For immediate release:

GAANN grant to fund foreign language teaching fellows

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded a GAANN grant to the MTSU Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures to expand its Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program. Effective spring semester 2013, students pursuing the M.A.T. in French, German, or Spanish may apply for one of the fellowships. A total of four fellowships will be awarded.

The GAANN program provides extensive funding to graduate associates in areas of national need in support of recruitment, training, and program development. In Tennessee, qualified teachers of French, German, Spanish, and other languages are in short supply due to high teacher attrition rates and inadequate training. The program is expected to appeal to traditional graduate students as well as to students from underrepresented or lower socio-economic backgrounds.

In support of the course of study, each fellow who remains in good academic standing will receive an annual stipend of $30,000 and full tuition waiver. Completion of the program typically takes two years.

Consideration for the fellowships will be determined by application, GRE scores, academic transcripts, letters of recommendation, and admission to the Graduate School at MTSU. Candidates must have an outstanding academic record, demonstrate financial need, meet citizenship or permanent residence requirements, and express a commitment both to completing the M.A.T. degree and to teaching French, German, or Spanish.

GAANN fellows at MTSU will complete 33 hours of graduate coursework in language teaching methodology, including 12-18 hours in the selected concentration of French, German, or Spanish. An additional nine hours of education courses are required. Fellows must achieve an oral proficiency level in the studied language of at least "Advanced" according to the ACTFL proficiency scale (assessed by examination), demonstrate a reading knowledge in a third language, and successfully complete a written comprehensive examination over language teaching methods as well as the literature and culture of the studied language to earn the M.A.T.

The GAANN program is accepting applications for the spring 2015 semester. For further information, please contact Dr. Joan McRae (Joan.McRae@mtsu.edu; (615) 898-5395) or Dr. Nancy Goldberg (Nancy.Goldberg@mtsu.edu); (615) 898-2281.