to complete a teaching project approved by the sponsoring department.

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