Content Expertise, Career Development
The nationwide focus on STEM education has created high demand for teachers with advanced training in both pedagogy and mathematical concepts. UNC’s Master of Arts in Mathematics Teaching integrates both of these specialties in a single graduate program. This unique mathematics master’s degree provides working 7-12 mathematics instructors with an exceptional career development opportunity.
The nationwide focus on STEM education has created high demand for teachers with advanced training in both pedagogy and mathematical concepts. UNC’s Master of Arts in Mathematics Teaching integrates both of these specialties in a single graduate program. This unique mathematics master’s degree provides working mathematics instructors for grades 7-12 with an exceptional career development opportunity.
This degree is the only teaching-focused master’s degree in Colorado (and one of the few nationwide) to be offered by a university mathematics department. You’ll learn from outstanding mathematicians and mathematics educators who have years of experience educating secondary mathematics teachers. Deepen your content knowledge while adding classroom skills and credentials to improve student outcomes, raise your salary, teach dual-enrollment courses, and take leadership roles in your department.
Degree Option
M.A. in Mathematics Teaching
Our mathematics teaching master’s degree is open to presently employed secondary and community college mathematics teachers. You’ll attend courses online during the academic year, interacting face-to-face and in real time with faculty and classmates via our synchronous online platform. The program includes 18 credit hours of advanced mathematics, nine credit hours of pedagogy, and a three-hour master’s project. Focus your master’s project either on action-based research (by studying some aspect of how you teach mathematics ) or advanced mathematics (solving a challenging problem and applying the lessons learned into your current class).
Take the next step! Explore courses, contact information and admission requirements.
Your Future in Mathematics
U.S. leaders in education, economics and public policy agree on the need to improve Americans’ mathematics skills. Achieving this objective requires superior teaching at all levels, and UNC's Mathematics Teaching master’s degree equips you with expertise that has tremendous value in your current workplace and the employment market.
Consider UNC's M.A. in Mathematics Teaching if you are:
- Currently employed as a K-12 teacher
- Seeking advanced expertise in mathematics
- Seeking to improve student outcomes in the classes you teach
- Comfortable with online course platforms
- Looking to connect with fellow educators
You’ll learn:
- Advanced mathematical concepts
- Current literature and research on mathematics teaching and learning
- Applied research methods
- Curriculum options
- Classroom techniques
Sample courses:
- Mathematical Modeling
- Introduction to Research in Mathematics Education
- Culture in the Math Classroom
- Teaching Algebra and Trigonometry
Current Faculty Activities in Mathematics Education
Jodie Novak, Ph.D.
Professor
Dr. Novak is one of the founders of the Math Teacher Leadership Center, a $5.3 million National Science Foundation project that developed a master’s program for secondary math teachers. “The Math TLC program has challenged me both personally and professionally,” says one participant. “After less than 18 months I feel like I have been molded into a more well-rounded educator, and not just in the field of mathematics.” Dr. Novak is currently leading an NSF-funded project to study secondary teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching exponential functions.
Robert Powers, Ed.D.
Professor
Dr. Robert Powers’ work is in math curriculum and instruction. He is currently working on two grant projects related to the professional development of mathematics teachers. The “Initiating a Foundational Research Model for Secondary Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching” grant is a three-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation investigating expert teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching exponential functions in high school. The “Supporting Understanding through Meaningful Mathematical Instructional Tasks” grant is a three-year state-funded project that provides professional development to K-12 teachers in northwest Colorado school districts. Dr. Powers leads UNC’s secondary mathematics teacher preparation program and regularly works with school districts to offer professional development to in-service math teachers.
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