Adolescent/Students with Disabilities (Grades 7-12) - B.S./M.S. Ed.

Why Choose the Five-year Adolescence Education/Students with Disabilities M.S.Ed. Program?

Completing high school and transitioning into adulthood is a critical stage for all young people. In these changing times, it takes a committed, enthusiastic and trained educator to prepare students of all abilities to finish high school and succeed in their future. The Five-Year Adolescence Education/Students with Disabilities M.S. Ed. program allows you as an undergraduate secondary education major to obtain your bachelor’s degree in four years, and a master’s degree with an additional year of study.

With this accelerated program, you will take four graduate-level courses while you are an undergraduate senior. In your fourth year, after taking the required NYSCTE exams, and completing your bachelor’s degree, you will be recommended for NYS certification in your concentration area (e.g. Adolescence Education/ English), Once certified, imagine earning a salary while teaching general education students in grades 7-12 and completing your graduate program!

In the following fifth year, you will take the rest of your required courses to complete your graduate degree in special education. Once you complete the program and pass the secondary Education Students with Disabilities Content Specialty Test, you will be eligible for special education certification (Adolescence Education/ Students with Disabilities) to teach students with exceptionalities in a general, separate or inclusive classrooms in middle and high school. The current master’s program at Manhattan College will expand to educate students with exceptionalities in preK-12 th grade by 2029.

The program is approved by the New York State Education Department. In June 2022, the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) awarded full 7-year accreditation to the Adolescence Education/Students with Disabilities M.S.Ed. teacher preparation program.

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What Will You Learn

The five-year adolescence/students with disabilities M.S.Ed. teacher preparation program will equip you with the skills, knowledge, and experiences to successfully teach and assess students with exceptionalities, and those from diverse cultures, languages, and backgrounds. You will graduate from this program with expertise in your chosen content area and an ability to understand and apply the core principles of adolescence education and special education, including:

• Historical and philosophical foundations of education and special education
• Legal and ethical responsibilities of educators
• Effective planning, instruction, and assessment strategies for students with and without exceptionalities in diverse, contemporary middle and high school classrooms
• Educational and psychological research and the implications on classroom practice

The Experience

Our five-year adolescence/students with disabilities M.S.Ed. teacher preparation program has a well-earned reputation for producing excellent educators who teach across a broad spectrum of schools in both urban and suburban districts. The curriculum of the five-year adolescence/students with disabilities M.S.Ed. teacher preparation program has four components:

• Core coursework in the liberal arts and sciences
• Studies in chosen academic concentration
• Foundational methods of education and special education
• Field experience and student teaching

During the undergraduate portion of your program, you will benefit from the expertise of distinguished faculty in the liberal arts and sciences, both in your core courses and your chosen concentration area. As part of your education coursework, you will gain experience planning and teaching lessons in a supportive environment. You will have the opportunity to workshop lessons with your peers prior to implementing them in real middle and high school classrooms. In addition to the faculty in the education department, some of your instructors will be current principals, building administrators, and lead teachers in our partner schools. Not only will you acquire knowledge of current issues in education and their experience in the classroom, you will also build your network to aid in job placement after graduation.

Our campus is located in the Bronx, with fieldwork access to students in the New York City public school system, the largest school system in the United States. Thus, our student-teachers are typically placed in the most socially and economically diverse school districts. Beginning in your very first education course, you will have the opportunity to observe in a New York City public school classroom. Over the course of your first four years, you will observe and participate in a variety of classrooms across different schools and grade levels. In your final year as an undergraduate student, you will complete one full semester of student teaching fieldwork, during which you will plan and lead daily lessons, and assist your cooperating teachers in classroom management, organization, and grading. In your fifth year, you will complete student teaching in a special education or inclusive secondary setting.

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Where Will You Go?

During your field experience, you will likely see Manhattan College flags on display in many of our partner schools. The expansive Jasper network will ensure job placement and continued opportunities throughout your career in education. Our graduates begin their career teaching in a variety of schools including urban, suburban, and even international.