Letters of Recommendation

The College of Education and Human Development requires all applicants to submit three recommendations. One reference is required to be Faculty/Academic and one is required to be Work with Children and/or Adolescents. The third reference can be a second Faculty/Academic or Work With Children, or a Professional/Community reference (additional recommendations are optional). Each recommender will be required to complete a form addressing the applicant's skills, abilities and experience as they relate to teacher education. You may not use a relative as a recommender. Applicants must decide whether or not to waive their right to view the recommendations.

Applicants should indicate the e-mail addresses of the recommenders in the appropriate section of the on-line application. Recommendation requests are automatically sent to the recommenders upon selecting the "Send to Recommender" button. (Applicants may check their application account to check the status of their recommendation requests.) Adequate time should be given to recommenders to respond to the request by the application deadline!

Please review the types of recommendations required below.

1. Faculty Recommendation - This should be completed by a faculty member at the college level (not high school). The faculty member will be asked to address the applicant’s academic skills and potential to succeed in a graduate program. Academic skills and abilities include: critical thinking, communication, organization, and ability to work in groups.

   College graduates who have been away from higher education more than five years may have difficulty obtaining a faculty recommendation. Applicants who will not be enrolling in prerequisite courses prior to the MAT program, may choose to submit a Professional/Community Recommendation instead. Two Professional/Community Recommendations would then be required.

2. Professional/Community Recommendation - This should be completed by an individual who can address personal character and professional qualities (punctuality, communication, leadership, work ethic, etc.). Pastors, P-12 teachers, supervisors/employers, and community organization directors are a few examples of appropriate recommenders.
3. Work with Children and/or Adolescents Recommendation - This should be completed by an individual who has observed the applicant’s work/engagement with children and/or adolescents. The recommender should address the applicant’s ability to relate to and work with children/adolescents, as well as his/her ability to organize, lead and direct activities. The faculty screening committee wants to see evidence that applicants have engaged with the age group they intend to teach, and that a professional (such as a teacher or school administrator, scout leader, community organization director, etc.) confirms the applicant's potential for success in the teacher education program.