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Childhood Special and General Education Dual Certification/Dual Degree with Columbia School of Social Work

MSEd

  • Program Overview

    The Childhood Special and General Education Dual Certification/Dual Degree with Columbia School of Social Work program prepares model teachers and social workers to work in diverse settings.

    This comprehensive program allows you to earn two master’s degrees for fewer total credits than if you earned the degrees separately.

    For more information on the program at Columbia School of Social Work, contact Cheiku Camara at cheiku.camara@columbia.edu.

    This program is for teachers and prospective teachers who wish to work with children in grades 1 through 6. As a student in this program you will have the flexibility to work in a range of settings and engage all children. This includes children from diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and linguistic backgrounds. This also includes children with a variety of social, emotional, behavioral, physical, and cognitive variations. You will:

    • Construct developmentally responsive learning experiences that encourage all learners to follow their curiosities.
    • Create accessible curricula so all learners can explore literacy, literature, mathematics, science, arts, and social studies content.
    • Develop a strong social justice focus in order to advocate for and with children and families.
    • Plan for dynamic and collaborative partnerships with families and school professionals.
    • Engage in critical explorations of yourself, others, and the wider world.

    This program culminates in a Master of Science in Education, requiring 43 credits, and a Master of Social Work (with additional course requirements for the social work degree from Columbia), requiring 48-54 credits.

    Two graduate students at a computer

  • Admissions & Tuition

    This program has options to begin in the fall, spring, and summer.

    The summer and fall applications are currently open.

    Application Deadlines

    • Applications are reviewed in rounds to ensure you receive a timely decision.
    • You will have five business days after the application deadlines to finish providing any missing required materials. Incomplete applications will be moved to the next round for consideration.
    • In some cases, applications submitted after the final deadline will be reviewed on a space available basis.
    • We strongly encourage you to submit your application as early as possible. This guarantees the most timely admissions decision and the broadest consideration for scholarships and financial aid.

    Summer 1 & Summer 2

    Round Application Deadline Materials Deadline Decisions Release
    1 January 2, 2026 January 7, 2026 February 4, 2026
    2 February 1, 2026 February 6, 2026 March 2, 2026
    3 March 1, 2026 March 6, 2026 April 2, 2026

    Fall

    Round Application Deadline Materials Deadline Decisions Release
    1 February 1, 2026 February 6, 2026 March 2, 2026
    2 March 1, 2026 March 6, 2026 April 2, 2026
    3 April 1, 2026 April 6, 2026 May 4, 2026

    Admissions Criteria

    No prior teaching certification is necessary for this program.

    In addition to meeting other admissions requirements, to be eligible for admission to the Childhood Special and General Education Dual Certification/Dual Degree with Columbia School of Social Work program you must:

    Please review How to Apply for full details on the application process, admissions criteria, and application requirements.

    Tuition

    At Bank Street, tuition is charged per credit. The Childhood Special and General Education Dual Certification/Dual Degree with Columbia School of Social Work program requires 43 credits for completion at Bank Street. The Master of Social Work from Columbia requires an additional 48–54 credits, which are billed by Columbia at their current tuition rate. Read more on our Tuition page

    Financial Aid

    The majority of Bank Street students receive some type of financial aid. We strongly recommend applying early and submitting your FAFSA at the time you apply for the broadest consideration for scholarships and financial aid. Read more on our Financial Aid page

  • Curriculum & Courses

    View the coursework for this program.

    The range of credits is due to the need for head or assistant teachers to complete EDUC 994 (1 credit) rather than EDUC 990 (0 credits). Students who need to take EDUC 994 can select the EDUC 535 (2 credits) science option in order to keep their credit total at 46 credits. Students who do not need to take EDUC 994 can graduate with 45 credits.

  • Supervised Fieldwork

    Supervised fieldwork/advisement lies at the heart of a Bank Street education. Through sustained experiences in the field, supervision from core faculty, and close collaboration with peers, our graduate students develop the ability to connect theory to practice and to reflect deeply on their own growth as educators. In this program, you will:

    • Be supervised by your advisor, a core graduate faculty mentor and experienced teacher.
    • Participate in a weekly conference group of 5-7 students and your advisor.
    • Reflect on a lesson with your advisor once each month.
    • Meet individually with your advisor once each month.
    • Complete projects to help you take a deeper look at the setting and students you work with.

    You will work in classroom settings as a full-time head teacher or assistant, or as a student teacher (3 days each week):

    • As a student teacher you will be placed in two settings throughout the year. You will experience 2 age bands (grade 1-3 and grade 4-6), general and special education, and a public, high-needs environment.
    • As a working head or assistant teacher you will use your own classroom as your fieldwork. We will place you in a different setting during the spring or summer semester to give you additional experience in a second setting.

  • Certification & Careers

    Certification

    When you successfully complete the program, you will receive a master’s degree and be eligible for New York State certification in Childhood Education, Grades 1-6 and Students with Disabilities, Grades 1-6, provided you complete all other State certification requirements. Read more on our Certification page

    Careers

    After graduation, students pursue a range of career opportunities including:

    • Teaching in general education, special education, or inclusion classrooms in public, charter, and independent schools.
    • Tutoring or working as learning specialists in schools or in private practice.
    • Working in special education teacher support services (SETSS) roles.
    • Working as a school social worker.
    • Working as a psycho-therapist in private practice.

    Students at Bank Street have full access to our robust Career Services, including the CareerConnect job site, opportunities to attend job fairs and workshops, and connections to our alumni network nationwide.

  • Faculty

Bank Street has served as both the foundation and springboard of my career. Its values of progressivism, diversity, and community ground the work I do with individuals with disabilities every day [and] in the fall, I will be conducting research at the Waisman Center, one of the only research centers in the country focused on developmental disabilities.
Kiley McLean, GSE ’18

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