Elementary STEM Education

Elementary STEM graduates receive a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree and endorsement for Initial license for grades 1-6. For admission, candidates must show strength in science, mathematics, or engineering, demonstrated through coursework, projects, research activities, and/or willingness and interest.

Brian Gravel

Welcome message from program director

Teaching is an intellectually rich and personally fulfilling career. As Sonia Nieto reflects, we "teach to become more fully human." The Elementary STEM program welcomes passionate, committed, and intellectually curious students who seek to build a strong foundation for their teaching career. Over the course of the program, we hope to challenge your assumptions, to hone your skills of listening to and understanding children's thinking, and to support you in developing your core values of what meaningful teaching and learning looks like. We place the doing of science, math, engineering, and other subjects at the heart of our work and emphasize the importance of nurturing the intellectual lives of young people. And, we hope to challenge your thinking around who school works for, what barriers students confront, what challenges are present in urban schooling, and how you as a teacher can work to address the complexities you face in schools. It is an intense year, and we cannot teach you all you need to know in 12 months; we teach you how to learn how to teach. You will leave this program prepared to embrace the challenges of your career and to develop into a thoughtful, competent, and reflective educator.

I encourage you to contact current and former students to ask about their experiences both in and after the Elementary STEM M.A.T. program. Exploring the Field Placements page will help you understand what the student-teaching requirements are for the program, and the Program Requirements page will help you learn about the courses you will take should you join us here at Tufts!

Brian Gravel
Director, Elementary STEM MAT Program