Early Childhood Special Education/Dual Degree with Columbia University School of Social Work

You can earn in this unique and comprehensive program a master’s degrees both in education from Bank Street College, and in social work from Columbia School of Social Work for fewer total credits than if you were to earn the degrees separately.

You will discover creative ways to help young children learn and grow in the Early Childhood Special Education Certification Program.

• Learn to carefully observe children and use that knowledge to guide and inform your teaching.
• Engage all young children in play, learning and interaction.
• Develop skill in engaging with young children of varying development and need in meaningful ways.

In this certification program you become well grounded in child development and its variation. This program will support your understanding that learning develops through play, social interaction, and sensory experiences. You will learn to implement strategies based in current research of inclusive and special education practices.

This program is for you if:

• You are seeking your permanent teaching certification.
• You want to work with children birth through grade two in general, inclusion, and/or special education settings.
• You also have an interest in earning a degree in social work.

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

This program culminates in a Master of Science in Education or Master of Education (for those students with a prior master’s degree in education), requiring 32 credits, and a Master of Social Work (with additional course requirements for the social work degree from Columbia), requiring 48–54 credits.

Central to a Bank Street education is the integration of coursework and field experiences as you engage and educate children based on a solid grounding in what makes children tick. You will:

• Participate in a weekly collaborative conference group with your advisor and 5-7 other graduate students. You will have an opportunity to engage in ongoing in-depth conversations about teaching and learning.
• Benefit from individual meetings with your advisor twice each month.
• Attend periodic three-way meetings with your Bank Street advisor and with the cooperating teacher.

There are three ways students work in classroom settings: as a student teacher (3 days each week), as a full-time assistant, or as a head teacher.

• Student teachers complete one semester in an inclusive or special education setting.
• Working teachers and assistants (in approved settings) may use their own classrooms for their fieldwork setting. These students may need additional experience through placement in a summer supervised fieldwork/ advisement during a July (summer 2) term.