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Childhood Special Education Advanced Certificate

Non-Degree

  • Program Overview

    The Childhood Special Education Advanced Certificate program extends and deepens current educators’ practice to be model teachers in specialized settings.

    This program is for teachers and prospective teachers like yourself, wishing to work with children with variations in grades 1 through 6. As a student in your program you have the opportunity to work in a range of special education settings. This includes children from diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and linguistic backgrounds. You will think specifically about designing accessible curricula and differentiated experiences for children with a variety of social, emotional, behavioral, physical, and cognitive profiles. 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 is a 15-21 credit certificate program that does not lead to a master’s degree.

    Graduate student teaching

  • 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

    In addition to meeting other admissions requirements, to be eligible for admission to the Childhood Special Education Advanced Certificate program you must:

    • Hold a valid New York State certification in Childhood Education, Grades 1-6 or Early Childhood Education, Birth – Grade 2. If you are certified in Early Childhood Education, Birth – Grade 2, there may be additional Childhood tests you need to take to become certified in working with Students with Disabilities, Grades 1-6.
    • Applicants must have a master’s degree in education with a 3.0 GPA or higher from an accredited institution of higher education.

    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 Education Advanced Certificate program requires 15-21 credits for completion. 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.

  • Supervised Fieldwork

    Our unique supervised fieldwork program is designed to support your integration of theory and practice. 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.

    Supervised Fieldwork/Advisement is not required for those students who have previous experience teaching in an inclusive classroom.

    If you do not have experience in an inclusive classroom you will work in a classroom setting 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 one special education setting within grades 1-6.
    • As a working head or assistant teacher you will use your own classroom as your fieldwork.

  • 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 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.
    • Work as a special education coach or consultant.

    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

[I realized] that Bank Street would be the best fit for me [after] going through the application process, which requires much more meaningful writing and self-reflection than any other program to which I applied. This seemed indicative of the approach taken in the graduate school.
Jared Slater, GSE ’16

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