Frostburg State University Maryland Accelerates Program Accepting Applicants

Feb 2, 2021 3:25 PM

Frostburg State University’s Maryland Accelerates Program, a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) teacher residency program, is accepting applications. Candidates in this program can receive a master’s degree in elementary (K-6) or secondary (7-12) education in only 13 months, professional development mentorship, the opportunity to earn microcredentials and a $30,000 living-wage stipend during the residency year. Teacher residency opportunities are available in Garrett and Frederick county public schools in Maryland.

Students must be accepted into the MAT program before applying for the residency. The MAT program is ideal for newly graduated non-education majors or individuals looking for a career change, and the residency, with its $30,000 stipend, makes the full-time program more accessible. The stipend, which may be used for tuition, allows students the freedom to intern full-time at Garrett or Frederick county public schools in a setting providing strong mentoring.

Upon graduation, candidates will be on track to apply for available jobs with partnering counties and will continue to receive support from their FSU program mentors.

The overall goal of the Maryland Accelerates Teacher Residency Program is to increase the number of elementary teachers with expertise in culturally responsive and high-leveraged practices, computational thinking and mathematical problem solving and secondary teachers with expertise in science, technology, engineering, math and computer science (STEM-C). The condensed programs, taught by dynamic FSU faculty, run from May to June and include clinical summer sessions.

The program also benefits the schools having students in residency, as it provides experienced teachers in those schools the opportunity to develop their mentorship and coaching skills. This serves two purposes: It is designed to prevent the significant numbers of new teachers who leave the profession within their first couple of years, and it provides a better career pathway for experienced teachers who want to progress in their field but stay in the classroom.

“This innovative program is one of very few teacher preparation programs to receive funding from the Department of Education,” said Dr. Boyce Williams, dean of the College of Education. “This program serves educators from the candidate level through to veteran mentor teachers.”

To learn about the Maryland Accelerates program and the FSU MAT, including admissions requirements, visit the Maryland Accelerates web site. The MAT Elementary application deadline is March 1, and the MAT Secondary application deadline is April 1.

The Maryland Accelerates MAT Teacher Residency Program is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. FSU’s MAT is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Situated in the mountains of Allegany County, Frostburg State University is one of the 12 institutions of the University System of Maryland. FSU is a comprehensive, residential regional university and serves as an educational and cultural center for Western Maryland. For more information, visit the FSU web site or the  Facebook site. Follow FSU on Twitter @frostburgstate.

FSU is committed to making all of its programs, services and activities accessible to persons with disabilities. To request accommodations through the ADA Compliance Office, call 301-687-4102 or use a Voice Relay Operator at 1-800-735-2258.