Childhood and Early Childhood Curriculum and Instruction, M.S.Ed

About the Program

Enrollment in all teacher education programs follows the guidelines for "Admission to Teacher Education Programs" found in this catalog. Applicants who do not yet meet all admissions criteria should consult with the department.

Teachers with New York State initial teaching certiﬁcation in childhood and/or early childhood education may apply for admission to the master’s program in curriculum and instruction. Students who successfully complete this master of science in education program will receive a college recommendation for Professional NYS Childhood and/or Professional Early Childhood Certiﬁcation. This program can be completed fully online. However, in-person courses are also available.

Candidates should consult the Teacher Certification website for current seminars and workshops.

Admission Requirements

1. A bachelor’s degree in early childhood and/or childhood education from an accredited college or university with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (4.0 scale).

2. A well-crafted statement addressing the following:

a. Your strengths as a teacher.

b. Professional challenge(s) you encountered during your first classroom teaching experiences or field experiences that you hope to address in your graduate work.

c. How your graduate program can help you grow as a teacher. If you know which concentration you are selecting, please describe your reasons for selecting it.

The statement will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

i. Organization
ii. Conventions of language
iii. Content

Note: Please refer to the rubric provided with the application materials for the statement prompts and speciﬁc evaluation criteria.

3. Professional resume

4. Two letters of reference that attest to the applicant’s potential as a graduate student. Please note that one reference should be from a college professors/instructor.

These are the minimum criteria for admission; satisfaction of these criteria does not guarantee admission to the program. In addition, all applicants should review the Admission to a Graduate Program section in the catalog.

Additional Admission Information

Each applicant will be evaluated in terms of his or her baccalaureate degree, academic performance, letters of recommendation, experiential background, and substance and quality of the personal statement. Please refer to the Graduate Admissions Committee rubric (attached to the supplemental application information) used for evaluating applications.

Program Requirements

Required Courses (6 credit hours)
Complete ALL of the following Courses:
EDU501 SEMINAR FOR THE REFLECTIVE TEACHER | 3 - Credit Hours
EDU620 TEACHING AND LEARNING IN DIVERSE CLASSROOMS | 3 - Credit Hours
OR EDU509 INTRODUCTION TO THE GIFTED, TALENTED AND CREATIVE LEARNER | 3 - Credit Hours
EDU501 to be taken early in the program.

Content Courses (12 credit hours)
Courses can be taken any time in your program after or concurrent with EDU501.

Complete ALL of the following Courses:
EDU513 THEORY, RESEARCH AND PRACTICE IN LITERACY INSTRUCTION | 3 - Credit Hours
EDU651 THEORY, RESEARCH, AND PRACTICE IN MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION | 3 - Credit Hours
EDU654 THEORY RESEARCH AND PRACTICE IN SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTION | 3 - Credit Hours
EDU671 THEORY, RESEARCH, AND PRACTICE IN SCIENCE INSTRUCTION | 3 - Credit Hours

Required Culminating Course (3 credit hours)
Early childhood & gifted/talented course can lead to recommendation for an additional certification. See your advisor for details.

Complete ALL of the following Courses:
EDU690 MASTER'S PROJECT | 3 - Credit Hours

Electives (9-12 credit hours)
Can be taken any time in your program after or concurrent with EDU 501
Select one from the following elective groups or design a 9-credit curriculum concentration by advisement:

Literacy

Gifted/Talented

Educational Leadership

Elective Groups
Completion requirement

Literacy Electives
Complete course(s) and earn 9 - 12 credit(s) from the following:
EDU535 TEACHING WRITING: B-12 | 3 - Credit Hours
EDU609 RESEARCH AND PRACTICE IN ADOLESCENT LITERACY | 3 - Credit Hours
EDU611 EARLY LITERACY INSTRUCTION | 3 - Credit Hours
EDU612 DEVELOPING LITERACY THROUGH LITERATURE | 3 - Credit Hours
Does not lead to literacy certification

Early Childhood Electives
Appropriate for those without Early Childhood Certiﬁcation

Complete course(s) and earn 9 - 12 credit(s) from the following:
EDU543 CURRICULUM FOR THE YOUNG CHILD | 3 - Credit Hours
EDU626 INTEGRATING THE CONTENT AREAS IN THE TEACHING OF YOUNG CHILDREN | 3 - Credit Hours
EDU528 FAMILIES AND EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS | 3 - Credit Hours
OR EDU611 EARLY LITERACY INSTRUCTION | 3 - Credit Hours

Gifted/Talented Electives
If you select this concentration and complete the other NYSED requirements for Gifted and Talented certiﬁcation, Buffalo State will recommend you for certiﬁcation.

Complete course(s) and earn 9 - 12 credit(s) from the following:
EDU509 INTRODUCTION TO THE GIFTED, TALENTED AND CREATIVE LEARNER | 3 - Credit Hours
OR CRS509 INTRODUCTION TO THE GIFTED, TALENTED AND CREATIVE LEARNER | 3 - Credit Hours
CRS559 PRINCIPLES IN CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING | 3 - Credit Hours
EDU621 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN GIFTED, TALENTED, AND CREATIVE EDUCATION | 3 - Credit Hours
OR CRS621 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN GIFTED, TALENTED AND CREATIVE EDUCATION | 3 - Credit Hours
EDU619 COLLABORATION AND PRACTICE IN GIFTED, TALENTED, AND CREATIVE EDUCATION | 3 - Credit Hours

Educational Leadership Electives
Complete course(s) and earn 9 - 12 credit(s) from the following:
EDL559 PRINCIPLES IN CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING | 3 - Credit Hours
EDL607 SITE-BASED LEADERSHIP | 3 - Credit Hours
EDL683 FACILITATION OF GROUP PROBLEM SOLVING | 3 - Credit Hours

30-33 Total Credit Hours
Completion requirement
Prerequisites may be required for some courses. Other courses may be accepted through advisement only. Students who select the Gifted and Talented concentration do not need an elective to obtain the 33 required credits for completion of the program.