Program Orientation Statement

The Hunter College Master’s Degree Program in Childhood Education focuses on preparing teachers for New York City schools and other urban school districts within the State, and is designed specifically for students who do not have initial or professional New York State teacher certification in childhood education.  Qualified students do not need to have any prior pedagogical coursework, since the M.S. in Childhood Education at Hunter is essentially a “from scratch” teacher preparation program.  Career changers and other prospective students with full-time jobs will find that the required coursework at Hunter is as conveniently structured as a teacher certification program can be, since our classes are scheduled in the late afternoon and evening.  Fieldwork, however, takes place during the school day, and prospective students should be prepared to make some accommodations for these experiences.

Accelerated Program Option

There is an option for one cohort of up to 30 students each semester to take a full-time, daytime program that enables them to complete the Masters Degree in one and a half to two years (including summers). Students in these cohorts remain together and take a preplanned sequence of courses, which are most often taught in the morning and early afternoon.

Each applicant approved for matriculation who has a GPA of at least 3.0 will be considered for inclusion in this accelerated program.  Students in the full-time cohort may opt to leave the cohort and take evening classes on a full-time or part-time basis, but no student may join a cohort after their first semester.

Applicants with Prior Certification

Applicants who already have initial or professional certification in Pre-K-6 or grades 1-6 should apply to one of the other graduate teacher education programs at Hunter College such as literacy, special education, early childhood education, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, or childhood education: mathematics/science specialization.