Detailed Information
Programs of Study
Agnes Scott College has been preparing teachers through undergraduate elective courses and student-teaching opportunities since 1906. Since 1992, the College has also offered a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) Secondary English. This program is open to men and women with strong academic qualifications who seek certification to teach and who want the benefits of small classes, choice student-teaching placements, and an academic environment that is purposeful yet personal.
The M.A.T. Secondary English program is a twelve-month course of study that leads to a master’s degree and certification for teaching secondary English. The program consists of a three-semester curriculum of English literature and language courses as well as courses and field experience in education. Special features include an emphasis on gender equity, graduate seminars, and a Writing Teachers’ Workshop. A part-time, two-year program is also an option.
Research Facilities
McCain Library has been completely renovated and doubled in size, and access to the Internet is available at every seat. The library offers 228,000 volumes, 47,000 digital books, access to 24,000 periodical titles and approximately 21,700 sound and video recordings, as well as microforms and archives. Many resources are electronic and available remotely from other campus facilities, residence halls, and off-campus locations. These include 276 databases, with eighty-nine offering full-text articles from several thousand journals, periodical indexes in most major academic areas, and reference tools serving all disciplines. The library also provides a home for the Center for Writing and Speaking. It holds several noteworthy collections of rare books and manuscripts, including one of the leading Robert Frost collections and the papers of alumna Catherine Marshall LeSourd. Agnes Scott’s reciprocal library service gives students direct access to the libraries of eighteen other institutions in the Atlanta-Athens area. Extensive electronic resources are available through the GALILEO project of the University System of Georgia.
Financial Aid
Students studying in the M.A.T. Secondary English program are eligible to receive federal Stafford Loans, GradPLUS, and private student loans. College-administered financial aid is not available for graduate students.
M.A.T. students who are Georgia residents may qualify for the Georgia HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan Program, which provides graduate students at private institutions up to $9600 in forgivable loans to complete a master’s degree to teach in a critical shortage field. The loans are forgiven by teaching in Georgia public school classrooms. Students can apply for these loans online at http://www.GACollege411.org.
Federal loan limits for M.A.T. students are $8500 in subsidized Stafford loans and $12,000 in additional unsubsidized Stafford loans. A student may apply for the GradPLUS loan or a private student loan to cover the remaining cost of education, including living expenses. The Agnes Scott Office of Financial Aid can provide students with information on the amount of eligibility as well as application information.
Cost of Study
Tuition for the M.A.T. program in 2009–10 is $475 per credit hour. In addition, there is a student activity and technology fee of $415. The student health insurance fee of $450 is waived if a student has proof of health insurance.
Living and Housing Costs
Two-bedroom apartments are available within walking distance of campus for $900 to $1050 per month. The estimated cost of utilities is $100 to $150 per month.
Student Group
In 2008–09, there were 18 students in the M.A.T. programs. Students enter the program with a bachelor’s degree with a major or significant preparation in the teaching discipline.
Student Outcomes
The placement rate for graduates seeking teaching positions is 99 percent. Graduates now teach at high schools throughout metro Atlanta and in a variety of states.
Location
Agnes Scott’s 100-acre wooded campus is located in metropolitan Atlanta and the historic residential community of Decatur. Downtown Atlanta is 6 miles away and is accessible by a rapid-transit rail station two blocks from campus. Atlanta offers opportunities for personal contact with most of the world’s cultures and entertainment that ranges from popular music to performances of the Atlanta Symphony, from local theater to touring Broadway shows, and from recreational parks to major league sports and the world’s largest aquarium. It is also home to a presidential library, the High Museum of Art, and eighteen other colleges and universities.
The College and The Program
Agnes Scott has approximately 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students who come from forty-three states and twenty-five countries, with 33 percent of the students representing diverse ethnic or cultural backgrounds. Students are challenged by a rigorous academic environment but supported by faculty members who take a personal interest in their success.
One graduate of the M.A.T. Secondary English program said Agnes Scott’s challenging yet encouraging atmosphere “gives you the formula to find your voice” (Sylvia Martinez ’98). Another said that “at Agnes Scott, I acquired the attitude of the ‘assumed pursuit of excellence’” (Al Carson ’01).
Applying
To qualify for the program, students must have a Bachelor of Arts degree or significant preparation in English; an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 in the major and overall; a passing score on GACE; and GRE scores above the 50th percentile in one of the three areas.
Applicants must submit an official transcript from each college/university attended (if applying during the senior year, it must be sent when the degree is completed); GACE Basic Skills assessment scores; GRE scores; three letters of recommendation; a one-page, single-spaced statement of purpose; a writing portfolio with a minimum of two works, including at least one paper from a prior upper-level English course; and a completed application and $35 nonrefundable application fee. An applicant who has an SAT total score of at least 1000 (verbal plus math scores) or minimum ACT score of 43 (obtained by adding the English and math scores) or a GRE total score of at least 1030 (verbal plus quantitative scores) is exempt from submitting GACE scores.
The deadline for applications is March 15. Application materials will be accepted after this date as long as initial contact has been established with the Office of Graduate Studies before March 15. All items should be sent to the Office of Graduate Studies.
The Faculty and Their Research
- Lesley Coia, Associate Professor of Education and Chair; Ph.D., London. Philosophy of education, self-study practices in teacher education.
- Amber Peace Dermont, Assistant Professor of English; Ph.D., Houston. Creative writing–fiction, teaching contemporary literature in secondary schools.
- Gordon Malcolm Emert Jr., Associate Professor of Education and Director of Teacher Education Programs; Ph.D., Virginia. Curriculum development and instructional methods in English education.
- Steven R. Guthrie, Professor of English; Ph.D., Brown. Medieval literature, history of English, historical linguistics.
- Marquita Jackson-Minot, Assistant Professor of Education; Ph.D., Emory. Early childhood education, culturally responsive teaching practices, reflective practice, the influence of remembered teachers on teaching pedagogy.
- Nicholas F. Radel, Professor of English; Ph.D., Indiana. Critical approaches to teaching literature, sex and gender in early modern England, queer theory.
- Willie Tolliver Jr., Associate Professor of English and Director of Master of Arts in Teaching Secondary English; Ph.D., Chicago. African American literature, nineteenth-century American literature, curriculum development.
Correspondence and Information
Agnes Scott College
Willie Tolliver Jr., Director, M.A.T. Program in English
Doug Talbott, Graduate Studies Program Coordinator
Office of Graduate Studies
141 E. College Avenue
Decatur, Georgia 30030-3797
Telephone:
404-471-5394
800-868-8602 Ext. 5394 (toll-free)
Email:
graduatestudies@agnesscott.edu
