School buildings and trees
Rice University

Rice University

About

Located on a 300 acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice’s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is approximately 6-to-1. Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life by the Princeton Review and for best value among private universities by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. 

Students enter our program as undergraduates following a teacher certification path or a five year Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT). Post-baccalaureate students follow both a certification and MAT path. Experienced teachers hone their pedagogical skills and develop a master level research project for implementation in their home school. Students with master’s degrees are pursuing principal certification in the state of Texas.

The teacher preparation program is based on five key pillars: creating environments where students discover and construct meaning from content, understanding and serving needs of diverse learners, incorporating authentic assessments, integrating educational technologies and digital learning into curriculum and developing teachers as instructional leaders. The program’s teacher training encourages the use of culturally relevant content and pedagogy when working with English language and diverse learners.

All students work with a select group of instructional leaders as they participate in a small, cohort-based classroom and field-based experience. Rice is building a network of education leaders who are prepared and committed to work in high-need schools.

  • College or University
  • Houston, TX

Institution Links

  • Admissions
  • Financial Aid Office
  • Online Application
Natasha Cruz

As one of the few Latina teachers, Rice taught me to model to students, and especially students of color, what it takes to navigate the world when they leave school—to equip them with the tools necessary to problem solve, inquire about the world around them and ultimately find success, no matter what challenges they face.

Natasha Cruz

Rice University

Programs

Master’s & certification

Master of Arts in Teaching

  • From 24 to 36 months

    Program Duration

  • Hybrid

    Program Format

  • Pre-Test Required

    Yes

Relevant Links

Program Info

The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) for New Teachers, a 36 hour, non-thesis graduate degree program, fulfills all requirements for a Texas Standard Teaching Certificate. Coursework includes professional education courses and extensive field experiences. The program is designed for students holding bachelor’s degrees who are interested in pursuing graduate study in education while preparing for teacher certification at the secondary level. 

The Rice Education program is focused on preparing teachers for urban public school settings. Alumni from our program are teaching all across the city of Houston, thereby strengthening the teacher corps in our city. The program develops teachers as instructional leaders who will remain in the classroom, emulate outstanding, inquiry-based pedagogy and coach and mentor their peers. The Rice MAT program places great emphasis on teacher leadership, reflection of the teaching practice and coaching and mentoring. The program impacts the development of teacher leaders who go on to influence their colleagues to improve teaching and learning practices with the aim of increased student learning and achievement; to foster a collaborative culture; to use research to improve practice; to promote professional learning and to provide mentorship support for beginning teachers.

Upcoming Deadlines

  • Deadlines

    Program Start

  • Jan. 15, 2025

    Summer
  • Mar. 15, 2025

    Fall
  • Oct. 15, 2025

    Spring
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Ways to Lower Your Costs

Students at Rice University have reduced the cost of their program using these methods. Check with Rice University to see if you can, too!

Amount
Description

Grants, Stipends, Scholarships

Raise Your Hand Texas, Raising Texas Teachers Scholarship; Rice University Teacher Fellowships

For more information visit:Financial Aid Office

Certifications

Art (Pre-K-12)
English Language Arts and Reading (7-12)
French (Pre-K-12)
History (7-12)
Latin (Pre-K-12)
Life Science (7-12)
Mathematics (7-12)
Physical Science / Science (7-12)
Science (7-12)
Social Studies (7-12)
Spanish (Pre-K-12)

Stats

Gender
  • Male

  • Female


    33%

    67%

Ethnicity
  • American Indian or Alaskan Native

  • Asian

  • Black

  • Hispanic/Latino

  • Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander

  • White

  • Two or more races


    0%

    0%

    0%

    0%

    0%

    100%

    0%

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