Requirements for the M. A. T. degree are set by the Lynch School of Education,
whose website should be consulted. These requirements reflect, in turn, those
set by the Massachusetts Department of Education for certifying teachers at the
secondary level.
The number of credits required for the degree, some in Education, some in
Classics, will vary according to the preparation of the candidate. This fact
makes it difficult to spell out exactly what will be required of an individual
candidate.
The commonest requirements are thirty-four credits, leading to Advanced Provisional
Certification, and forty-seven credits, leading to Standard Certification. Those
who opt for Provisional Certification will need to upgrade to Standard Certification
within three years, but that does not affect their degree status.
The Classics Component
In either version of the program, the Classics component is normally fifteen
credits, plus completion of a reading list and a comprehensive examination.
A caution should be observed, however, about the number of credits required
under this heading. In order to be certified by the state, a candidate has to
show a total of thirty-six credits in the subject area, counting both graduate
and undergraduate courses. For that reason an individual candidate may need
more, or fewer, than fifteen credits--an undergraduate transcript needs to be
reviewed to clarify the number.
Comprehensive exams, in the Classics component, include a two-hour
written exam in Latin language and literature and a one-hour oral exam.
The written exam requires the translation of three passages from Latin to
English and the composition of an essay about one of them; the essay asks a
student to identify the passage in its literary context and the author in his
historical context. The exam is based on the reading list. Use of a dictionary
is not allowed.
The oral exam is open-ended, testing whether a student can keep a conversaton
going for an hour on the topic of Latin literature in its historical context.
A supplementary reading list suggests books on political, social, and literary
history.
Summary of requirements
o Education (normally 19-32 credits)
Coursework
Practice Teaching
o Classics (normally 15 credits)
5 courses in Latin at the graduate level
Two-hour written examination on Latin language and literature
One-hour oral examination
View more details on
Boston College.
