Bard College MAT

The program runs on trimesters.

Trimester 1 (10 weeks): You’ll take graduate courses in education and your subject area, participate in a teaching lab course, and complete a field experience placement.

Trimester 2 (16 weeks): You’ll take more graduate courses in education and your discipline, join a teaching lab course, and complete a 6-week student teaching placement in one of the partner schools.

Trimester 3: You’ll take graduate courses in education, complete a substantive research project, and finish a 12-week student teaching placement at a partner school.

You'll gain extensive teaching experience in MAT partner schools with personalized mentoring and field supervision. During the summer, you'll spend 7 weeks at a partner program. In the fall, you'll teach full-time for 6 weeks in a partner school with a dedicated mentor teacher and MAT faculty supervisor. Come spring, you'll complete a 12-week student teaching placement in another partner school, again with a mentor teacher and MAT faculty supervisor.

All students get training in teaching ELL and Students with Disabilities. Many then go on to become dual-certified in these areas.

At each teaching placement, you’ll have a dedicated mentor teacher and a MAT faculty field supervisor to support you. Weekly meetings with your mentor and supervisor will help you succeed in your teaching experience.

The Bard MAT program works to secure funding to enhance the graduate experience for you. As a TOC II recipient, it helps support underrepresented populations in teaching. The program also collaborates with international teacher education programs in Kyrgyzstan and Jerusalem. They regularly gather feedback from students, graduates, and school partners to keep improving. An advisory council of teachers, principals, and educators helps shape the program and boost support for you and the teaching profession. Additionally, there are professional development opportunities and partnerships with Bard College's Institute for Writing and Thinking.