Master in Teaching, Bellingham, MIT

Secondary Education, Woodring College of Education

68 Credits

Graduate Faculty

Burgess, Donald, PhD.
Larson, Bruce, PhD.
Longoria, A, PhD., MIT Academic Program Director.
McClanahan, Lauren, PhD.
Pyscher, Tracey, PhD.
Roxas, Kevin, PhD.
Tauzen, Brian, PhD.
Velez, Veronica, PhD.
Ware, Molly, PhD.

Program Information

The Master in Teaching (MIT) program is designed for candidates who wish to complete a Master’s degree while gaining state of Washington Residency certification to teach at the secondary level (middle and high school). Our comprehensive MIT program is firmly backed by current research of effective teaching and promoting student learning. The Bellingham MIT program can be completed in five quarters, including the student teaching (internship).

See the Department of Secondary Education catalog page for additional program and teacher certification information. In particular, review the following headings: Certification, Endorsements, Requirements upon Program Admission, Character and Fitness, General Retention Requirements, Program Completion, and Internships.

Program Application

Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate School and the Secondary Education department requirements below. All applicants who meet the minimum requirements and submit a completed application by the application deadline will have their application evaluated by Secondary Education faculty. The GRE is not an application requirement for this graduate program.

Prospective Master in Teaching applicants should seek advising with the Woodring Admissions Office, phone 360-650-4630, e-mail address TeacherEd.Admission@wwu.edu, or wce.wwu.edu/MIT-Bellingham/Apply, to help determine your application eligibility and the best time to apply. For program questions, contact Professor Longoria at longora@wwu.edu. Further information may be obtained by contacting Janna Cecka - see wce.wwu.edu/user/janna-cecka. Applicants seeking the Music endorsement should contact Professor Patty Bourne for advising. The Physical Education and Health endorsement is not available with the graduate program. The Graduate School can also be contacted directly for procedural/technical application questions, phone 360-650-3170, e-mail gradschool@wwu.edu.

Criteria for selecting the most qualified applicants for admission include academic preparation/endorsement evaluation, essay review (for content and structure), letters of recommendation, and experience with youth; also, the interview participation is rated for fitness for this program, evidence of strong oral communication, critical thinking, and group interaction. Meeting the application requirements makes the applicant eligible for admission consideration but does not guarantee admission. Enrollment restrictions apply for each cohort, and a future start term might be offered in rare cases. Department faculty determine final admissions decisions. 

Pre-application Requirement

Step 1: Create an online application account with the Graduate School, gradschool.wwu.edu. Indicate all your higher education institutes, letter of reference information, and upload unofficial transcripts, essays, endorsement evaluation, and other application requirements.

Step 2: An endorsement evaluation is required with your application for all endorsements you may be earning. No more than 10 endorsement credits, limited to the content methods course(s), may be outstanding once you begin the MIT program. See the SEC MIT website for details.

Step 3: Applicants must meet the basic skills requirement in reading, writing, and mathematics. This may be met by: a) Taking the WEST-B exam, b) SAT scores, c) ACT scores. There is no minimum score requirement for admission. See the Woodring admissions website wce.wwu.edu/admissions/basic-skills for details.

Step 4: (for world language only) All applicants must submit ACTFL scores in writing and speaking (Advanced Low) with their application. 

Step 5: Submit completed application by deadline.

Application Requirements

• Baccalaureate degree (or degree completed prior to program start date).
• A minimum overall grade point average of 3.0; or see Graduate School GPA eligibility requirements.
• Meet the basic skill requirement.
• Unofficial transcripts for every institution of higher learning attended (official transcripts required if admitted).
• A completed endorsement evaluation.
• Submitted ACTFL scores for those seeking a world language endorsement.
• Experience working with youth in an educational setting, with preference to public secondary schools.
• Experience with youth and families in diverse socio-economic, cultural, linguistic settings.
• Resumé.
• Essays responding to the prompts in the online application (prompts also at SEC’s MIT website).
• Three letters of reference (details at SEC website).
• Completion of an approved English composition course, with a grade of B or higher.
• English language proficiency.
• Interview by SEC faculty (details provided after application deadline).

Important Application Dates:

• Fall quarter: February 1
• Spring quarter: October 1

Program Completion

To qualify for program completion and recommendation for state of Washington residency certification, candidates must complete the following requirements and assessments outlined on the Secondary Education  main catalog page, and:

• The Graduate School policy is for program requirements to be completed within five years. While it is possible to earn the Residency teaching certificate without completing the final requirements for the MIT degree, it is not possible to earn the MIT without earning the Residency teaching certificate.

Grade Requirements

Retention in the program requires continuous demonstration of competence in standard oral and written English in all course work. Retention also requires maintenance of a 3.0 quarterly GPA for each quarter upon admission.