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Elementary Education Gr 1-5

With a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree in Elementary Education (Grades 1-5), you can become certified to teach in Louisiana’s schools as an elementary teacher or an elementary French Immersion teacher.  Our master's program in Elementary Education is ideal for students who earned a bachelor’s degree in a field other than education.

All students completing the M.A.T. in Elementary Education (Grades 1-5) program graduate with the Louisiana state elementary certification, which is required to teach elementary school. Through the program, you’ll work with students in Louisiana’s high-needs elementary schools during your practicum and teacher intern residency experiences.

Pathways

We offer two concentrations in the M.A.T. in Elementary Education (Grades 1-5):

  • Elementary Education concentration
  • Elementary French Immersion concentration

Students in both concentrations take 39 credit hours of courses covering educational foundations, reading, content methodology, management, and assessment — along with concentration-specific courses that will prepare you to educate our school systems’ youngest minds.

Elementary Education Gr 1-5, M.A.T., Elementary Education concentration

In our M.A.T. program in Elementary Education Grades 1-5, you’ll earn your certification to teach elementary school with the added prestige of earning your master’s degree.

Within your core courses, you will be responsible for completing assignments related to educational research in elementary education. In your final semester, your capstone course will include completing a research-based reflection in educational curriculum and instruction.

Elementary Education Gr 1-5, M.A.T., Elementary French Immersion concentration

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette UL Lafayette is the only institution in Louisiana and the only one among our peer institutions to offer a M.A.T. degree in Elementary Education Grades 1-5 with an Elementary French Immersion concentration. Lafayette’s Cajun and Creole cultures and commitment to preserving our French heritage, language, music and cuisine makes UL Lafayette the perfect place to learn French immersion pedagogy.

After completing the program, you will graduate eligible for certification in Louisiana to teach in french immersion schools at the elementary level.

Within your core courses, your assignments will relate to French immersion pedagogy, immersion methods, and specific linguistic issues relevant to second language acquisition and teaching content courses in another language. In your final semester, the capstone course focuses on linguistic comparison of French and English, issues of inter-language confusion, and ways that immersion teachers can help students overcome these issues. Field hours and in-field assignments will be completed in French immersion classrooms.

Travel & Funding Opportunities

Students in the French immersion concentration will be encouraged to participate in an immersion program at Sainte Anne University in Nova Scotia and complete course field experience requirements in public Francophone schools there. Multiple organizations, including the FACE Foundation, Richard Guidry Foundation, Louisiana Consortium of Immersion Schools and the Council for Development of French in Louisiana have offered funding assistance to students who travel to Sainte Anne University. This experience will help students maintain or achieve the advanced-low level of proficiency needed for their residency.

FIT fellows logo

M.A.T. students choosing the Elementary French Immersion concentration are eligible to apply for a Future Immersion Teacher (FIT) fellowship from the French Dual Language Fund, created in conjunction with the Foundation FACE and Les Services Culturels de L'Ambassade de France. FIT Fellows receive scholarships of up to $10,000 to prepare them for their roles as French immersion teachers. Learn more about the FIT fellowship.

Program Requirements

To be admitted to the M.A.T. program, you must meet the admission requirements set by the UL Lafayette Graduate School along with program-specific requirements.

There are also requirements for graduation from the M.A.T. program.

See all admissions and graduation requirements.

Apply to the program!

International Student Requirements

International students from Francophone countries are welcome to apply. Learn more about the international student requirements.

Program Duration

All students progress through the program as a cohort, regardless of whether pursuing a M.A.T. degree in Elementary Education (Grades 1-5) or a M.A.T. degree in Elementary Education (Grades 1-5) with a concentration in Elementary French Immersion.

The program begins in the summer semester and will take 14 months (lasting through the summer, fall, spring, and summer semesters). The first cohort will start in the Summer 2019 semester.

Request More Information

Want to learn more about the M.A.T. in Elementary Education (Grades 1-5) with a concentration in Elementary French Immersion? Request more information by contacting:

Dr. Natalie Keefer
Department of Educational Curriculum and Instruction
Phone: 337-482-5266
Office: Girard Hall 101A
Email: natalie.keefer@louisiana.edu

Have more questions? Visit the Graduate School website.