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Our certification program is separate from the Colgate degree, and students will need to apply to get into the program. The director of the program advises students on Colgate coursework, classroom observation placement, student teaching placement in local schools, and all other New York State license requirements based on the certification pathway as they earn their degree at Colgate.

The elementary certification program is currently offered at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The program leads to New York State teacher certification in grades 1–6. It combines a program of study with both liberal arts and educational coursework. Students are required to obtain 24 liberal arts credits out of a total of 32 in order to be eligible for state certification as an undergraduate. Colgate also offers a tuition-free 9th semester option where you'll student teach the Fall semester after you graduate to give students more time to complete all teacher certification requirements.

University catalog

Childhood Education NYS Certification Course Requirements 

Required Certification Courses in Educational Studies

• EDUC 101 - The American School (for Foundations of Education requirement)
• EDUC 202 - The Teaching of Reading (for Literacy Skills requirements)
• EDUC 204 - Child and Adolescent Development (for Development and Learning requirements)
• EDUC 207 - Inclusive and Anti-Ableist Education (for Teaching Students with Disabilities & Special Health-Care Needs)
• EDUC 451 - Seminar on Curriculum and Instruction in English/Social Studies (for Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment requirement)
• EDUC 453 - Seminar on Curriculum and Instruction in Science/Mathematics (for Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment requirement)
• EDUC 454 - Diagnosis and Remediation of Reading Problems
• EDUC 455 - Student Teaching (for 70-day student teaching requirement)
• EDUC 456 - Dignity in Schools (0.25 credits), (for DASA requirement) - a 2-week, all-day course that starts before student teaching, many times one week before Colgate classes start in the fall. Students will need to complete the following before this course starts (NY State requirement):  
  • 100 hours of fieldwork observations, three workshops (Child abuse, reporter & violence intervention and prevention),
  • and Fingerprinting (not located in Hamilton, NY)
• One EDUC elective (for Social and Cultural Diversity in Schooling, Teaching, and Learning requirement)
• One of the following courses (for Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment requirement):
  • EDUC 231 - Inquiry-Based Teaching in the Schools
  • EDUC 214 - Theories of Teaching and Learning
  • EDUC 321 - Psychological Perspectives in Education

Certification Content Coursework- Childhood Education (grades 1-6)

Two of any of the course subjects below (for Concepts in Historical and Social Sciences requirement):

• History (HIST)
• Geography (GEOG)
• Anthropology (ANTH)
• Economics (ECON)
• Sociology (SOCI)
• Political science (POSC)

Two of any of the course subjects below (for Scientific Processes requirement):

• Biology (BIOL). This includes courses in cell biology and biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, genetics and evolution, biological diversity, human biology, zoology, and environmental biology.
• Chemistry (CHEM). This includes courses in matter and atomic structure, energy, chemical bonds and molecular structure, chemical reactions, and quantitative relationships.
• Earth and Environmental Geosciences (GEOL). This includes courses in space systems, atmospheric systems, geological systems, and water systems.
• Physics (PHYS). This includes courses in mechanics and heat, electricity and magnetism, waves, sound and light, and quantum theory and the atom.

Two MATH classes, such as courses in mathematical reasoning, quantitative methods, number theory and concepts, algebra, analytic geometry, calculus, geometry, trigonometry, data analysis, probability, and discrete mathematics. (for Mathematical Processes requirement). The following Colgate courses also meet this requirement: COSC 100 Computers in the Arts and Sciences, MATH 105 or CORE S143 - Introduction to Statistics, PSYC 309 - Quantitative Methods in Behavioral Research.

Related Programs

Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP)

The Masters of Arts in Teaching at º£½ÇÉçÇø is a member in good standing of the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). The Teacher Preparation Program at º£½ÇÉçÇø has received accreditation of its educator preparation programs under the AAQEP standards with a successful Quality Assurance Review in Spring 2022.