Program Description

The Dual -Certification Masters program in Childhood Education and Special Education: Childhood is open to participants who have a bachelor's degree but who are not yet certified to teach. Upon successful completion of the program, participants will be eligible for New York State certification in both general and special education at the childhood level (Grades 1-6).

Designed collaboratively with the Childhood program, The NYU Childhood Special Education Teacher Certification Program is designed to engage prospective teachers in thoughtful discussion of and interaction around some of the critical educational issues of our time especially issues of developmental, linguistic, cultural, and racial diversity and educational equity. NYU students are encouraged to view all children and their families as individuals with varying degrees of skills and untapped potential, all with visions for a valued future of living, schooling, working and recreating in their communities. NYU graduates understand that special education is not a place nor is it a group of students. Rather, special education refers to specialized services, or differentiated instruction or supports, provided to students with disabilities, designed to meet the individual characteristics, needs, and visions for a valued future of each child, not limited by traditional categories of disability. Assuming a person-centered approach to service delivery, NYU students learn to understand, create and adapt assessments, curricula and environments in order to address the spectrum of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional needs of the students with whom they will work. Our graduates are prepared to work collaboratively with families, other professionals and the community organizations that represent the wide cultural variations characteristic of urban settings.

Integration of theory and practice is interwoven from the very first course in the program, thus allowing students to reflect, question and refine their knowledge and skills. 150 hours of observation and fieldwork, plus three student teaching placements, enable students to practice application of knowledge and skills with children presenting the full range of abilities and disabilities, in a range of settings, and with the full age range of the teaching certificate.

Special Admission Requirements

All students admitted to the dual certification Masters program in Childhood Education and Special Education: Childhood will have completed a bachelor's degree including college-level work in English, social science, mathematics, natural or physical science, and a language other than English, as well as a 30 point concentration in one of the liberal arts or sciences by the time of M.A. degree completion. While students may complete liberal arts deficiencies any time before program graduation, for admission to the accelerated program, candidates must have met the liberal arts requirements before entering the program.

PLEASE NOTE that NYU also offers three additional programs in Childhood Special Education for candidates who hold or are eligible for provisional or initial certification in Childhood Education:

• Special Education: Childhood Program (30 credit) leads to certification in Special Education at the Early Childhood Level and can be completed in 10-12 months of full time study.

I. General Pedagogical Core (16 credits)

E27.2010 Inquiries into Teaching and Learning III (4) (min. 15 hrs. of field experience)
E25.2077 Language and Literacy in the Early Years (3) (min 20 hrs field experience)
E25.2078 Language and Literacy for the Upper Grades (3)
E75.2051 Foundations of Curriculum for Diverse Learners (3) (min.15 hrs. of field experience)
E75.2124 Individuals with Disabilities in Schools and Communities (3) (min 20 hrs field exp)

II. Specialized Pedagogical Core - Childhood (10 credits)

E12.2115 Teaching Elementary School Mathematics: Foundations and Concept Development (2)
E14.2009 Science Experiences in the Elementary School I  (2)
E25.2011 Multicultural Perspectives in Social Studying (2)
E25.2055 Integrated Arts in Childhood Education II (2)
E25.2359 Integrative Seminar I: Study of Teaching (2)

III. Specialized Pedagogical Core - Special Education (12)

E75.2161 Education of Children with Special Needs in Childhood Settings (3)
E75.2108 Strategies for Teaching Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities (3)
E75.2133 Assessment and Instructional Design for Students with Mild/Moderate Disabilities (3)
E75.2052 Education of Students with Severe/Multiple Disabilities (3) (min 15 hrs field exp)

IV. Observation, Fieldwork and Student Teaching (6 credits)

E75.2501 Observations in Special Education (1)
E25.2251 Supervised Student Teaching in Childhood Education I (2)
E75.2522 Student Teaching in Childhood Special Education II (3)

IV. Culminating Experience (3 credits)

E75.2508 Integrating Seminar in Childhood Special Education II (3)

VI. Social Responsibilities of Teachers (0 credit)

E27.2999 Drug and Alcohol Education/Child Abuse Identification/School Violence: Social Responsibilities of Teachers(0)

Sample Program of Study