The Master of Arts in Teaching program prepares students seeking initial certification in theatre for careers in public education. Students participate in two extensive internships in public schools in addition to other teaching opportunities in combination with the coursework. Students will shadow teachers, conduct action research, develop unit and lesson plans, and teach students directly.
The Department of Theatre and Dance has many excellent relationships with public schools in and around the greater Columbia area and encourages its graduate students to be as involved with area schools as possible. M.A.T. candidates have opportunities to assistant direct at USC and to direct in public schools in the greater Columbia area. Opportunities also exist to offer theatre workshops at USC during weekends and summers with students K-12.
Program Structure
The interdisciplinary masters program consists of 45 credit hours divided between the Department of Theatre and Dance and the College of Education. The range of courses available to students includes: teaching acting and directing, set/costume/lighting design for teachers, dramatic literature for youth, creative drama, applied theatre, schools in the modern society, child/adolescent development, literacy, technology in the classroom, and methods in teaching theatre.
The degree requires 45 semester hours of graduate-level course work, with 6-15 credits
in professional education, 15-24 credits in the teaching content area, and 15 hours
in internship and seminar. Eligibility for admission is limited to those persons seeking
initial teacher certification. Candidates must complete additional course work in
professional education and/or their teaching content area at the undergraduate and
graduate levels as necessary.
Find out more about the M.A.T. in Theatre in the Graduate Bulletin.