1

What is the A.A.T.?

The A.A.T. degree is the Associate of Arts in Teaching degree.  It meets the requirements for the first two years of a four-year bachelor’s degree in education.  A.A.T. degrees have 63-66 semester credits.  All A.A.T. degrees require a 2.75 GPA and passing Praxis I.

2

What can I get an A.A.T. in?

A.A.T. degrees are offered at three levels: Early Childhood Education, which includes K-3, grades kindergarten through third grade; Elementary Education, which includes grades 1-8; and Secondary Education (grades 7-12) in four subject areas: Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, and Spanish.

3

What are the benefits of getting an A.A.T.?

The A.A.T. is a complete package of courses designed for students who want to become certified teachers and plan to transfer to a four-year teacher preparation program. An A.A.T. degree includes all lower-level general education requirements as well as the teacher education course requirements.  Students who earn the A.A.T. can transfer their entire A.A.T. degree without further review to any four-year teacher education program in Maryland, at both private and public colleges and universities.  Instead of having your transcript evaluated for transfer on a course-by-course basis like all other Associate degrees are, A.A.T. graduates know that all of the A.A.T. courses transfer as requirements into the same grade level teacher education program and they will begin as juniors without losing any credits.

4

Do I have to repeat courses at the four-year school?

You do not need to repeat the same courses when you transfer to a Maryland receiving institution.  However, if the teacher education program requires an upper-level course with more advanced course content of its majors, AAT students must take any such additional course.

5

What can I do with an A.A.T. degree?

In addition to preparing yourself for transferring to a four-year teacher education program, you can seek employment as a paraeducator in the public school system.  A.A.T. graduates can work as assistant teachers in private schools as well. An A.A.T. degree meets many of the same requirements as an A.A. degree and prepares students for jobs in the education field requiring an Associate’s degree.

6

What is Field Experience?

A.A.T. students go to an MCPS school for 3-4 hours per week for one semester, observing and working with students on a one-to-one basis and with small groups.  Field Experience requires a total of 45 clock hours per semester.  All students are placed in their field experience site by their Campus Field Experience Coordinator.  Two Field Experience courses are required in the A.A.T. program, for a total of 90 clock hours.

7

When do I have to take Praxis I?

A passing score on Praxis I is required to graduate with an A.A.T. degree.  Students should take Praxis I after they have completed their Mathematics requirement and after they have completed 45 semester credits.  Praxis I scores are required for admission into teacher education programs at the four-year colleges and universities.

8

What is the required passing score on Praxis I?

Maryland has set its passing scores on Praxis I at Reading: 177; Writing: 173; and Mathematics: 177.  The Maryland State Department of Education allows you to combine your three scores together for a comprehensive score of 527.  All Maryland teacher education programs except the University of Maryland College Park accept the combined score of 527 as passing.  UMCP requires each individual passing score on each part of Praxis I.

9

How do I register for Praxis I?

Go to www.ets.org for complete registration information.

10

How many times may I take Praxis I?

There is no limit to the number of times you may take Praxis I.

11

When should I contact the four-year teacher education program I want to transfer to?

The earlier you contact schools you are interested in, the better.  Many four-year schools accept students in both Fall and Spring Semesters, but not all.  The Towson University dual-certification program at the Universities at Shady Grove accepts students in Fall Semester ONLY.

12

When should I identify which A.A.T. degree program I am in?

Since the various A.A.T. programs have different course requirements, it is to your advantage to decide as early as possible which degree track you are following.  There are no course substitutions between the programs, so if you switch degree tracks, you may lose credits and have to take more courses requiring additional time and tuition costs.  You should closely follow the course requirements, making sure you are taking the necessary prerequisites for higher level courses so you can stay on track to graduate as planned.

13

Should I see a counselor to help me plan my course schedule every semester?

Yes.  Not all courses are offered at all three campuses, and not all courses are offered every semester.  It is very important that you have a plan for each semester with a graduation goal date.  Counselors can help you set up a planned schedule to help ensure that the courses you want are available when you need them.

14

What else should I do to complete A.A.T. program and to transfer to four-year colleges?

Be sure to talk with MC Education faculty and other A.A.T. students about your plans and questions.  Go to Transfer Information Days at your campus.  Talk with representatives of the four-year schools that you are interested in getting information about.  Education faculty often have contacts at the four-year schools and can assist you with your individual questions.  If you would like to hear from A.A.T. graduates who have transferred to four-year schools, or students who have graduated with their bachelor’s degrees and are currently teaching in MCPS schools, contact Dr. Ginny Buckner, Director, School of Education.

15

What cost benefits are there to my getting an A.A.T.?

MC is the best bargain for your educational dollar.  The cost of an A.A.T. degree is approximately half that of two years at a four-year state college or university.  For example, if you go to Towson University for one semester, the cost is $3,582.00 while a semester at MC costs you $1,854.00.  You save $1,728.00.  The cost at the University of Maryland at College Park is even higher:  $3,953.00 per semester.  Going to MC saves you $2,099.00 each semester.  An A.A.T. degree includes the requirements of a 2.75 GPA and passing Praxis I, both of which are required to enter teacher education programs as juniors.  The A.A.T. also gives you 90 clock hours of field experience in MCPS schools, giving you opportunities to see if you really like teaching and if this is the right major for you before you decide to transfer to a four-year program.  When you complete the A.A.T., all of the courses in the A.A.T. transfer as requirements to all of the four-year colleges and universities, both public and private.  These benefits save you money in the long run, too.

16

What are the universities in Maryland that offer Early Childhood Education teacher education programs?

Frostburg University, Hood College, Salisbury University, Towson University, UMBC, UMCP, Coppin University, and Villa Julie College have programs in Early Childhood Education.

17

I already have a four-year college degree.  Should I work on an A.A.T. degree? 

No, if you already have a degree, you should have your transcript evaluated and find out what additional courses you need to obtain teacher certification.  You may want to consider going into a graduate program such as a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree program to get certification.

18

Can I substitute higher-level courses for the required general education requirements; for example, use GE 152 for GE 110?

No, there are generally no substitutions allowed in the various A.A.T. degree programs.  The four-year and two-year colleges and universities agreed on the contents of the A.A.T. degree coursework outcomes, and this is what they are expecting our A.A.T. degree students to know when they come into their teacher education programs as juniors.

19.

Do I need to take ED 141 for A.A.T . in Early Childhood Education?

No, ED 141 is not required for Early Childhood A.A.T. but is required for Elementary A.A.T. 

20.

What are the differences between Elementary A.A.T. and Early Childhood A.A.T. programs?

There are three major differences:

1) The Elementary A.A.T program prepares students to teach grades 1- 8, whereas the Early Childhood A.A.T. program    

    prepares to teach Pre-K – to grade 3.

2) Education courses ED 101, ED 140, and ED 216 are required by the Elementary A.A.T. program, while the Early

    Childhood A.A.T. program requires ED 119, ED 120, ED 121, and ED 140.

3) Elementary A.A.T program requires students to take ED 102 and ED 141 for field experiences, and Early Childhood

    A.A.T embeds 45 hours of field experiences in ED 119, ED 120, and ED 121 (Each of these three courses requires 15

    hours of field experience).