Accelerated Master’s Degree Program for Smith College Students

Prepare for Certification in Early Childhood General Education

Bank Street Graduate School of Education has partnered with Smith College to create an accelerated master’s degree pathway in Early Childhood General Education. This initiative offers Smith students a unique opportunity to fast-track their graduate education while preparing to become the kind of curious and courageous teachers today’s schools need.

Qualified students who have completed prerequisite coursework in education can apply during their senior year—or within three years of graduation—and become eligible to transfer 10 undergraduate credits toward their master’s degree, saving time and 31% in tuition.

About the Program

Through coursework and observing students, you will become well-grounded in child development and active learning techniques. You will apply all you’re learning through mentored fieldwork, developing your ability to foster lifelong learning skills in your students through play, social interactions, and sensory experiences, as well as through engagement in the worlds of literacy, literature, mathematics, science, arts, and social studies.

You’ll also join a national—and global—community of educators, leaders, and changemakers who are committed to equity, inquiry, and transformation and who advocate for and with children and families. Long after graduation, you’ll have access to mentorship, professional development, and a network that walks with you every step of your career.

Early Childhood General Education Curriculum

This MSEd program leads to eligibility for New York State certification, Birth-Grade 2.*

Term	Course	Course Number	Total Credits
Fall 1	Curriculum in Early Childhood Education for Inclusive and Special Education Settings or Curriculum in Early Childhood Education	EDUC 514 or EDUC 510	3
Fall 1	Supervised Fieldwork / Advisement (Fall)	EDUC 930	6
Fall 1	Art for Teachers	EDUC 590	2
	CREDITS PER TERM		11
Spring	Observation and Recording	EDUC 808	3
Spring	Foundations	EDUC 530	3
Spring	Supervised Fieldwork / Advisement (Spring)	EDUC 931	6
Spring	Integrative Seminar in a High Needs Educational Setting (or elective credit if for student teaching pathway)	EDUC 994	1
	CREDITS PER TERM		13
Summer Long	Integrative Master’s Project	EASEDUC837-1	0
Summer I	Language Literature and Emergent Literacy	EDUC 564	3
Summer II	Science for Teachers	EDUC 535	2
Summer II	Math for Teachers	EDUC 540	2
	CREDITS PER TERM		7
	TOTAL CREDITS TO BE COMPLETED AT BANK STREET		31

*Course sequence is subject to change
For more information, view our full program listing

Key Benefits At a Glance

At Bank Street, we practice what we teach. Our graduate instruction is intentionally built around developmental, learner-centered principles that put your needs as a student at the center. Our faculty are compassionate and accessible, modeling the approaches they prepare you to use in your own work.

Additional benefits of our programs include:

Start in September
Transfer 10 undergraduate credits, reducing tuition by 31%
Access scholarships and financial aid
Gain essential hands-on training through Bank Street’s yearlong model of mentored fieldwork
Earn your MSEd and become eligible for NYS teacher certification

Qualifications

In order to apply for this program, you must be a current student at Smith College or have graduated within the last three years and meet all Bank Street criteria for admissions. Other program-specific requirements include:

Expected bachelor’s degree before beginning studies at Bank Street
These Smith prerequisites:
- EDC 338 Children Learning to Read
- EDC 235 Child and Adolescent Growth and Development
- EDC 311 Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Learners
- EDC 212 Linguistics for Educators
- EDC 347 Individual Differences
- EDC 347L Lab for Individual Learning Differences

Meet additional admissions requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

How does field experience work?

At Bank Street, you have the option of doing fieldwork as a student teacher, resident (dependent on program), or a working teacher. For student teaching, we will place you into different classrooms across age bands so that you get a feel for the experience across a range of developmental levels.

For those currently working as an associate, assistant, or head teacher, you are typically able to keep your job during your fieldwork as long as it is within the age band and setting type of the master’s degree you’re getting. Bank Street is one of the few graduate programs that allows you to do this, and our Office of Career Services can offer support in finding these types of positions.
What kind of advice do you have for the application process?
We take a holistic approach to the application and consider all of the materials you submit in our assessment. If you have references that can attest to your work with children in some capacity, an autobiography that gives us insight into your experiences, and can speak to these experiences in your admissions interview, you’re off to a good start! We also encourage you to reach out to us directly if you have clarifying questions about the application process or requirements.
How does certification work?
Your master’s degree is just one element of the certification process, which also includes workshops, New York State tests, fingerprinting, and navigating the state’s application website. If you do not already hold NYS certification, once you graduate and meet the requirements for the certification application, you’ll receive your initial NYS certification, which lasts for five years. Within this five-year period, you will need to serve as a head/lead teacher for at least three years in order to turn your initial certification into a permanent professional certification. Professional certifications do not have an expiration date. Please note that not all programs at Bank Street lead to certification, so make sure you pursue the right program if you’re seeking to get certified!
What can my career look like after teaching for a few years?
Teachers who have been in the classroom for a few years can provide coaching, mentorship, and model teaching to those new to the field. Your expertise in this work is important in helping shape the next generation of teachers. There are also opportunities in and out of classrooms that your foundation as a teacher can help you explore, such as:
- Curriculum and instructional design
- Professional development with adults
- Work as a specialist (depending on your certification) to offer more individualized assistance in areas like literacy, special education, or ESL.
- Research
- Policy work
- Educational consulting
- Educational leadership (see Bank Street’s leadership programs)
Our Office of Career Services can help you navigate the educational landscape.

Ready to Advance Your Career?

Smith College students and alumni are encouraged to meet with their faculty advisor early in their undergraduate career to plan their prerequisite coursework.

For more information, please email:

Abby Kerlin
Program Director
akerlin@bankstreet.edu

Andie Hine
Director, Graduate Admissions
gradadmissions@bankstreet.edu

Start Your Application Register for an Info Session

Why Bank Street?

We’re for educators who want to spend every day face to face with the future.

Bank Street holds a unique and highly regarded place in the world of education. We were trailblazers when we were founded in 1916—and our ideas, which were once radical, are widely practiced and accepted today. If you want to shape the future of education, this is where you start.
We’re for democracy and equity.

Our commitment to democracy and social justice is at the heart of our innovative pedagogy and desire to help all learners, both children and adults, actively make sense of the world. Equity and equality are always in a Bank Street educator’s mind—we meet students “where they are” in their learning with strengths-based activities and socially, emotionally, and culturally appropriate support.
We're for sharing good ideas.

For a small institution, our reach is broad. Our mix of graduate and continuing education coursework, research programs, and professional partnerships with school districts across the country aims to expand and improve educational opportunities for all students.