Undergraduate majors in education are encouraged to consider an innovative program that combines the final year of the undergraduate education major with an additional one-year program to obtain a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in deaf education. This program combines a BA or BS in Education with a Masters of Arts in Teaching: American Sign Language/English Bilingual Deaf Education (also known as the BA/MAT program.)
Targeted toward graduates of its undergraduate program in education, the Department of Education offers the BA/ MAT program as an option leading to a Master's of Arts in Teaching degree in deaf education. The BA/MAT program is designed to meet the needs in the field for an increased number of teachers who are deaf. It enables students to complete their Master's degree in one calendar year after completion of the bachelor's degree in education. Coursework in the program can begin as early as the junior year. Students in the program will major in deaf education at the elementary (1 - 6th) or secondary (junior and senior high school) level. Students in the program major in ASL/English Bilingual Education at the elementary or secondary (junior and senior high school) level.
Graduates are qualified to accept teaching positions in residential, day school, and day class programs and to teach in self-contained, departmentalized and mainstreamed settings. The course of study leads to state license in education of deaf and hard of hearing children and to Council on Education of the Deaf (CED) certification in elementary or secondary education.
Upon completion of the bachelor's degree, students in the BA/MAT program must apply for graduate study and must meet all admission requirements specified for graduate degree students as described in the Admission sections of the graduate catalog.
Admissions and Requirements
The Combined Undergraduate Education Major and Masters in Arts in Teaching: American Sign Language/English Bilingual Deaf Education Program
Students will be admitted to the program before beginning their senior year (some course work can be taken as early as the junior year). Qualifications include demonstration of the following:
- Score of 2+ or higher on the American Sign Language Proficiency Interview (ASLPI).
- Passing Praxis 1 scores as determined by the District of Columbia State Education Agency.
- At least 200 hours of successful paid or volunteer work with deaf and/or hard of hearing infants, children or adolescents corresponding to the level for which the applicant is applying (as documented in resume, letters of support and graduate school application).
- Extensive experience with people who are deaf.
Gallaudet undergraduate students desiring admission to the BA/MAT ASL/English Bilingual: Deaf Education Program also must demonstrate:
- Good standing in Gallaudet's Undergraduate Teacher Education Program (GPA of 3.0 or better, B or better in all EDU courses, 3.0 average in all content area coursework for Secondary majors).
- Three letters of reference. Two of those recommendations must come from Gallaudet University faculty members who regularly teach undergraduate education courses.
- Eligibility for education major coursework (i.e., 400-level courses).
- Completion of at least 15 credits of undergraduate education coursework.
- Interview/disposition assessment
Upon completion of the bachelor's degree, students in the BA/MAT program must apply for graduate study and must meet all admission requirements specified for graduate degree students as described in the Admission sections of the graduate catalog. Visit the Graduate Admissions web site for more information and a checklist of application requirements.
Program of Study
Students must satisfactorily complete the prescribed course of study for the BA/MAT program. The BA/MAT program consists of 39 credits (plus student teaching, 22 of which can be completed prior to the undergraduate education student completing their BA at Gallaudet. The remaining 17 credits (plus student teaching) are taken during the summer, fall and spring of the graduate year. The coursework is designed to meet the requirements for teacher licensure and certification and also reflects the philosophical orientation of the Department of Education.
The course of study includes work in these areas (credit hours indicated in parentheses are approximate):
- education and deaf culture (3)
- literacy and language development (12)
- curriculum instruction and assessment (12)
- research and foundations of education (6)
- families (3)
- practicum (9)
For a specific list of courses see the graduate catalog.
Practicum
Practical, classroom-based experiences are incorporated throughout the undergraduate and graduate portions of the program. These experiences include directed participation during which the students work in classrooms for three halfdays per week, and a minimum of a 6 week student teaching placement working with Deaf and Hard of Hearing children (in addition to a minimum 6 week placement working with hearing children.).
Practicum sites are chosen to provide students with a variety of experiences in settings of different types-day/residential, mainstreamed/self-contained/departmentalized-and in classes using a variety of communication modes and instructional approaches. For practicum experiences (three half-days per week), students are typically placed in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area include the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School and the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (both on the Gallaudet University campus), the Maryland School for the Deaf, and day schools and classes in Fairfax County, Virginia, and in Prince George's and Montgomery Counties, Maryland. For the 6 week (minimum) period of full time student teaching, students can be placed in out-of-state assignments. Programs used in recent years have included public and private programs for deaf and hard of hearing students in several U.S. states.. There may also be opportunities for international student placement.
