Master of Science

Secondary Education

Start Your Career as a High School Teacher

Learn how to create engaging lesson plans and instruct high school students in ways that help them master course material and develop intellectually.

The master's in secondary education program prepares you to teach a specific subject to students in grades 7-12. As a registered teacher preparation program, it provides you with initial certification to teach in New York State (NYS) public middle and high schools.

Advanced coursework in your content specialty and graduate seminars in pedagogical theory and research prepare you for practical teaching experiences. Through these fieldwork requirements, you learn how to develop curricula, manage classrooms, use educational technology, and engage with diverse students in public schools.

Content area concentration options at UAlbany include biology, chemistry, earth science, English, French, math, physics, social studies, and Spanish.

Program of Study
Certification
Information for Applicants
Combined Bachelor's/Master's
Admissions Requirements
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Program of Study

programofstudy

This program requires three semesters of full-time coursework and field experiences. You start with two summer courses and then take additional graduate classes over the fall and spring semesters while you complete teaching practica in public schools.

Foundations of Education

Teachers in Context
Adolescent Development
Assessment in Education
Characteristics of and Methods for Teaching Exceptional Secondary Students in Inclusive Settings

Teaching Methods and Field Experiences in Your Content Area

Teaching Middle School: Methods and Field Experience (6 credits)
Teaching High School: Methods and Field Experience (9 credits)
Teaching in the Secondary School (3 credits)

Technology and Media

Media Literacy

Literacy

Reading and Writing across the Curriculum (for concentrations in Social Studies, Mathematics, Science, or World Languages) OR
Teaching Composition in the Secondary School (for concentration in English)

Advanced Study in Content Area

Two graduate courses in your academic content area.

NYS Training Requirements

School Violence Prevention and Intervention (SAVE) Training
Child Abuse Identification and Reporting
Dignity for All Students Act

Additional Information

See the Graduate Bulletin for details.

For more information, contact Brett Levy at [email protected].

Earn Your Degree and Initial Certification

The MS in Secondary Education is a NYS-approved teacher preparation program.

Earning this graduate degree and completing any additional state requirements provides you with initial certification – the entry-level credential you need to start teaching high school subjects.

State requirements may include the Education for All Students (EAS) exam and the NYS Content Specialty Test (CST).

Looking Ahead: Professional Certification

To move up in your teaching career, you need to achieve professional certification, an advanced teaching credential.

Once you've finished one year of mentored teaching and two additional years of paid teaching experience after earning this degree, you'll be eligible to apply for certificate progression in your secondary education content area.

certification

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.

Information for Potential Applicants

General admission requirements include a minimum 3.0 GPA, statement of goals, three letters of recommendation, and a personal interview (by invitation only).

Check that you meet the credit requirements for your content discipline outlined below.

info

Biology

To be eligible for this program, you must have majored in or completed 36 credit hours in BIOLOGY equivalent to a major. In addition, the following science distribution must be met: 3 credits in chemistry, 3 credits in earth science, 3 credits in physics. These can be included as part of the major or in addition to.

Chemistry

To be eligible for this program, you must have majored in or completed 36 credit hours in CHEMISTRY equivalent to a major. In addition, the following science distribution must be met: 3 credits in biology, 3 credits in earth science, 3 credits in physics. These can be included as part of the major or in addition to.

Earth Science

To be eligible for this program, you must have majored in or completed 36 credit hours in EARTH SCIENCE or GEOLOGY equivalent to a major. In addition, the following science distribution must be met: 3 credits in biology, 3 credits in chemistry, 3 credits in physics. These can be included as part of the major or in addition to.

English Language Arts

To be eligible for this program, you must have majored in or completed 36 credit hours in ENGLISH equivalent to a major.

French

To be eligible for this program, you must have majored in or completed 36 credit hours in French (equivalent to a major).

Mathematics

To be eligible for this program, you must have majored in or completed 36 credit hours in MATHEMATICS equivalent to a major.

Physics

To be eligible for this program, you must have majored in or completed 36 credit hours in PHYSICS equivalent to a major. In addition, the following science distribution must be met: 3 credits in biology, 3 credits in chemistry, 3 credits in earth science. These can be included as part of the major or in addition to.

Social Studies

To be eligible for this program, you must have majored in or completed 36 credit hours in HISTORY or ONE OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES (anthropology, economics, geography, political science or sociology) equivalent to a major, provided that the content core in social studies shall include study in economics, government, and at least a total of 21 semester hours of study in the history and geography of the United States and the world.

Spanish

To be eligible for this program, you must have majored in or completed 36 credit hours in SPANISH equivalent to a major.

"This program changed my life. My professors and mentors saw something in me I didn’t see in myself at the time, and they deeply uplifted and encouraged me. Today, I teach algebra at my high school alma mater, and I know that I was called to be in the classroom."

- Keyana Williams, High School Algebra Teacher

ACCELERATED UNDERGRADUATE/GRADUATE OPTION

If you’re a current UAlbany undergraduate student with at least a 3.2 GPA, you can save money and lighten your course load as a graduate student by beginning your graduate degree coursework in your senior year. Up to 12 academic credits, billed at the undergraduate rate, can count towards both degrees. This combined program option, called the Great Dane Teacher Pathway, provides a more direct and clear path to becoming a certified teacher in New York State.

Contact your undergraduate advisor to see if you’re eligible and learn about your combined graduate program options.

combined

Admissions Requirements

admissions

Deadlines

Summer or Fall start:
- Deadline 1: December 31
- Deadline 2: March 1
Spring start: Not Available

There is no departmental assistantship consideration for this program.

Required Application Materials

Transcripts from all schools attended
Three letters of recommendation (at least two letters from Professors)
Statement of goals

Available information for applicants.

Special Notes

A minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA is required. Please contact the Pathways in Education (PIE) Center, if you have any admissions requirement questions.

Combined undergraduate/graduate applicants must have a 3.2 GPA to apply.

Admission is contingent upon application materials and departmental interview. Interviews are by invitation only.

This program requires an internship, field experience, study abroad component or clinical experience requirement. 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.