Childhood Education
Program Overview
This program will prepare you to teach in elementary school settings in grades 1 to 6 and leads to New York State (NYS) teacher certification in Childhood Education (Grades 1 to 6).
Coursework and Clinical Experiences
The Childhood Education program offers two tracks:
- Track 1 is a self-paced, evening program (36-49 credits). Courses are offered in the afternoon and evening. Some courses may be available in an online or hybrid format. Select courses have required hours of classroom experience (fieldwork) in a New York City public school. Students also participate in supervised teaching (student teaching and/or practicum) as the culmination of their course of study. Student teaching and/or practicum requires five full days per week for at least one semester.
- Track 2 is a two-year, full-time, daytime, clinically-rich program (53 credits). Courses are offered in the daytime. Fieldwork begins in the first semester. Students are embedded in an elementary school for the duration of their program. This track begins each Fall semester.
Eligibility and Admission Requirements
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a grade point average of at least 3.0
- A liberal arts or sciences major (or interdisciplinary concentration) of at least 30 credits
- General education core in the liberal arts and sciences including coursework in artistic expression, communication, information retrieval, concepts in history and social sciences, humanities, a world language other than English, scientific and mathematical processes, and written analysis and expression
- A statement of purpose, which includes reference to the track you intend to follow
- Two letters of recommendation
- An official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score report (Waived for Fall 2023, Spring 2024, and Fall 2024 applicants)
To Apply
Applications to Track 1 (Evening, self-paced) are accepted each Fall and Spring semester. Applications to Track 2 (Daytime Clinically Rich Cohort) are accepted each Fall semester.
To start your application, visit the Hunter College Online Application.
When applying to this program under Program of Study, select School of Education – Childhood & Early Childhood Education and Childhood Education Grades 1-6.
Application Deadlines
Fall Start
- March 15 (Priority Deadline)
- May 15 (Extended Deadline)
Spring Start
- October 15 (Track 1 only)
Visit How to Apply for information about deadline extensions.
Related Programs
This program is not designed for those with Initial NYS certification in Childhood Education; Teachers who already hold Childhood Education certification should consider one of our Master’s Degree Programs for Certified Teachers.