Welcome

The Department of Biology at Clayton State University is excited to offer a new degree program, the Master of Arts in Teaching Biology. We welcome prospective educators to this site and invite future teacher candidates to visit our beautiful campus in Morrow, Georgia.

About the Program

The Master of Arts in Teaching Biology with concentration in secondary Biology is designed for individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree in Biology or a related area and/or have a provisional teaching certificate in the discipline. This initial certification program will prepare interested persons to receive a master’s degree and provide them the opportunity to become certified to teach secondary Biology. The program consists of Biology content and methods courses, professional studies classes, and field-based clinical experiences. Most content and professional education courses emphasize use of technology and action research with pupils in diverse school settings. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are awarded the M.A.T. degree and the opportunity for teacher certification in grades 6-12 Biology. This program offers evening courses with student teaching during the spring semester. Individuals who are teaching with a provisional certificate in a public school system will be given full-time student teaching status.

The faculty in the Department of Biology teach the Biology content and methods courses and assist in the supervision of the internship experiences related to the Biology content.  The faculty from the Department of Teacher Education teach the professional education courses and supervise the clinical and internship experiences along with public school mentor teachers. Our partnership school districts will serve as collaborative sites for field experiences and internships.

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of the program graduates will be able to:

• Diagnose Learning Needs: The candidate uses a variety of assessment techniques and utilizes appropriate technologies to gather information about all students and integrate this information to determine learners' strengths and areas to be developed. 
• Plan for Student Learning: The candidate integrates knowledge of biology, of the nature of diverse learners, of learning theories, of instructional strategies and of professional standards and state/local curriculum guides to plan instruction.
• Facilitate Student Learning: The candidate implements instructional plans with flexibility and is guided by knowledge of biology, of the nature of all learners, of learning theories and of instructional strategies.
• Demonstrate Appropriate Knowledge: The candidate has general knowledge in the liberal arts and sciences and possesses discipline specific knowledge at a level appropriate for the chosen teaching field.
• Foster Student Well-being to Support Learning: The candidate interacts with diverse students, school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to foster student well-being and learning. 
• Assume the Role of Professional Teacher: The candidate acts in accordance with the structure, standards and responsibilities of the profession and recognizes the role of the school in supporting a democratic society.