Teacher Education Programs

Our secondary education M.A. programs prepare you for the challenges of teaching and leadership in today’s demanding educational environment. As a graduate you’ll succeed in your first years of teaching and have a thorough foundation to keep improving throughout your career. NYU Steinhardt teachers are highly regarded in the New York metropolitan area and beyond. Many graduates are in leadership positions in schools, universities, and other educational institutions.

Our initial certification teaching programs draw on our faculty’s extensive experience as teachers, as well as feedback from current teachers, principals, and our graduates. Each integrates hands-on knowledge with a rich theoretical understanding of how adolescents learn and how they can best be taught.

Many courses have an observation component that sends you into New York City schools, allows you to test your conceptions of teaching in practice, and makes your transition to student teaching easier. These courses also focus on curriculum development, classroom management, assessment, and technology so you’ll be prepared for the high-pressure world of standards and high-stakes tests.

After thorough preparation we place you in the classroom for two semesters of student teaching at two different host schools/grade levels. Your cooperating teacher and NYU faculty provide feedback and suggestions along the way to help you learn, develop, and refine your teaching techniques.

In addition to pedagogical core requirements, including multicultural education, language and literacy, and special education, you’ll deepen your background in the field you’ll be teaching. Discipline-based courses integrate content and pedagogical approaches so you may simultaneously consider the subject and how it can be most effectively taught.

We offer generous scholarships to help fund your graduate education.

If you’re already a teacher with initial certification, we also offer programs leading to the M.A. and professional certification.