Program Admission
Admit Terms and Deadlines
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; students may start the program in the Summer, Fall, or Winter. See Application Deadlines.
Minimum Graduate School Requirements
For full admission, applicants must have 1) Earned a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a non-U.S. institution, 2) a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale, or 3.0 in the last half of the undergraduate program. Conditional admission may be available to applicants not meeting minimum admission requirements.
Program Requirements
Applicants must also meet the following program criteria:
- BA/BS or equivalent earned from an accredited institution in the certification language. The coursework must be aligned with the requirements for the equivalent undergraduate degree at EMU
- Hold a 2.75 undergraduate GPA or 3.0 in the last half of the undergraduate work
- Furnish an analysis of professional goals written by the candidate. This analysis should describe how the chosen degree program will meet the selected goals and how the candidate’s life experiences, accomplishments, and interests will contribute to success in the program.
- Two letters of recommendation that address the candidate’s professional commitment, experience, and potential for graduate-level scholarship
- Freedom from civil/criminal convictions, academic probation, or administrative probation; ICHAT Criminal Background Check and Statement of Civil/Criminal Convictions; For any civil/criminal conviction, provide a copy of Judgment of Sentence, Registrar of Actions, or Certificate of Conviction and a written explanation of the offense; Applications of students with civil/criminal convictions will be carefully reviewed and may take longer to process.
- Students may be required to have the equivalent of a teachable minor to earn a teaching certificate from the State of Michigan. See College of Education, advisor.
International students and candidates without extended learning or teaching experience in K-12 American school settings must complete two 2-credit hour courses in “Professional Writing in Educational Settings” and “Orientation to Standards-and Proficiency-based Instruction.”
Application
Your application will be submitted using GradCAS, a Centralized Application Service (CAS) hosted by Liaison. After reviewing the admission requirements, please review the application instructions and select the appropriate application.
- Go to 2023-2024 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Winter 2025.
- Go to 2024-2025 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Winter 2026.
Domestic Applicants Within the application, follow the instructions to submit an official transcript from all previously attended institutions.
International Applicants Before applying, applicants must review the international application/process deadlines at emich.edu/international as they may differ from general program requirements.
For additional information regarding the application process, please see Graduate Admissions or International Admissions.
Content Knowledge Verification
The major goal of the MAT-World Language Concentration is to prepare professionals who have at least a baccalaureate degree that includes 30 credits at the 300-level and above or the equivalent level of content knowledge in the language of intended licensure. To meet the Michigan Standards for World Language Teacher Certification and the ACTFL CAEP program accreditation expectations, all candidates must document their knowledge of the world language, linguistics, culture, literature, and civilization before being recommended for a Michigan Standard Teaching License by successfully completing the following assessments:
- complete an assessment in language and linguistics that is aligned with ACTFL CAEP expectations;
- complete an assessment in language, literature, civilization, and culture that is aligned with ACTFL CAEP expectations; and
- provide evidence of having participated in a formal study abroad experience or that they have lived for at least a year in a culture/country in which the language is used as the / one of the primary languages of daily communication.
Degree Requirements: 43 hours
Completion of the 43-credit program of study outlined below leads to a State of Michigan teacher initial secondary teaching certificate with a K-12 endorsement and a MAT in the language in which certification is sought.
Content Knowledge Verification - This degree requires a review of transcripts by an advisor to determine if any content requirements are unfulfilled. The College of Education will ensure that deficiencies are completed before graduation and inform Records & Registration when this requirement is satisfied.
Critical Graduation Information
Each graduate student is responsible for fulfilling the requirements or equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.
Master’s degree requirements must be completed within six (6) years of first enrollment in the master’s degree program.
In the event a student does not complete the master’s degree requirements within six years of the date of their original registration, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their degree in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.
The following are minimum requirements for all master’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some programs require more than the minimum in one or more areas below.
- A master’s degree must require a minimum of 30 credit hours.
- No more than six credits of independent study courses and no more than 12 credit hours of special topics and independent study courses combined may be applied to a graduate degree.
- Residency Requirement:
- For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 36 or fewer required hours, at least 24 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
- For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 37 or more required hours, at least 30 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. Minimum degree hours must still be met for graduation. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
- Residency and enrollment in multiple programs: Students enrolled in multiple master’s/specialist degree programs must have 24 unique credit hours in each degree program.
- Only credits from one completed graduate certificate may be applied to a master’s or specialist degree in a relevant field of study, as determined by the Graduate School and with the approval of the degree-granting academic department, and be included in the residency hours above.
- Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all graduate-level courses taken at EMU and in their program of study to remain in good academic standing and be eligible for graduation. Students do not need to be registered for classes during the semester of graduation.
- The Graduate School does not permit the use of undergraduate courses (499 and below) to meet degree requirements on graduate programs of study.
- Some master’s programs require a thesis; others require a special project or internship; others require students to pass a final exam. See the Graduate School website for Thesis and Dissertation Manuals, all forms, and information about research and human subject approval. Every completed thesis or dissertation must be submitted to Digital Commons. Any form of graduate student work submitted to Digital Commons must first be approved by a faculty advisor and the Graduate School.
