The master of arts for teachers (M.A.T.) in Chinese is primarily designed for practicing Chinese language teachers at American secondary schools who wish to further develop their professional knowledge and skills. The program is also intended to serve the needs of those interested in pursuing a career related to Chinese language and culture teaching, especially at K-12 schools. It partially fulfills the New Jersey Department of Education requirements to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility (CE) to teach Chinese at K-12 schools in New Jersey. The M.A.T. in Chinese in itself does not lead to certification or a degree in education. The program may also be of interest to Rutgers University undergraduates majoring in Chinese or related fields contemplating a career as a Chinese language teacher in K-12 schools in New Jersey and elsewhere. The M.A.T. in Chinese is a terminal degree and does not lead to Ph.D. studies.

For the M.A.T. in Chinese, candidates are expected to complete a total of 30 credits. They should normally be distributed over the following areas: 9 credits in language (e.g., linguistics, grammar, writing, translation, language across the curriculum); 12 credits in literature and/or culture; 6 credits in methodology taken through the World Languages Institute (WLI); for the final 3 credits of the program, candidates are required to prepare a teaching portfolio.�This portfolio, which will reflect the candidate's own individual teaching situation as well as the application of theory and practice from the 27 credits of coursework, will be a compendium of documents, lesson plans, realia, and other relevant teaching materials. The candidate must identify a two-member committee, which normally consists of a faculty member in Chinese and a pedagogy specialist from the WLI. After the committee has approved the final version of the teaching portfolio, the candidate will be required to make a presentation, or defense, of this project. Candidates for the M.A.T. generally cannot take more than 12 credits of advanced undergraduate coursework toward the degree.

Other options include:�

A substitute for a comprehensive examination for the M.A.T. degree can be in the form of a substantial report on an assigned topic in curricular development or on an internship. It will be read and evaluated by a committee of three faculty members.

Students may, with the approval of the graduate director, participate in a summer graduate study abroad program and earn credits.

Students may elect to take one course (3 credits) in the Graduate School of Education, upon prior approval by the graduate director.

The graduate director may accept up to 12 credits at the graduate level from another institution toward the fulfillment of degree requirements only after 12 credits have been completed at Rutgers.

Candidates for the M.A.T. program are admitted on the basis of prior academic or professional performance and need not submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. The course requirements of this program may be satisfied by coursework taken during the Summer Session as well as the regular academic year. Students wishing to take courses toward the M.A.T. degree during the regular academic year may do so with the advice and permission of the graduate director.