Elizabeth Davis: “The only American degree in Education in Central Asia.”

February 15, 2023

AUCA offers 10 graduate programs, one of which is MAT. Master of Arts in Teaching is a program aimed at training aspiring current schoolteachers. Teaching areas of secondary education the program offers blended study modes at the American University in Central Asia. With the knowledge and skills, the students get through this professional Master's degree in the study, along with expertise in contemporary educational theory and professional practice, they will be able to work as teachers in schools. Masters of Art in Teaching allows students to earn their dual Master's degree from the  Kyrgyz Ministry of Education and Bard college in the United States of America.

Elizabeth Davis, the program senior professor says, “This is a unique opportunity since this is the only American degree in Education in Central Asia. The program accepts not only students who are already familiar with teaching or graduates with the relevant bachelor's degree, but also candidates who are in a career change, or maybe they do tutoring and never had formal educational training who would like to earn their Master’s in Education”

AUCA MAT is a part of the Institute of Education. Institute of Education (IoE)  is a degree-granting, interdisciplinary academic entity of AUCA – dedicated to teaching, research, and advocacy of education at all levels and in trans-cultural contexts. The IoE holds and conducts various workshops and master classes on an ongoing basis, and students of the IAT are able to attend and participate in seminars of the Institute of Education.

Master’s of Arts in Teaching is an excellent opportunity for educators and teachers who want to improve their qualifications and gain new experience, which they will apply in practice. The teaching program consists of 3 primary disciplines that students can pursue: mathematics, literature, and social sciences.

The course includes all the pedagogical classes and practicum where a graduate student has the opportunity to work with a mentor, improving the teaching practice. The duration of the program is 2 years or 6 semesters. The summer semester is held on campus and the fall and spring semesters are blended learning approaches. The students study on campus in the summer, which allows them to study, not interfering with the educational process. Therefore students can practice the knowledge gained over the summer semester during the academic year, which makes this program as convenient as possible for current teachers.

All students are divided into 2 cohorts, each of which has 25 people. The master’s program is relatively new, for the past 5 years 29 alumni graduated from the program. Most of the alumni pursue their Ph.D. degrees after graduation. Elizabeth Davis noted that MAT AUCA has highly qualified students who graduate from the program.

Elena Debelaia, one of the students in the program, shared her opinion: “This is generally a super chance to grow professionally. This is such a pumping of their own forces. First, we get some theoretical knowledge, and then from a new point of view, and with new approaches, you go into the classroom and think, I did great! It's just a wonderful opportunity. The MAT program covers many aspects, not only in pedagogical practice but also those that are very important in life. From my point of view, the format of studying partly online and partly at the university is the best option today. This gives you the opportunity to build your own schedule. And the summer semester at AUCA is a completely different feeling. As for the level of teaching, I see completely different approaches, compared with other universities in the country. In this master's program, everything is individualized. The organization of the educational process at MAT AUCA is a role model.”

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