The Masters of Arts Program in Early Childhood Education will be accepting applications for Fall 2023! We are excited to welcome a new cohort to our newly revised program.
In the Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Education/Teaching Students with Disabilities (Dual Certification) programs at Teachers College, Columbia University, we prepare early education professionals who are committed to the well-being of young children with and without disability labels and who are knowledgeable about Birth-Grade 2 education, special education, and early intervention. Our degree programs focus on urban settings and center issues pertaining to curriculum, social justice, teaching, and learning across abilities. Our students are prepared to engage in the real world, skillfully addressing important issues pertaining to inclusive education via pedagogical, political, psychological, and sociological perspectives.
Our program offers both a full-time and part-time option. However, please note (in accordance with NYS guidelines), all students will be required to engage in one semester of full-time student teaching. Designed as a cohort model, anticipated duration for full-time students range from 1 ½ years (3 semesters + 2 summers) or 2 years (without summers).
Prioritizing theory in practice, our program at TC requires that students in the Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Education/Teaching Students with Disabilities- Dual Certification programs at TC participate in several field experiences (student teaching, practicum), which serve as the foundation from which to theorize about child development, learning, and inclusive curriculum. By bringing together coursework and fieldwork, graduates are well-prepared to begin and continue to develop their professional identity and practice in research-informed ways. Many of our graduates have gone on to become early childhood practitioners, administrators, community organizers, school founders/leaders, authors, researchers, and professors.
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Course requirements for M.A. students seeking initial dual certification as both early childhood teachers and teachers of students with disabilities in early childhood (birth–Grade 2):
Practicum
C&T 4302 Supervised practicum in the educational assessment of young children with disabilities (3)
C&T 4308 Introduction to diverse early childhood classrooms (3)
C&T 4708 Student teaching in early childhood setting (4)
C&T 5118 Infant and toddler development and practice (3)
Foundations and Methods Courses
C&T 4003 Differentiation and inclusion in early childhood classrooms (3)
C&T 4080 Child development and intersectional identities (3)
C&T 4083 Home/school/community partnerships (3)
C&T 4112 Integrated curriculum in early childhood education: curricular inquiry and design (3)
C&T 4114 Integrated curriculum in early childhood education: diversity, equity, and technologies (3)
C&T 4131 Play, language, and early childhood curriculum (3)
C&T 4132 Language and teaching in the primary reading/writing classroom (3) or selected alternative
A&HM 4022 The artistic Lives of young children (2) or selected alternative
Out of Dept Elective (6)
Elective (3)
Elective in special education (3)
Culminating Project:
Students complete an integrative portfolio over the course of the program reflecting their growth as an early childhood teacher.
New York State Education Department (NYSED) has teacher certification requirements that are needed for program completion and graduation which are listed in the Office of Teacher Education section of the catalog.