The Master of Science in Teaching in Childhood Education is a 15-month, full-time graduate program that includes three full academic semesters and one full summer of study for a total of 51 credit hours. School-based field experiences are required throughout the program. The final semester of the M.S.T. requires students to complete two quarters of full-time student teaching.

Students are expected to maintain continual, consecutive enrollment in the program from their starting semester through to the completion of student teaching. When circumstances warrant, students may apply for a leave of absence. In the leave of absence application, students must provide a specific date of return to the College. Students must register for courses within one academic year of the original date of their leave of absence.

Students not returning to register within one year will be classified as officially withdrawn from the program. Students seeking to return to the program after more than a year’s absence are required to reapply to the program and pay any associated application fees. Readmission is not guaranteed and prior course work may not apply to program requirements.

On completion of the courses, college requirements and state requirements detailed below, graduates will receive a master’s degree and New York State Initial Certification in Childhood Education.

Due to the competitiveness for admission into the M.S.T. program, accepted students will be allowed to defer their admission for only up to one year. Accepted students who do not begin the program within a year of their acceptance will need to reapply to the program and pay any associated application fees.

Career Potential

• Elementary school teacher

Admission Requirements

1. Completion of M.S.T. Graduate Program Application submitted to the SUNY Cortland Admissions Office
2. An interview with graduate admissions representative
3. B.A. or B.S. in a liberal arts area from a regionally accredited college
4. Approved concentration of 36 hours in a liberal arts area
5. Minimum of two undergraduate courses in each of the following areas: English, social studies (history, geography, economics, political science, sociology), mathematics and science, as well as general preparation in the following areas: physical education, fine arts and career and occupational studies
6. Foreign language: Successful completion of one year of college-level study of a language other than English or the equivalent. More information is available under Teacher Certification Information  for alternate ways of meeting this requirement.
7. Child psychology course
8. Health education course that fulfills state mandates for teacher knowledge of drug studies and alcohol/tobacco use prevention strategies such as Health 265.
9. Basic competency in technology (computing) as determined by the student's records and experiences
10. Strong academic record, demonstrated by a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or better, GRE scores, or other standard test scores, indicating the ability to do graduate-level work
11. Letter of introduction (writing sample) that includes a self-description, background of experiences and goals
12. Resume
13. Application to the SUNY Cortland Teacher Education Program

Eligibility for Student Teaching

To be eligible to student teach, candidates must be in good academic standing, have no incompletes, complete all prerequisite education courses, have an overall Cortland grade point average of 3.0, have no grade lower than a C- in required education courses and complete the Child Abuse Recognition (CAR) and Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) workshops. Students must be eligible at the time of application (the fall or spring semester prior to student teaching). If ineligible, they must reapply when eligibility is achieved. Applications for student teaching are accepted only during the fall and spring semesters at the established deadline. Winter and summer session courses cannot be used to attain eligibility for student teaching.

Minimum Average Required for M.S.T.

The M.S.T. degree will not be awarded to students who have lower than a 3.0 grade point average, both in the courses offered for the degree and in all graduate courses completed at SUNY Cortland.

Students enrolled in the M.S.T. program are required to maintain a minimum 2.8 cumulative grade point average in graduate work and will be dismissed from the College if they do not maintain the minimum average. Notification of dismissal will be made in writing by the dean’s office. No grade below C- will be counted toward the M.S.T.

Graduation Requirements

1. Completion of all required courses in the M.S.T. program.
2. Overall grade point average of at least 3.0 in the M.S.T. program.
3. Appropriate teaching dispositions

Additional New York State Certification Requirements

1. Passing score on the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST)
2. Passing score on the Assessment of Teaching Skills - Written (ATS-W)
3. Passing score on the Content Specialty Test (CST- Multi-subject)