Master of Arts for Teachers Chemistry

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

Indiana University Bloomington

Program Overview

The Master of Arts for Teachers (M.A.T.) in Chemistry at Indiana University is a 30-credit graduate program designed for chemistry educators who want to deepen their subject expertise while developing the skills needed to teach dual-credit high school and community-college chemistry. The program combines advanced chemistry with education coursework in areas such as curriculum, assessment, educational inquiry, and inclusive teaching, with a chemistry capstone bringing the learning together.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students build advanced chemistry knowledge through courses selected from areas such as CHEM-T 510 Inorganic Chemistry, CHEM-T 520 Organic Synthesis, CHEM-T 530 Organic Spectroscopy, CHEM-T 540 Physical Chemistry, CHEM-T 550 Introductory Biochemistry, CHEM-T 560 Environmental Chemistry, CHEM-T 570 Nuclear Chemistry, and CHEM-T 580 Physical Biochemistry. Alongside the chemistry component, students begin the education component with courses such as EDUC-H 520 Education and Social Issues and EDUC-J 500 Instruction in the Context of Curriculum, connecting advanced subject knowledge with effective college-level teaching.

Year 2: Students continue their selected chemistry coursework while developing practical teaching and educational inquiry skills through EDUC-P 507 Assessment in Schools and EDUC-Y 520 Strategies for Educational Inquiry. The program concludes with CHEM-T 590 Chemistry Capstone, which requires at least nine hours of graduate chemistry coursework beforehand and provides an opportunity to integrate advanced chemistry knowledge with the program's teaching focus.

Focus areas: Inorganic chemistry, organic synthesis, organic spectroscopy, physical chemistry, biochemistry, environmental chemistry, nuclear chemistry, chemistry education, curriculum and instruction, assessment, inclusive teaching, and educational inquiry.

Learning outcomes: Graduates develop expertise across selected chemistry subdisciplines, learn to break down and analyze chemical concepts and processes, design assignments that teach relevant chemistry concepts, and apply research-informed approaches to educational practice.

Professional alignment (accreditation): Indiana University states that the M.A.T. prepares students to teach dual-credit courses at the high-school level and chemistry courses at community colleges; a specific professional accreditation for the M.A.T. in Chemistry is not stated on the official program pages.

Reputation (employability rankings): A program-specific employability ranking for the M.A.T. in Chemistry is not stated on the official Indiana University program pages.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Students in the Master of Arts for Teachers in Chemistry at Indiana University Bloomington develop practical expertise by connecting advanced chemistry with the skills needed to design effective experiments, assignments, curriculum and assessments for college-level instruction. The program's chemistry component covers areas including inorganic chemistry, organic synthesis, organic spectroscopy, physical chemistry, biochemistry, environmental chemistry and nuclear chemistry, while the education component develops skills in instruction, curriculum, assessment, inclusive teaching and educational inquiry.

The program provides several opportunities to put chemistry and teaching knowledge into practice:

Experiment and assignment design: Students learn to break down complex chemical concepts and processes and design experiments and assignments that can be used to teach those concepts effectively.
Chemistry capstone: The 30-credit MAT includes CHEM-T 590 Chemistry Capstone, giving students a culminating opportunity to apply their graduate chemistry knowledge.
Research and educational inquiry: The education component includes EDUC-Y 520 Strategies for Educational Inquiry, while the program specifically incorporates research into its teacher preparation.
Advanced chemistry areas: Students can build practical and analytical knowledge through coursework in organic synthesis, organic spectroscopy, physical chemistry, biochemistry, environmental chemistry and nuclear chemistry, alongside inorganic chemistry.
Collaborative learning: IU's chemistry graduate offerings connect students with faculty across participating IU campuses, while the Bloomington Chemistry Department also supports team-based research experiences. The specific MAT curriculum does not state that a separate group project is required.
Chemistry teaching laboratories: IU Bloomington has dedicated Chemistry Building teaching laboratories. The university approved renovations to eight teaching laboratories and related support areas, including modernized laboratory layouts, improved accessibility and nearly 100 new high-efficiency fume hoods.
Research instrumentation: The Bloomington Chemistry Department's Mass Spectrometry Facility maintains nine mass spectrometers, including high-resolution accurate-mass and low-resolution instruments. The facility uses iLab for sample-analysis requests and supports chemistry research groups.
Research laboratories: IU Chemistry provides access to faculty research laboratories, with the department offering research opportunities involving laboratory-based chemical investigation. IU's ASURE Chemistry Research Lab also has students conduct guided research in teams.
Digital and analytical resources: iLab is an identified digital platform used for submitting Mass Spectrometry Facility sample-analysis requests. The program itself does not specify a required chemistry software package.
Teaching-focused preparation: Coursework such as Instruction in the Context of Curriculum, Assessment in Schools, and Strategies for Educational Inquiry gives students practical preparation for developing instruction and evaluating learning.
Internships and field trips: The official MAT Chemistry curriculum does not specifically identify a required internship or field-trip component, so these are not claimed as program requirements.
Professional teaching environment: The program is specifically designed to prepare educators to teach dual-credit high-school chemistry and university-level chemistry courses at community colleges, making the combination of advanced chemistry and education coursework directly relevant to classroom practice.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates of the Master of Arts for Teachers in Chemistry are prepared to advance their teaching careers by combining graduate-level chemistry with education coursework focused on curriculum, assessment, inclusive teaching, and educational inquiry. The program is specifically designed to prepare educators for dual-credit high school chemistry and community college chemistry teaching, while also strengthening advanced subject knowledge across areas such as organic, inorganic, physical, environmental, and nuclear chemistry.

Career opportunities: High School Chemistry Teacher, Dual-Credit Chemistry Instructor, Community College Chemistry Instructor, Chemistry Educator.

Career development and graduate outcomes:

Career services: IU Bloomington provides career coaching, résumé and cover-letter support, interview and networking preparation, internship and job connections, employer events, and access to Handshake for job and internship opportunities. Graduate students can also access specialized professional-development and career resources.
Employment preparation: The MAT's combination of graduate chemistry and education coursework develops the subject expertise and teaching skills needed for college-level chemistry instruction, including designing experiments and assignments and applying assessment and curriculum strategies.
Employment statistics and salary: IU does not publish a program-specific employment rate or salary figure for graduates of the Chemistry MAT on its official program pages. Therefore, no specific employment percentage or salary is stated here.
University–industry partnerships: A specific industry partnership tied directly to the Chemistry MAT is not stated in IU's official program information. The program is instead delivered collaboratively by faculty across IU Bloomington, IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IU South Bend, and IU Southeast, giving students access to faculty from multiple IU campuses.
Professional and accreditation value: Indiana University Bloomington is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), supporting institutional recognition and ongoing academic-quality review. IU's School of Education is also accredited by CAEP, and Indiana teacher-education programs are approved by the Indiana Department of Education and State Board of Education; the official source cited for these specialized education accreditations does not specifically state that CAEP accreditation applies to this MAT program.
Graduation outcomes: The program's documented progression pathway is particularly relevant for teachers seeking to qualify for dual-credit chemistry instruction. IU states that the MAT can meet Higher Learning Commission dual-credit qualification standards when the required graduate chemistry coursework is completed, including the 18 discipline-specific graduate credits required alongside the master's degree.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the MAT, students can continue into advanced chemistry or education-related study. At IU Bloomington, the Department of Chemistry offers M.S., M.A.T., and Ph.D. degrees, with doctoral fields including analytical, chemical biology, inorganic, materials, organic, and physical chemistry. Students can also use the program's stackable structure to build from the Graduate Certificate in Chemistry, which can transfer its courses into the MAT, providing a pathway for further graduate-level chemistry specialization.