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Sue Carbary, Director: 212-875-4509
Master of Science in Education: 46 credits
This comprehensive program in Early Childhood Special and General Education allows you to earn both your master's degree in Education from Bank Street (46 credits) and your master's degree in Social Work (48 to 54 credits) from Columbia University School of Social Work for fewer credits than if you earned the degrees separately.
The 46-credit Bank Street College portion of this dual degree program prepares you to work in educational settings and to understand the educational tools and perspective needed when working with children. It will provide you with the broad preparation you need if you wish to combine social work and education to meet the needs of students and their families.
Our interdisciplinary approach and the Bank Street developmental-interaction philosophy of early childhood education will provide you with a framework to support the growth, development and learning of the whole child in the context of their family and community. In this curriculum-rich program, you will develop your own potential as an educator as you learn to create exciting ways to engage young children in active learning. Through studying the ongoing cycle of observation, assessment and instructional planning, you will be able to help young children realize their full functional and educational potential. You will learn to understand the relationships among culture, language and learning in families, communities, and educational program settings.
Practical experiences will help you learn how to collaborate with families, other teachers and professionals in your work. You will discover ways to recognize and nurture individual learning styles and build home/school connections. The program prepares you to work as an advocate for children and their families in clinical practice, program planning, classroom settings, or school social work.
For more information on the program at Columbia School of Social Work, call Karma N. Lowe at 212-851-2364.
Certification in Education
You will earn both initial and professional New York State certification in Early Childhood General Education and Early Childhood Special Education to work with children birth through grade 2.
Supervised Fieldwork / Student Teaching / Advisement
During one academic year of your Bank Street program, while you take courses, you will gain teaching experience and intensive advisory support through supervised fieldwork/advisement. All students in this program are expected to do their Bank Street fieldwork as student teachers in early childhood settings with placements at three age levels within the early childhood range.
During that year, your Bank Street advisor will visit you in your setting each month, and meet individually with you twice a month. You will gather with a small, supportive peer group once a week. The year of supervision and advisement is central to your professional growth and development as you become a successful educator.
Integrative Master's Project
Before graduating, you will complete an independent study (master's thesis), directed essay or portfolio. Your choice will depend on your own goals and learning style. This project allows you to pursue an area of particular interest to you, or to weave together the threads and understandings of your Bank Street graduate experience.
Admissions Requirements
Applicants to the Early Childhood Special and General Education Dual Degree with Columbia School of Social Work program need to have a strong background in the liberal arts and sciences. Applications to the two institutions are separate. Those applicants not accepted to Columbia School of Social Work would do the full 54-credit Early Childhood Special and General Education dual certification program at Bank Street.
Further information
More Early Childhood Programs (birth through grade 2):