Childhood Education, M.S.

Teach every child, in every kind of classroom, in every of community.

Elementary school teachers help build the foundation for a child’s development. The M.S. in Childhood Education initial certification program prepares you to lead a grades 1-6 classroom ready to reach every student, whatever their background, ability, or need. In a little more than one year of full-time study, you will gain the pedagogical depth, field experience, and professional preparation to lead inclusive, culturally responsive classrooms from day one.

Priority Application Deadline: January 15 | More admissions information

Why Childhood Education at Syracuse?

• Rigorous preparation to teach every learner. Our programs center inclusive, culturally relevant pedagogy. The  M.S. Childhood Education develops teachers who are ready to work with the full range of learners in today’s schools: students with disabilities, English language learners, LGBTQ youth, and students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. That depth of preparation is built into the curriculum through coursework in literacy intervention, adapting instruction for diverse needs, and assessment of learning across student populations.
• Clinical simulations that sharpen your skills before you step into a school. Syracuse is at the forefront of using standardized clinical simulations as a deliberate, integrated part of teacher preparation. These live, structured, exercises replicate real classroom and school interactions, helping you identify your strengths, work through challenging scenarios, and enter your field placements with genuine confidence.
• Multiple field placements across diverse school settings. Supervised field placements expose you to different schools, student populations, and learning environments, giving you the range and adaptability that today’s schools demand.
• Outcomes that speak for themselves. School of Education graduates achieve a 94% career outcome rate, with an average starting salary of $51,175. Many go on to leadership roles in their buildings, schools, and districts. Our teacher certification exam pass show our graduates are exceptionally prepared: 100% on New York State exams including Content Specialty, Educating All Students, and Students with Disabilities (2025).
• A cohort experience that builds lasting professional connections. You will move through core coursework alongside a small, close-knit group of fellow teacher candidates across content areas, sharing perspectives, building collegial relationships, and developing the collaborative habits that define strong professional educators.
• Faculty at the forefront of education research. Courses are taught by faculty who are active researchers as well as teachers, bringing current scholarship directly into your preparation. Syracuse is an R1 research institution, and our faculty have received recognition for teaching excellence and are leaders in national and international professional organizations.

“The hands-on experience gained was the most valuable part of the School of Education experience. Being able to work across different grade levels and different schools was a powerful teacher in itself. The sheer depth of experience I gained by the extensive placement is part of what made my interview process shine. I had a relevant story to connect with each question and was hired right out of school.”
—Dan Stumlock G’16, G’23

Who Should Apply?

Recent graduates ready for teaching. You have completed your bachelor’s degree, and you know teaching is your passion. The M.S. in Childhood Educationis your direct path, a focused, full-time, 14-16 month program that takes you from graduation to certification without detours.

Career changers and professionals returning to education. You have spent time in another field, building a career that drew on your academic background. Now you want to teach. This program gives you the rigorous pedagogical foundation and practical preparation to make that transition with confidence, moving into certification without starting from scratch.

Whichever describes you, you will need:

• A bachelor’s degree with 30 credits in liberal arts subjects, including six credits in each of four major content areas (Mathematics, Science, English, and History). Contact SOE Graduate Admissions to see if you meet requirements.
• A commitment to inclusive teaching and to working with the full range of learners in today’s elementary schools.
• Readiness to complete a full-time program beginning in the University’s first summer session (mid-May).

Program at a Glance

The M.S. in Childhood Education is a graduate professional degree that prepares you for New York State initial certification in Childhood Education (Grades 1-6) and fulfills one of the requirements toward professional certification.

• An efficient, focused program. At 33 credits in total, this program is leaner than many comparable programs at peer institutions, without sacrificing the field hours or academic depth that strong teacher preparation requires.
• 14-16 months of full-time study. The structured sequence begins in the first summer session with coursework, then moves to methods and foundations in fall, and student teaching in spring. This structure is designed so each phase builds directly on the last. Students benefit by completing the program with a cohort of other education students.
• An expansive curriculum. Coursework spans child development, literacy at multiple levels, methods of teaching, student assessment, and adapting instruction for diverse student needs. A spring elective allows you to explore an area of interest. Options include autism, assistive technology, disability studies, children’s literature, and inclusive education in an international context.
• Supervised student teaching. Our 70-day student teaching experience meets New York State Education Department requirements and is preceded by 100 contact hours of supervised field experience. You will be in schools early and often before you take full responsibility for a classroom.
• Prepared to succeed. The program prepares students to take the New York State initial certification in Childhood Education, Grades 1–6. Many other states offer reciprocity for New York State certification. SOE graduates consistently achieve high pass rates on all NYS certification exams.

More information on academic requirements available in the Syracuse University Course Catalog. SOE is accredited by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP).

What Our Graduates Do

Graduates of the M.S. in Childhood Education go on to build careers in elementary schools across New York State and beyond. The program’s emphasis on inclusive, culturally responsive teaching opens doors across a wide range of educational settings and roles:

• Elementary classroom teachers in public, private, and charter schools across the United States and internationally.
• Department chairs, teacher leaders, curriculum developers, and instructional coaches.
• Professionals in content-adjacent fields—including educational media, instructional design, and educational research and policy—who draw on both their subject expertise and their pedagogical training
• Graduate students pursuing advanced study in educational leadership, curriculum and instruction, instructional design, and other graduate fields.