Our graduate program in secondary education gives you the subject matter knowledge and teaching experience you need to profoundly impact the lives and futures of students in grades 4–12. By placing students in internships across 20 local school districts, our tuition remission program provides significant cost savings alongside valuable classroom experience. Our program also offers the opportunity to apply for one of 17 apprenticeship positions which provide a full-year, paid classroom experience in a partner district, tuition assistance and an additional stipend.
School of Education student Rose Piscitelli ’19 conducts an experiment with students Hakeem Sawyer and Jalen Bradshaw in the School of Education on the North Haven Campus.
A swift and affordable route to becoming a teacher
Typically, secondary educators specialize in a particular subject area. If you have your bachelor’s degree in one of five subject areas — Biology, Chemistry, English, History or Mathematics — we offer an intensive, cost-effective program that allows you to earn your master’s degree in teaching and your teaching certification in just over one year. You’ll enter in the summer as a full-time graduate student and spend time interning in a school while attending evening classes on campus.
All students will take three graduate content courses to promote a deeper understanding of your area of expertise as well as multiple courses in teaching and learning, classroom management and adolescent development.
To help you secure your first job in education, we offer a range of career transition services including resume-writing workshops, mock interviews and assistance completing your certification paperwork. Your final semester will be tailored to your job search; students who have secured full-time placement will receive for-credit induction support, while students who have not yet been hired will continue their student teaching experience.
Practical, hands-on experience in the classroom
As an MAT candidate, you may participate in an internship or residency during the fall and spring semesters of the program. Quinnipiac and our partnering schools provide you with guided, hands-on professional practice while reducing some costs of the program.
Candidates who are not employed by a school district will be placed as either an intern or a resident. These candidates will receive a reduction in tuition of up to 50% by means of a tuition remission for serving in such capacity. Candidates employed by a school district may be eligible for employee tuition assistance. Financial aid is available for all candidates in the MAT program.
Interns serve in area schools in a variety of capacities and as substitute teachers with guidance from an on-site adviser and from a Quinnipiac faculty member. Each intern has the opportunity to participate in staff meetings and take part in all school operations.
Residents spend the entire school year with one teacher in one classroom in the role of co-teacher. The classroom teacher and a Quinnipiac faculty member will provide guidance throughout the school year. Each resident can participate in staff meetings and take part in all school operations.
School employees continue working in the capacity in which they were hired.
After successfully completing one year of studies in the MAT program, a candidate can be hired as a teacher of record under a Resident Educator Certificate issued by the State of Connecticut.
You will be off to a strong start — gaining experience in a professional environment while also gaining perspective and support from your Quinnipiac faculty and classmates.
Alumni Spotlight
Alumni continue family tradition of keeping state’s residents healthy while preparing next generation of EMTs
As the youngest of five children in a family of first responders, Kevin Ferrarotti ’02, MAT ’03, was fitted with a wooden pager by his siblings so he’d always be prepared for a pretend emergency. After all, somebody had to play the victim.
Percentage of graduates in the Class of 2023 who are employed within four months of graduation (98.6% knowledge rate).
+$107K
Scholarship Awards
Since Fall 2023, 14 undergraduate and graduate School of Education students have been a total of $107,630 in scholarships through the Connecticut State Department of Education and Teach.org.
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Partner Schools
Quinnipiac places students in 63 partner schools across more than 22 school districts, allowing them to gain practical classroom experience in a variety of settings.
Preparing the next generation of STEM educators
Quinnipiac University’s School of Education has been awarded a $751,755 Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Grant to support the development of highly qualified Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) educators and help address the national shortage of STEM teachers.
The grant will provide scholarships for 18 Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) candidates with STEM majors to participate in an immersive residency program during their graduate year. This includes both secondary education candidates in biology, chemistry or mathematics, as well as elementary education candidates, who have an appropriate STEM major.
Program Benefits
Grant funding and participation in the program will:
Cover 90 percent of program tuition
Offer extensive hands-on classroom experience, followed by three years of support and mentorship.
Organize a full-year co-teaching residency alongside an experienced mentor teacher in a local school district
Provide professional development activitiesm including workshops led by STEM experts, participation in STEM events for K-12 audiences and attendance at national STEM education conferences
Apply and Learn More
The first cohort is set to begin in Summer 2026. For inquiries about applying for this unique opportunity to become a highly qualified STEM teacher, or for those considering the teaching profession more generally, you are encouraged to reach out to Quinnipiac’s Graduate Admissions Office.
Our key relationships with 3 local schools — Side by Side Charter School in Norwalk, Connecticut, and Metropolitan Business Academy Interdistrict Magnet School and Fair Haven School in New Haven, Connecticut — provide diverse training and experience.
Quinnipiac MAT student Samantha Franzese observes high school students Jack O'Brien, left, and Ross Jacobson working together as she teaches an Anatomy and Physiology class at Metropolitan Business Academy Interdistrict Magnet School in New Haven.
Quinnipiac MAT student Samantha Franzese teaches an Anatomy and Physiology class during her internship at Metropolitan Business Academy Interdistrict Magnet School in New Haven.
Quinnipiac MAT student Grace McKinley teaches math to high school students at Metropolitan Business Academy Interdistrict Magnet School in New Haven.
Quinnipiac MAT student Samantha Angilletta teaches English at Metropolitan Business Academy Interdistrict Magnet School in New Haven.
Quinnipiac MAT student Demi Germanakos works with high school student Eryca Brown during Civics class at Metropolitan Business Academy Interdistrict Magnet School in New Haven.
A Quinnipiac student works with high school student Jonael Romero during her field study at Metropolitan Business Academy Interdistrict Magnet School in New Haven.
Exceeding the Highest Standards in Public Education
The following programs in the School of Education are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) from 2021-2028:
MAT in Elementary Education
MAT in Secondary Education: Biology
MAT in Secondary Education: English
MAT in Secondary Education: Mathematics
MAT in Secondary Education: Social Studies / History
MAT in Secondary Education: Spanish
Sixth-Year Diploma in Educational Leadership
The following are new programs which were approved by the CSDE and will be submitted for accreditation in the next cycle as per the requirements of CAEP:
MAT in Secondary Education: Chemistry (approved in 2024)
MAT in Special Education - Initial Certification (approved in 2022)
School of Education graduates earn exceptionally high scores on licensure examinations required for certification both within and outside the state of Connecticut, including the Praxis II tests for special educators and elementary and secondary teacher candidates; the Foundations of Reading Test; Spanish ACTFL Test; and the Connecticut Administrator Test (CAT), taken by the candidates in the Sixth-Year Diploma in Educational Leadership program.
