Master of Science

Educational Theory and Practice

The Direct Degree Path to Professional Teacher Certification in Your Adolescent Education Subject

Advance to the next level in your teaching career with a master's degree from UAlbany's nationally ranked School of Education.

Designed for teachers with initial certification to teach certain middle and high school subjects, the graduate program in educational theory and practice is registered as a professional certification program with the NYS Department of Education.

This program is your most direct route to getting professionally certified to teach math, social studies, sciences, English language arts, or world languages to students in grades 5-9 or 7-12.

Program of Study
Admissions Requirements
Certification
Application Requirements
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Program of Study

Foundations of Teaching: Teachers in Context

Examine sociological, cultural, and historical influences on teachers and the professional practice of teaching in different nations around the world.

Media Literacy

Expand your understanding of new media communication tools, electronic texts, and innovative reading and writing technologies in schools, communities, and workplaces.

Teaching and Learning (choose one)

Understanding Learning and Teaching
Systematic Design of Instruction

Content Knowledge and Pedagogy (12 credits)

Teaching [Content Area] in the Secondary School
Contemporary [Content Area] Education
Two or more graduate courses in your content area

Education Electives (6 credits)

Choose two courses in education topics that support your development as a teacher.

Capstone Course (choose one)

Research Seminar: Critical Introduction to Educational Research Paradigms
Research Seminar: Research in Practice
Master's Thesis

See the Graduate Bulletin for details.

For more information, call 518-442-5090 or email [email protected].

Admissions Requirements

To be eligible for admission to this program, you must hold initial teaching certification in one of the following adolescent education subjects:

Biology
Chemistry
Chinese
Earth Science
English
French
Mathematics
Physics
Social Studies
Spanish

NYS Professional Teacher Certification

This degree directly satisfies the graduate degree prerequisite for professional certification in NYS as a secondary education content specialist.

When you successfully complete this program, the University recommends you to the NYS Department of Education for professional certification.

Looking for a more flexible program?

If you're looking for a more adaptable master's curriculum that will still fulfill your degree requirement for professional certification, the MS in General Education Studies program may be a good choice for you.

This program is approved for licensure or certification in New York State and the institution has not made a determination regarding the educational requirements for any other state.

Application Requirements

Deadlines

Fall: Rolling
Spring: Rolling
Summer: Rolling

There is no departmental assistantship consideration for this program.

Required Application Materials

Transcripts from all schools attended
Three letters of recommendation
GRE test scores*
Statement of goals
Verification of initial NYS certificate in content area

*The test score requirement is for application Fall 2016 and forward. The department will also accept the following exams in lieu of GRE: edTPA, GMAT, Miller's Analogies, or Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators. In light of the current situation, applications will be considered for review without GRE (or approved alternative) scores. Official admission will be contingent on the receipt of exams scores; however, we encourage all interested individuals still apply.

Please note that an Academic background in the content area equivalent to an undergraduate major or concentration and a 3.0 GPA overall and in content area.

Applicants that hold a valid NY COVID Emergency certificate may apply.

Available information for applicants.

Special Notes

This program is not available to international applicants. Academic background in the content area equivalent to an undergraduate major or concentration and a 3.0 GPA overall and in content area are required. Please check with the department to see if applications are being accepted after the published deadline date. Students are required to take at least 15 graduate credits in the Educational Theory and Practice Department.

Please note: This program is licensure qualifying. Students who have previously been convicted of a felony are advised that their prior criminal history may impede their ability to complete the requirements of certain academic programs and/or to meet licensure requirements for certain professions. If applicants have concerns about this matter please contact the Dean’s Office of the intended academic program.

Accreditation

University at Albany is accredited by Middle States Commission on Higher Education. This program is currently engaged in the self-study process toward Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) accreditation.

See accreditation data for details.

The University at Albany is accredited by Middle States Commission on Higher Education. This program is currently engaged in the self-study process toward Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) accreditation. Below is institutional and programmatic data in accordance with this accreditation.

The School of Education offers programs that prepare new teachers and also those that already hold NY teacher or leader certification. Additionally, some of our programs lead to multiple certifications. As such, data on employment does not reflect the many career opportunities our graduates are afforded. For example, our Literacy MS leads to NY certification as a Literacy Specialist in grades B-6 or 5-12. This program requires prior NY teacher certification so not all graduates pursue positions in Literacy after degree completion, but remain in their current specialty area. The SUNY website provides data on those graduates only working in NY and the wages earned after a specified time after graduation.

Our graduates that elect to pursue NY State certification must successfully complete related certification exams. See our exam pass rates.

The satisfaction of degree completers is valuable data for our programs. See University collected data.

Students in our masters and certificate programs have six calendar years from the date of initial registration in the program to complete their program. Additionally, masters and certificate students are not required to enroll every semester. As such, time to graduation varies. See data on enrollments and degree awarded.

Student Learning Objectives

Learning objectives that UAlbany students are expected to attain through their course of study within their academic program.