Application Requirements
To apply for the online Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) at Pepperdine University, you must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a preferred minimum 3.0 GPA.
The MAT program offers two cohort start dates per year in September and January. You can contact an admissions officer before submitting your priority application in order to receive an application fee waiver. The following materials are required to apply:
- Online application
- Résumé (optional)
- Transcripts: Ask your institution(s) to send official transcripts electronically to eduappsvcs@onlinegrad.pepperdine.edu.
- Unofficial transcripts are acceptable for initial admissions review; however, official transcripts must be received to complete an applicant’s file and enroll in the subsequent term (30 days after start of Term 1).
- International applicants
- For international applicants, transcripts are needed in order to be reviewed for admission
- All applicants who received or will receive their degree from a university outside of the US (unless the degree is from a university which is already regionally accredited within the US) are required to submit a detailed foreign transcript evaluation report from one of the following National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) members:
- Please note, the California Commission on Teaching Credentialing does not accept all NACES member evaluation services. For this reason, for the MAT program application we require using only the following evaluation services:
- Educational Records Evaluation Service (ERES)
- Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
- International Education Research Foundation (IERF)
- World Education Services (WES)
- Please note, the California Commission on Teaching Credentialing does not accept all NACES member evaluation services. For this reason, for the MAT program application we require using only the following evaluation services:
- A detailed foreign transcript evaluation report will contain the following:
- Foreign transcripts translated into English
- A detailed course-by-course report with the grade point average calculated on a US 4.0 scale
- A determination of US degree equivalency (regional accreditation equivalency is required)
- If you are attending school outside of the US and have not completed your bachelor’s degree at the time of application, we would need your current NACES member international transcript evaluation (please see above for requirements). Upon degree completion, you are required to provide an updated NACES member evaluation reflecting your final courses, final cumulative GPA equivalency, and US degree equivalency.
- Two letters of recommendation
- Letters of recommendation should be submitted directly from individuals familiar with your academic or professional competencies, character, and potential to complete rigorous graduate studies and/or ability as an educator.
- Academic recommendations: professors, instructors, or academic advisors
- Professional recommendations: supervisors for employment, volunteer work, internship, or related activities
- If you are a recent college graduate, you should have at least one academic recommendation.
- If you graduated from college more than three years ago, you should use professional recommendations.
- Letters of recommendation should be submitted directly from individuals familiar with your academic or professional competencies, character, and potential to complete rigorous graduate studies and/or ability as an educator.
- Statement of purpose: Write a two-to-three-page statement of purpose addressing the following prompts:
- Discuss your motivations for applying to the Master of Arts in Teaching program and how the program aligns with your future aspirations.
- Highlight important elements of your personal, cultural, academic, or professional background that provide insight into your potential to succeed in an intensive graduate program and how engagement with cultural diversity and social justice or plans for growth in these areas support your plans as a future teacher.
- Explain how your values align with the mission and vision of the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology.
- Proof of English language proficiency
- If your first language is not English, you must meet one of the following test scores:
- A minimum of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
- A minimum score of 80 if you take the Internet-based TOEFL test
- A minimum score of 6.5 on the IELTS exam
- If your first language is not English, you must meet one of the following test scores:
- California Certificate of Clearance (COC): You will need to obtain your Certificate of Clearance prior to admission into the MAT program. In the application, you must submit proof that you have earned your COC, or that you have submitted your COC application.
- Interview: A personal interview may be required.
- Application fee: A $55 application fee is required upon submission of your application.
Post-admission Requirements
The following materials are not required as part of your application for admission, but you will need to submit them after enrolling in the program:
- California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET): If you have taken the required exams for your subject matter already, you may upload your scores in the application. However, you are not required to have taken the exams by the time you apply to the MAT program.
- California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST) or proof of basic skills competency.
- In California, this can be met by the candidate holding a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.
- Tuberculosis (TB) test: You will need to submit results of a TB test before being eligible to enroll in clinical experience in your first term.