About the Program

Accredited: Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (formerly NCATE)

Enrollment in all teacher education programs follows the guidelines for "Admission to Teacher Education Programs" found in this catalog. Applicants who do not yet meet all admissions criteria should consult with the department.

Professional Licensure: This program leads to a recommendation for NYS certification; please check for certification requirements in all other states.

This program is designed for students who have an undergraduate degree in one of the liberal arts and sciences. It leads to an M.S. in education and eligibility to apply for initial certification in childhood education from the New York State Department of Education. To receive initial certification, students must pass the applicable New York State certification exams and fulfill other New York State certification requirements.

Candidates should consult the Teacher Certification website for current seminars and workshops.

Admission Requirements

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with an academic major in one of the liberal arts or sciences.

2. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (4.0 scale)

3. Meeting with a department advisor to review college transcripts to determine eligibility prior to applying to the program.

4. A completed Application Requirement Workshop (included in the online application) detailing:

a. College-level work in each of the following: English, mathematics, science, and social studies. Each applicant will have completed this requirement as an undergraduate or will be required to complete 6 credit hours of study in each of these four disciplines. Basic college writing courses (CWP 101 or CWP 102) do not count toward the English requirement.

b. Undergraduate major or courses applicable to an acceptable concentration.

c. Two years of high school or two semesters of college study in one foreign language (high school transcript should be submitted with application).

5. A well-crafted statement addressing the following:
a. Reasons for wanting to become a childhood/early childhood teacher and related professional experiences.

b. Professional goals

The statement will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

i. Organization
ii. Mechanics
iii. Content
iv. Relevant professional, teaching, and life experiences

6. Three letters of reference that attest to the applicant’s potential as a graduate student. Please note that two references must be from college professors/instructors.

These are the minimum criteria for admission; satisfaction of these criteria does not guarantee admission to the program. In addition, all applicants should review the Admission to a Graduate Program section in this catalog.

Additional Admission Information
Each applicant will be evaluated in terms of his or her baccalaureate degree, academic performance, letters of recommendation, experiential background, and substance and quality of the personal statement. Please refer to the Graduate Admissions Committee rubric (attached to the supplemental application information) used for evaluating applications.

Program Requirements

Seminar (3 credit hours)
EDU 501 SEMINAR FOR THE REFLECTIVE TEACHER (to be taken early in the program) 3
Multicultural Perspectives and Diversity Course (3 credit hours)
EDU 620 TEACHING AND LEARNING IN DIVERSE CLASSROOMS 3
Foundation Course (3 credit hours)
SPF 503 EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY (Undergraduate equivalent is equal to 0 credit hours.) 0-3
Exceptional Education Course (3 credit hours)
EXE 500 INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS 3
or EXE 502 MANAGING CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT AND POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SUPPORTS
Curriculum (6 credit hours)
EDU 654 THEORY RESEARCH AND PRACTICE IN SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTION 3
EDU 671 THEORY, RESEARCH, AND PRACTICE IN SCIENCE INSTRUCTION 3
Literacy Course (3 credit hours)
EDU 546 THEORY, RESEARCH, AND PRACTICE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS INSTRUCTION (Must be taken prior to EDU 511) 3
Methods and Practicum Courses (24 credit hours)
EDU 511 METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS (Prerequisites apply.) 6
EDU 682 TEACHING MATHEMATICS IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Prerequisites apply) 6
EDU 500 PRACTICUM IN EDUCATION 6
EDU 510 PRACTICUM IN CHILDHOOD TEACHING 6
Master's Project (3 credit hours)
EDU 690 MASTER'S PROJECT 3
Total Credit Hours 45-48

Residency
Program Overview
The SUNY Buffalo State graduate residency program provides a residency track option for qualified candidates who are selected by the faculty from their demonstrated competence in the first year of their Master’s degree programs. In first year, course sequences are parallel for both non-resident track and resident track candidates to allow faculty and candidates to assess their suitability for the full residency track experience in year two. Rather than the standard 150 hours of field experiences and 100 hours of student teaching located in courses throughout the currently registered programs, residents enjoy 1000 hours of experience in graduated difficulty from field-based co-teaching focused on practicing specific pedagogies to full “teacher of record” responsibilities in the final months of their full year residency experience. The value of this model is in allowing resident applicants to be paid for working full time in schools while they complete their required coursework. The coursework remaining for the residency year complements their work with Mentor teachers and is accomplished in tandem with their classroom experiences.

Admission Requirements
Candidates who wish to pursue the residency option toward a recommendation for certification must be recommended by program faculty either upon first application to the program or during the first year of the curriculum prior to the residency year.

Program Requirements
Required Courses
EDU 500 PRACTICUM IN EDUCATION 3-6
EDU 510 PRACTICUM IN CHILDHOOD TEACHING 6
EDU 671 THEORY, RESEARCH, AND PRACTICE IN SCIENCE INSTRUCTION 3
EDU 682 TEACHING MATHEMATICS IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 6
EDU 690 MASTER'S PROJECT 3