Q. Is the BA-MAT program a “major”?
A. No, it is more like a “track” than a major. To be in the BA-MAT, you must first declare a major in Biology, English, Mathematics/Quantitative studies, or Social Science. The BA-MAT is analogous to choosing the pre-med option while majoring in chemistry or the pre-law option while majoring in History. In the BA-MAT, you are choosing the “pre-secondary education” option while majoring in Biology, English, Math, or Social Science. You still take courses for your major, but your advisors will make sure you enroll in the specific courses that will also satisfy the entrance requirements for the Secondary Education Program.

Q. If I choose a major and then elect to participate in the BA-MAT track, does this mean I am locked into teaching as a career?
A. No. Signing up for the BA-MAT track ensures that by the time you graduate with your B.A. you will have completed all the requirements necessary for admittance to the MAT Secondary Ed program. Whether you choose to exercise that option is entirely up to you. Signing up for the BA-MAT simply adds another option to your post-graduation choices.

Q. Is it possible to be accepted to the NLU MAT Secondary Education program without participating in the BA-MAT program?
A. Yes, applicants to the MAT Secondary Education Program come from many different academic institutions. However, only BA-MAT students from NLU get preference at admission. If you are not in the BA-MAT, we cannot guarantee that you will get your first choice regarding the date your MAT program begins. There is a chance you will be wait-listed.

Q. If I major in elementary education and concentrate in, Math, Biology, English, or Social Science, do I qualify to join the BA-MAT program?
A. Not unless you change your concentration into a major. A major requires more coursework than a concentration. It is possible to double major in elementary education and Math, Biology, English, or Social Science. After graduating, you would then be qualified to teach in the primary grades and to enter the MAT in secondary education. However, if your goal is to teach at the high school level, this is an inefficient plan.

Q. I am a Liberal Arts Studies major and one of my sub-majors in one of the four specified subject areas. Do I qualify to join the BA-MAT program?
A. No. Liberal Arts Studies majors graduate with a B.A. in Liberal Arts Studies. To participate in the BA-MAT track, you must declare a major that will lead to a B.A. in Biology, English, Math, or Social Science.

Q. What is the advantage of signing up for the BA-MAT track?
A. There are two important benefits:

1. You will be coached during your undergraduate years so you take the correct courses and required entrance exams for a smooth transition into the MAT Secondary Education Program at NLU. Requirements for high school teaching frequently change. We will make sure you don't waste time taking classes you don't need.
2. If you meet the requirements for entry into the MAT Secondary Education Program at NLU, we will save a place for you in an MAT cluster starting right after you graduate with your B.A. (or a cluster starting later that same academic year, if you desire.) You will not be wait-listed or denied admittance due to competition from students coming into the MAT from other colleges — you get preference because you have been at NLU in the BA-MAT.

Q. Instead of spending about five years in the BA-MAT program, why shouldn't I save time by earning my Secondary Education degree as an undergrad?
A. Earning your secondary teaching certificate as an undergraduate will probably not save time. The state of Illinois has recently increased minimum content area requirements to 32 SH (= 48 QH). If you earn your Secondary Education degree as an undergraduate, you will therefore have to also take about 10 courses in the content area of your choice, typically enough for a second major. Double majoring often takes students 5 years, at the end of which they earn a B.A. degree with majors in Education and the subject area. In contrast, at the end of about 5 years in the BA-MAT track, students have earned a B.A. in their content area, a secondary teaching certificate, and a Master's degree in the art of teaching.