New York MAT

The Relay GSE Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) is a part-time, two-year master’s program specifically designed for teachers with 0-2 years of experience who expect to be teaching in New York City elementary, middle, and high schools in the coming two years.

The entering class of graduate students begins program coursework in the summer, with the curriculum delivered both in-person and online. In-person sessions are held on two weeknights and one Saturday during each month of the academic year. In addition, there is a two-week session during the first summer and a one-week session during the second summer.¹

Programs of Study

Relay GSE offers a part-time, two-year master’s program that is designed for novice teachers. The incoming cohort will begin coursework in the summer of 2013 and is scheduled to conclude in the summer of 2015. The master’s programs at Relay GSE require, for the average graduate student, about 450 clock hours – or what amounts to 36 credits.

Relay GSE’s programs lead to a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree. The following programs are currently available:

• Early Childhood Education (Grades K-2)
• Childhood Education (Grades 1-6)
• Middle School Generalist (Grades 5-9)
• Middle School Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, or Physics (Grades 5-9)
• Middle School English Language Arts (Grades 5-9)
• Middle School Mathematics (Grades 5-9)
• Middle School Social Studies (Grades 5-9)
• High School Math (Grades 7-12)
• High School Biology (Grades 7-12)
• High School Chemistry (Grades 7-12)
• High School English Language Arts (Grades 7-12)

Middle School (MS) applicants who have previously completed 30 credit hours in a liberal arts discipline that matches their teaching placement may choose to enroll in a subject-specific program of study (i.e., MS Social Studies, Mathematics). Applicants who do not meet this requirement may be eligible to enroll in the MS Generalist program. The Generalist program exposes graduate students to the core middle school subject areas and also allows them to teach a specific subject to meet the needs of their placement. Graduate students in the MS Science program are placed in a specific track (Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, or Physics).

Schedule

Relay GSE understands the demanding schedules of new teachers and has designed an academic calendar that is conducive to their busy schedules. Instruction is delivered both in-person and online.

• In-person sessions are held two weeknights and one Saturday each month during the academic year, as well as in a two-week session during the first summer and a one-week session during the second summer. Graduate students who participate in an approved, aligned summer institute or training program may have many of their summer requirements waived.
• The online coursework affords students flexibility to pursue some of their learning at times most convenient to them. The program’s online work involves previewing material through videos and readings, direct instruction, and some initial exercises. In-person sessions leverage online coursework.

Location

Relay GSE sessions are held in locations across New York City that are convenient to our graduate students’ work sites as teachers. Students are grouped in classes according to teaching location and school/network when appropriate.

Faculty

Relay GSE has brought together a core group of individuals widely credited as being among America’s best teachers. All Relay GSE faculty members:

• Have demonstrated the ability to lead K-12 students to performance improvements in the classroom
• Have proven their skills with adult learners by delivering measurable outcomes
• Model highly effective and intentional teaching methods during graduate level classes, which graduate students then put into practice in their own K-12 classrooms

Curriculum

The Relay GSE curriculum comprises two core components. First, graduate students learn core instructional practices in planning, delivery, and assessment of teaching and learning that are necessary for all teachers, regardless of the subject or grade level they are teaching. These practices are sometimes referred to in the education field as “general pedagogy.” Second, graduate students will learn how to teach their specific subject at one or more specific grade levels. Math teachers do not learn geometry, for example, but rather how to teach geometry and how students learn geometry. This is sometimes referred to as “pedagogical content knowledge.”