Turn Your Bachelor's Into a Florida Teaching Career with an M.A.T. in Secondary Education

Already hold a bachelor's in math, science, English, social studies, or a world language? NLU's CAEP-accredited M.A.T. prepares you for Florida Professional Educator Certification in your subject (Grades 6 to 12) plus a master's degree, with a campus presence in the Tampa area.

  • CAEP-Accredited National College of Education
  • Preparing Teachers Since 1886
  • Florida Certification in Your Subject, Grades 6 to 12
  • Six Content Areas

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Our stunning Tampa Florida Campus is conveniently located on West Hillsborough Ave. just west of Tampa Airport

Map showing the campus location
Map showing the campus location

Why Choose NLU for Secondary Education?

Grades 6 to 12
Florida certification in your subject area

Teach the subject you already know to Florida secondary students.

66,200
Secondary teaching openings each year (BLS)

Shortages run deepest in math, science, and world languages, exactly what this M.A.T. prepares you to teach.

$64,580
Median salary, high school teachers (BLS, May 2024)

A master's degree places you higher on the district salary schedule than a bachelor's-only first-year teacher.

6 Subjects
Science, math, English, social studies, world language

Teach the subject you already know. Your content coursework is your admission ticket.

Since 1886
CAEP-accredited National College of Education

NLU's National College of Education has prepared teachers for since 1886.

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Program at a Glance

How long?
2 Years or Less
Earn your master's plus content-area certification
What grades?
Grades 6 to 12
Florida secondary certification grade band
What salary?
$64,580
Median salary, high school teachers (BLS, May 2024)
What demand?
66,200/yr
Projected secondary teaching openings each year (BLS)

What You'll Learn

  • Teach your subject area to students in Grades 6 to 12
  • Plan, manage, and engage adolescent learners
  • Build disciplinary literacy within your subject
  • Teach English learners and students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms
  • Complete a practicum and a student teaching placement
  • Prepare for Florida Professional Educator Certification in your content area, Grades 6 to 12
  • Earn the Florida Reading Endorsement as part of your program
  • Earn the Florida ESOL Endorsement, or complete required ESOL coursework
  • Complete a 3 semester-hour Methods for Teaching Students with Disabilities course

Full Course List

Foundations
How adolescents learn and develop, and how to turn that into instructional decisions in the secondary classroom.
The history and philosophy that shape how and what we teach.
Teaching Foundations
The realities of the Grades 6 to 12 classroom: planning, management, and engaging adolescent learners.
Content Methods
Subject-specific methods for your concentration: science, mathematics, English, social studies, or world language.
Literacy & Inclusion
How to build reading and writing skills within your subject at the secondary level.
ESL and special education methods, required, not optional, for secondary classrooms.
Clinical Practice
Supervised field experience in a real secondary classroom before student teaching.
A full-time student teaching placement before certification.

Next start: September 21, 2026 — seats filling fast.

Admissions Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in or near your content area
  • Content coursework in your subject
  • Apply through the Alternative Florida Program
  • Statement of Eligibility from the Florida Department of Education (confirm with your advisor)
  • Criminal background check and clinical clearances before placements
Request Info

The program helped me build self-awareness of my teaching style and analyze lesson effectiveness.

Kennan Daoudi M.A.T. in Secondary Education, '15
You Know Your Subject. Now Teach It.

Built for people who already hold a content-area degree. Your existing coursework is the admission ticket; NLU adds pedagogy and certification, not a second bachelor's.

Earn Florida Certification, Grades 6 to 12

The Alternative Florida Program prepares you for Florida Professional Educator Certification endorsed for your content area in Grades 6 to 12. Your advisor confirms your Statement of Eligibility and Florida certification requirements.

Six Subjects, One Program

Biological Science, English, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Social Studies, and World Language, each with its own methods and clinical sequence.

Where Will Your M.A.T. Take You?

66,200
High school teaching openings each year (BLS)
Math Teacher (Grades 6 to 12)
Science Teacher (Grades 6 to 12)
English Teacher (Grades 6 to 12)
Social Studies Teacher (Grades 6 to 12)
World Language Teacher
Department Lead or Instructional Coach

Florida schools replace thousands of secondary teachers every year. BLS projects roughly 66,200 annual openings for high school teachers nationally through 2034, driven by retirements and career transitions, and shortages run deepest in exactly the subjects this M.A.T. prepares you to teach: math, the sciences, and world languages.

Graduates earn a master’s degree that places them higher on most district salary schedules than a bachelor’s-only first-year teacher, and prepare for Florida Professional Educator Certification endorsed for their content area in Grades 6 to 12. The median salary for high school teachers is $64,580 (BLS, May 2024).

Get Started Now

How to Apply in 3 Simple Steps

  1. Request Information

    Submit the form above. An NLU enrollment advisor will reach out to map your bachelor's coursework against your target content area for Florida certification.

  2. Confirm Your Content Area

    Your advisor reviews your transcripts against your subject's content requirements, confirms your Florida certification pathway, and flags any gaps to clear.

  3. Apply and Start Classes

    Submit your application at nl.edu with official transcripts. Next start: September 21, 2026. Florida applicants apply through the Alternative Florida Program.

Get Started

Take the First Step

No commitment required. An NLU advisor will reach out within one business day to map your subject background to the right concentration and the fastest path to licensure.

Take the First Step
  • CAEP-Accredited National College of Education
  • Preparing Teachers Since 1886
  • Florida Certification in Your Subject, Grades 6 to 12
  • Six Content Areas

*Salary data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, High School Teachers (SOC 25-2031), May 2024.

**Job openings: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, High School Teachers, 2024 to 2034 projections.

***Certification pathway, grade band, and content areas: SmartCatalog, National Louis University, Secondary Education M.A.T. Alternative Florida Program (nl.smartcatalogiq.com, current catalog).