Due to changing conditions and a desire to refocus resources in graduate programs in education, The University of Tampa has announced it has temporarily suspended enrollment into the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program. All students already enrolled in the program will be able to finish their degrees, and UT’s commitment to other education graduate programs – the Master of Education and the Master of Science in Instructional Design and Technology – remain unchanged. Undergraduate programs in education are not affected by the announcement. The temporary suspension provides UT with the opportunity to refocus its resources in education graduate programs and to analyze what students need from graduate study to succeed as teachers and educational administrators. The MAT program was developed in 2006 in response to a statewide and nationwide teacher shortage. The program provided a path for individuals with a bachelor’s degree in a non-education field the opportunity to obtain a Florida teaching license. The program was successful, enrolling as many as 70 students per cohort in a concentrated, 13-month curriculum. As a result, UT has determined that as supply and demand conditions have changed, it would be better to focus resources on areas of need in graduate education programming that are more pressing. UT may consider reinstating the program at a later time if teacher shortages again emerge in the region. For more information about this announcement, contact UT’s Department of Education at (813) 257-6229 or education@ut.edu.

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