Why Choose the Dual Childhood/Special Education Program?
With the adoption of Common Core Standards and high stakes testing, it is essential that elementary school teachers are well-equipped to deliver standards-based, specially designed instruction and support services. The 49-credit master’s in dual childhood/special education program is designed to prepare educators to meet the specific needs of students of all ability levels, including students who are diagnosed with:
- learning disabilities
- emotionally disturbed/behaviorally disorders
- autistic
- physical disabilities
- intellectual disabilities
- multiple disabilities
Developed specifically for working professionals, all courses are offered in the afternoon and evenings, usually between 4:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
The Location
Our campus is uniquely positioned in New York City’s Bronx borough, where the public school system serves nearly 45,000 students. As a graduate student in the dual childhood/students with disabilities education program, you will complete 175 hours of field work and a minimum of 40 days of internship in an elementary general education as well as a special education or inclusive classroom in some of the most socially and economically diverse school districts in the nation.
The Curriculum
Educational and psychological research and hands-on experience are at the core of this program. During your first semester you will evaluate primary research and design a research project -- essential skills to keep you on top of an evolving field. Building on this framework, you will learn how to assess academic skills of at-risk, ELL (English Language Learners) and disabled students, as well as how to accommodate students and differentiate instruction in special education and inclusive classrooms.
In addition, you will be required to choose courses in content that cover language arts, math, science and social studies.
The program culminates with a seminar and internship to help you strengthen your knowledge and practice your teaching skills in the classroom. You will be placed in one of our many local partner schools that span the urban neighborhoods of the Bronx to suburban Westchester.