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Educational Studies

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All About Educational Studies

Educational Studies Home >

Why study education?

To understand educational institutions.
To understand the teaching and learning process across the lifespan.
To inquire into who, when, where and why people participate in educational and learning activities.

Degrees Offered

Associate of Arts
Associate of Science
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Science

If you are interested in preparing for teaching certification in New York State, you must consider your options carefully. Empire State College does NOT have an undergraduate teacher certification program registered with the New York State Education Department. You must contact the State Education Department for specific certification requirements or speak with a BOCES teacher certification officer.

Master of Arts in Teaching
Empire State College offers a graduate level teacher education program. This program places students in underserved urban schools throughout the state, and leads to a Provisional B certification and ulitmately an Initial certification. The Provisional B certificate enables prospective teachers to begin teaching after a carefully guided preservice component of the M.A.T. program followed by two years of mentored teaching and completion of the degree. The M.A.T. program is limited to urban school districts with documented teacher shortfalls. To apply, you will need to demonstrate completion of an appropriate undergraduate major with a G.P.A. of 3.0 or the equivalent. For further information about the program review our web site, contact the Center for Graduate Programs at: 800 468-6372, ext. 2230 or e-mail grad@esc.edu.

Other Study Options
If you are not planning to engage in teaching but are interested in educational processes and institutions, you can design concentrations that examine these institutions and processes through the framework of the social and behavioral sciences and other disciplines: anthropology, economics, history, philosophy, political science, psychology and sociology.

If you are not planning to become a New York State certified teacher, you may design concentrations that include not only the studies referred to above, but also studies that focus on the relationship between theory and practice, and on educational practice itself. Studies such as these can prepare you for work in teaching/training programs for adults, workforce development, community education, international training and development, and other non-public institutions or educational settings.