Departments
Department of Curriculum and Teaching
Welcome to the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Hunter College, the home of a wide variety of graduate and undergraduate programs that will prepare you for one of the highest callings in society: education. Along with the other departments in the School of Education, we carry on the original mission of Hunter College: the preparation of educators.
As part of the largest department in the Hunter College School of Education, Curriculum & Teaching programs prepare teachers and other school personnel in the following areas
- Childhood Education (elementary)
- Adolescent Education (secondary)
- Early Childhood Education
- Literacy
- Bilingual Education
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL–K-12 and Adult)
- Administration & Supervision
Our primary mission is to prepare teachers for any classroom environment, although we are particularly committed to preparing teachers for the challenges of public education in an urban setting.
The Department of Curriculum and Teaching houses the majority of the programs and courses in the Hunter College School of Education, working closely with departments in the School of Arts & Sciences to train teachers in content area knowledge, and in the methods of teaching the following subject areas:
- English/Language Arts
- Social Studies
- Foreign Languages
- Music
- ESL
- Bilingual Education
- Math,
- Science.
Our programs ask future teachers and administrators to be thoughtful and knowledgeable educators, advocates for children and other learners, active promoters of social justice, knowledgeable resources, and effective future leaders in education.
Chairperson
Assistant to the Department Chair
Administrative Assistant
Department of Educational Foundations and Counseling Programs
The Department of Educational Foundations & Counseling Programs prepares students to enter the teaching and counseling professions, eventually to obtain the appropriate certification(s), which will help them establish, improve and maintain themselves within these professions.
Departmental courses are the basis of training in education and human services. The Department of Educational Foundations includes the disciplines of psychology, sociology, anthropology, history and philosophy. Research in these areas, when applied to education and counseling, provides the foundation for understanding individuals in the learning and counseling process and the social psychological context in which personal development and learning occur. In addition, the study of the history and the philosophic foundations of American education and counseling is essential for enabling future teachers and counselors to meet the ever-changing intellectual and social needs of a diverse body of individuals in a pluralistic, democratic society.
Departmental course offerings are offered in three distinct areas: psychological foundations; social foundations and counseling. All courses are anchored in theory and research-based knowledge from which we emphasize applications to the urban environment, the applied use of theory to influence policy and practice, and solutions to concrete and practical problems that school and counseling professionals experience in daily practice.
The department’s preparation of teachers and counselors goes beyond the acquisition of specific skills and methods. The focus of the department is on the professional identity and development of students so that they understand and seek to influence the social, political and economic context in which they function.
Chairperson
Administrative Assistant
Department of Special Education
Hunter’s graduate programs in special education prepare teachers to provide specially designed instruction for students with disabilities and to work across a variety of educational settings, including: special schools, special classes, resource rooms, pre-schools, early intervention programs, supported general education classrooms in public and private schools, hospitals, clinics, health agencies, home programs, and residential facilities. Special education programs at Hunter College have been nationally recognized by the Council for Exceptional Children.
The School of Education offers master’s degree and advanced certificate programs in special education that lead to New York State teacher certification. Specializations in special education include:
- early childhood special education
- early childhood special education with an annotation in severe/multiple disabilities (including deafblindness)
- childhood special education, learning disabilities
- childhood special education, behavior disorders
- childhood special education with an annotation in severe/multiple disabilities (including deafblindness)
- deaf and hard-of-hearing
- blind and visually impaired
- adolescent special education generalist
The programs (with the exception of early childhood special education) are organized into a set of cross-categorical core courses and disability-specific specializations. Core courses develop knowledge and skills across a variety of disabilities to be applied across a range of education settings. Specializations provide in-depth preparation for working with students within a particular disability area. Both core and specialization courses provide historical, theoretical, and clinical perspectives, as well as current research and direct experiences with students of different ages and profiles. A hallmark of Hunter’s programs is their linking of theory to effective instruction.
Chairperson
Office Manager