Childhood Education Initial Teaching Certification (Grades 1-6), M.S.Ed

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

Residency Program 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.