I believe SUNY Buffalo also has the 5 year option. It’s worth checking into if your D is looking for a big school. Not as much rah rah as Syracuse… but there is some I would imagine.
Not to challenge at all… But certain, specific graduate programs at SUNY Cortland and Plattsburgh are incredibly competitive to get into… and it’s the same teachers who also teach undergrad. Students need a 3.8+ with good GRE scores to be accepted.
What is your budget? Syracuse costs nearly $66,000 a year. If you are willing and able to pay that amount, I have a LOT of suggestions for your daughter.
You also mention Quinnipiac. That’s about the same price.
There are some other OOS schools where your DD could get certified as a teacher…for similar costs. Someone already mentioned James Madison, and TCNJ…both good choices for education certification.
All of the Big Ten schools have education as a major…and all have football teams…places like Ohio State, Wisconsin, UIUC, Michigan, for example. And all are big.
I’m still not sure why you aren’t considering UConn, St. Joe’s (in West Hartford), or Southern Ct State University…which all have education programs in CT. So does University of Hartford. So do Central and Eastern.
@LindaMc if your budget is high and if your daughter wants a large rah rah sports culture… I would add:
Ohio State
Clemson
Pitt
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Penn State
I am not sure if the deadlines have passed and she would have to check reciprocity in the state where she wishes to teach… Also keep in mind that some states require a masters within a certain time frame, and others don’t.
I also wonder why she is not considering UConn?
Two more things… NYC has a great pension system and… I work in a different state than where I live and went to school … and never had to live there for 5 years ( never lived there at all) in order to get reciprocity. My friend just got reciprocity as well in a state she never lived in.
Even without reciprocity…which is not as common any more…it IS possible to become certified on ONE state…and then seek certification in a different state.
That would not be a deal breaker for me.
But I very very strongly suggest that this student talk to a current elementary school educator…and find out where folks got there degrees.
I worked in a suburban district in CT. We had elementary staff members with degrees from a large and varied number of colleges. TBH, we were looking for relevant experience, and someone who was a learner…because that’s what they needed to be.
Having a masters did not give a new teacher an edge…unless that masters also gave that person relevant teaching experiences. CT teachers need to get a masters at some point…but districts DO hire bachelors folks.
Colleges represented at my school…Columbia, U Hart, Ohio State, College of St. Rose, Kent State, St. Joe’s (West Hartford), UConn, UMass, Lesley, U of New Hampshire, UIUC, Western Illinois University, Ohio University, Michigan, Southern CT, Central CT. There were others.
I will say…I can’t remember the last time our elementary school hired a classroom teacher who was not dual certified in special education.
My D is at a NJ school (not Rowan), she is a junior and is double majoring in education and English so she will be K-12 certified in English. She was planning on getting ESL certified too–but everyone here seems to be talking about special ed. Is ESL certification not helpful? Her goal is to teach middle school English.
I think it depends on where she teaches. At my school… there is a high need for special education teachers and a very low need for ESL… we are a public school district. We have a few non English speakers… and I was told that legally we were not at the point where an ESL teacher was required by law.
If your daughter wants to be an ELL teacher…then that would be a good thing to have.
If she wants to teach in a regular classroom, ELL training would not be a bonus in many places.
However, there are special education students receiving their educations in regular classrooms at every grade level, and in every subject area. An endorsement in special education would be valuable…for just about any teaching applicant.
Unfortunately, there are a glut of English and Social Studies teachers making it hard to get a teaching job in these areas. Having an ESL, will not necessarily give her an edge for middle/high school. She would be better served getting the Special Ed extension first and then getting an ESL extension.
The competitiveness of grad school admissions at Plattsburgh is part of the reason why my D chose to apply to the 5 year program, rather than graduate and then do her masters. She didn’t have to worry about the GRE. Her GPA was competitive.
Yes… I am a fan of 5 year programs for that reason. My daughter’s friend was rejected from one of the highly competitive programs at Plattsburgh…within the field of education… With a good GPA and GRE score. I have an acquaintance whose son was in the 5 year Plattsburgh program- he has been out now for about 2 years and is doing really, really well in his field. My own D did her undergrad at a different SUNY and received an amazing education.
In my opinion the 5 year BA/MA program at Plattsburgh does not get enough credit.
Good info given by everyone, thanks!
Applications have been submitted to SUNY Plattsburgh and New Paltz as well as U Central Florida and U Maine. UMaine has reduced out of state tuition for CT students meeting certain criteria. D also sent out the letter of continued interest to Syracuse.
Our budget is small, however, I went to Connecticut College back in the day and my family and I managed with a combo of financial aid, scholarships and loans. I paid back all my student loans after working for a while then spending 2 years in the Peace Corps. D knows that when admitted to schools if the financial aid package isn’t right she would have to decline. I want her to explore options of her choosing. We have a list of scholarships for which she will apply. This process seems to me an excellent lesson about dream big and see where the path takes you. I’ve never regretted my gypsy wanderings before I “settled down.” Those adventures defined me and gave me a confidence that couldn’t be bought by going directly into the workforce. I encourage my two children to take the same approach as it suits them.
Please be careful with the list of scholarships… they are only good for a year (?) and the best awards come directly from the schools. There is a definite strategy involved when needing merit money or need based aid. Some schools… including suny…will offer your daughter a $5500 student loan… and that may be it. Whether she qualifies for merit will depend on that particular school. Your D applied ED to Syracuse…which is pushing $65-70,000 a year… so either your budget is quite large … or … you used the NPC which showed enough aid to bring the cost down to something affordable to your family.
My D …still in undergrad… is also one to explore all options before eventually heading off to grad school. I agree that taking a year or two to explore and try new things can be a wonderful experience and a chance to figure out exactly what they want to do… But… they also need to make good use of the time and at least for my daughter… earn money to pay her rent. $-)
Well…if this student gets selected for a Peace Corps appointment (no guarantees there…it has gotten pretty competitive), her rent will be covered.
Yes!! That is very true… if the D wants to join the PC. And… Programs like the PC, TFA etc… are highly, highly competitive ( as you know).
There are programs in education such as NYC Teaching Fellows etc… which are not… quite … as competitive and will pay the rent during a year or 2 of exploration.
Just came upon this thread and would like to keep it going for anyone looking to apply to schools in Fall 2019. D19 wants to pursue a degree in early childhood education. I tried pushing elementary education but she is not buying it so far. She has an internship her senior year where she leaves her HS and works in an area school for two periods. Not sure what grade she will be working with but maybe it will change her mind.
We have told her no matter which on she chooses (Early or Elem) that she also needs to include programs that offer the special education dual certification. This is where things get complicated. Seems like every school calls it something different, some are 4 years, some are 5 years, some states call it “intervention specialists”. It is a lot of information to digest. Complicating matters is D19 is not sure if she wants to stay in this area once she finishes school, we are in MD. Trying to persuade to stay since pay in the MD-DC-VA area is pretty good compared to some other areas.
I have agreed to help D19 find potential schools that offer the dual certification program since she is busy finishing up school, AP exams, SATs, etc.
So far we have found several schools that look appealing:
In-state: UMD-CP and Towson. UMD will be a reach for her so we may only have one in-state option. We are visting Towson this Friday.
Out of state: JMU, Delaware, Ohio U, Kansas, Vermont, Bloomsburg, Millersville, IUP, Shippensburg, Alabama.
Others potential candidates, but unclear if they offer the dual cert: Elon, Xavier, Tennessee, Pitt, Syracuse, Florida.
Open to any other suggestions on schools, programs, etc. Would also love to hear from people who have already gone through this process or are just starting it.
I suggest looking at your state’s website and those of any other states you are considering for the licensing requirements.
My D did a 5 year program. Her UG degree is in childhood and early elementary (birth through 6th grade) with a music concentration and her masters is in special ed. In NY, you can’t get an UG degree in sped.
NJ also doesn’t have the UG special ed degree - at least not the state schools. That said - TCNJ in NJ is widely considered one of the best education programs around. You’re out of state so it won’t be cheap, but I know many districts seek out TCNJ grads. if you’re looking at anything around Philly, it wouldn’t be too far out.
@DCNatFan, she should apply early to IUP, and hopefully receive a scholarship. They started reviewing applications in September this year. Shippensburg is also a good choice from what I hear.
Your son/daughter might consider the TEACH grant program for certain education majors, where they can receive a $4,000 grant in return for teaching a certain number of years in undeserved/low income school districts.
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/grants-scholarships/teach
Has anyone already mentioned there is a whole subforum for this topic?
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/education-majors/
My daughter wanted to be a HS math teacher in NY so she went to SUNY Bing for Math and then Columbia Teachers College for a Masters in Secondary Math Education.
Thought I would provide the following in case it may be of value…
My daughter graduated last May with a BA in elementary ed w/mild intervention licensure. She was hired as a Resource Teacher in a Catholic school in Chicago. It was a newly created position so she has been building the job description with the principal. She is responsible for IEP’s, testing, guided reading, etc and coordinates services with the Chicago Public Schools. It’s a pretty big job for a first year.
She got her degree from Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame IN which provided a small school environment with a brother school across the street (Notre Dame). She worked at the Notre Dame Early Childhood Development Center in school, had multiple placements (both mainstream and special ed), and has worked at an ECDC here in Virginia when she was home on summer and winter breaks.
SMC is rated an A for financial health by Forbes and gives very generous merit aid. All of her peers are licensed and have jobs and SMC is launching a Masters in Autism grad program in the Fall of 2019. The program looks pretty impressive.