Change Lives, Shape Minds, Mold Futures: Become a Teacher
Teacher education programs at NYU Steinhardt
There are many reasons why you might consider a career in teaching. In the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development’s urban-focused teacher education programs, you can study how children’s minds develop while gaining invaluable experience in the country’s largest public school system. Here, you’ll find program options in early childhood education, middle and high school education, and teaching a specific subject. Most of NYU’s teaching majors provide you with the certification you’ll need to teach in New York State. No matter which program you choose, you’ll complement your classroom learning with plenty of real-world experience through field observations and student teaching, both in New York City and abroad.
If you’re interested in helping younger learners grow, then choose:
The BS in Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education (birth–grade 2)
Babies and younger children absorb information faster and more easily than at any other phase of life. Working with them can be incredibly rewarding. In this program, you’ll learn how the stages of human development can vary from child to child, find out how to provide the youngest learners with the foundational skills they’ll need for success throughout their school years, and discover ways to set up rich learning environments for children of all ability levels. You’ll work with all early-childhood age groups through fieldwork in a variety of educational and community-based environments.
“NYU Steinhardt is known for intensely preparing its teaching students before sending them out into the field. That was a big factor for me. NYU’s location also played a key role since I wanted to have a diverse teaching experience and work with students from many different economic and ethnic backgrounds. Here, we have a plethora of public schools scattered throughout New York City where we can grow and immerse ourselves in student teaching—that’s something most universities can’t offer.”
—Michelle Kim, Childhood Education/Childhood Special Education (Grades 1–6), 2020
If you’d like to focus on teaching children ages 6 through 11, then choose:
The BS in Childhood Education/Childhood Special Education (grades 1–6)
Between ages 6 and 11, children retain more knowledge and maintain a greater focus on activities while picking up the academic and social skills they’ll use for the rest of their lives. In this major, you’ll acquire the skills to help students reach their fullest potential—from core knowledge in subjects like math, social studies, science, and language arts to recognizing when a child might benefit from early intervention. During your first two years, you’ll conduct fieldwork in both general and special education in grades one through three and four through six. In your junior and senior years, you’ll embark on student teaching at four different school sites under the supervision of your classroom teachers and a Steinhardt faculty member.
TEACHER EDUCATION ABROAD
You can add international context to your teacher education by spending a semester abroad. Both NYU Accra and NYU London offer the required Human Development course, which includes weekly observations in Ghanaian or British schools. You also have the option to spend a semester at one of NYU’s 12 other global academic sites, from Buenos Aires to Prague.
If you’re passionate about a subject and would enjoy teaching it to middle and high school students, then choose:
The BS in Secondary Education (grades 7–12), with a teaching specialization in English, Foreign Languages, Mathematics, Science (biology, chemistry, earth science, physics), or Social Studies, or the minor in Computer Science Education
Continue learning about the subject you love while inspiring tomorrow’s scientists, political leaders, artists, and entrepreneurs. With teaching degrees that home in on areas like English, math, science, and social studies, you can share your enthusiasm for a subject while opening up young minds to a world of knowledge. Most of NYU’s subject-specific teaching degrees qualify you to teach grades seven through 12, and some also prepare you to teach grades five and six. As a BS in Secondary Education student, you’ll spend your junior year observing students in New York City public school classrooms and your senior year developing your own teaching style in two semesters of student teaching.
“Our advisers at NYU Steinhardt care about us in a way that I have never seen before. Our classes are often seminar-based and ensure a personalized, meaningful, and shared learning experience that stems from discussion rather than lectures. Our placements are diverse and represent a vertical slice of New York City’s young residents, preparing us to learn things in the field that no other teaching program could offer.”
—Travis Schmidt, Secondary Education (Grades 7–12), Social Studies, 2020
More Degree Options in Teaching and Education
- BA in Education Studies/MA in Educational Leadership, Politics, and Advocacy
- BA in Education Studies/MA in Education and Social Policy
- BA in English/MA in Teaching English (grades 7–12)
- BA in History/MA in Teaching Social Studies (grades 7–12
- BA in Mathematics/MA in Teaching Mathematics (grades 7–12)
- Minor in Teacher Education
In dual degree programs, you can earn both your bachelor’s and master’s in just five years. NYU College of Arts and Science students who enroll in these programs often receive scholarships toward graduate study at NYU Steinhardt. You also have the option of minoring in Teacher Education and majoring in a different subject.
BECOMING A TEACHER BEYOND NEW YORK STATE
Do you plan to pursue your career in teaching internationally or in a U.S. state other than New York? NYU Steinhardt can help you navigate the certification process. Steinhardt’s certification officer will support you and help you apply for the teaching certifications you’ll need to pursue your goal.
DID YOU KNOW?
There are many exciting career opportunities in the education field in addition to becoming a classroom teacher. NYU’s BA in Education Studies prepares you for roles such as college counselor, program coordinator at an education-focused nonprofit, or e-learning specialist at a university. Students who choose this major take part in internships with local organizations and service-learning projects in schools across the city. They also study abroad to analyze education from an international prospective.
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