Bachelor of Science Program
Program Code: BS-ED
Major Code: CSS

Elementary Education, Literacy and Educational Leadership
Bacon Hall 302
(716) 878-5916
elementaryeducation.buffalostate.edu/

Accredited: Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (formerly NCATE)

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.

Student Teaching

The program is clinically-rich with carefully designed field experiences that culminate in one full semester of student teaching.  The culminating courses for the Childhood with social studies extension major include two supervised student teaching experiences with children at different age levels in different types of schools. Eligibility and placement for each student teaching experience is determined by the department office in cooperation with public schools in the greater Buffalo area. It is expected that students in this major will have at least one urban teaching experience.

Graduates in this major will be recommended for New York State Initial Certification to teach children in grades 1–6 and 7-9 social studies.

Transfer Students

Most courses taken at an accredited institution and relevant to a Buffalo State degree program will be accepted, but the majority of professional sequence courses applied to the childhood education with social studies major must be courses completed at Buffalo State. Grades for transfer courses are generally used in computing the required 3.0 cumulative GPA for admission to the major. Students planning to transfer as juniors into the Childhood program with social studies extension and wishing to complete their programs in four to five semesters must seek advisement at the institution in which they initially enrolled to assure that the prerequisite course equivalencies are met. Since the teacher candidate will graduate with recommendation for two certification areas, extension majors may need an additional semester of college work.

Candidates should consult the Teacher Certification website for current seminars and workshops. https://teachercertification.buffalostate.edu/seminars-and-workshops

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the Childhood Education with Social Studies Extension major (CSS), students must have an 85% High School average or a cumulative GPA of 3.0, as well as submitted ACT or SAT scores as part of the application process.

For students currently enrolled at Buffalo State, an acceptable application to the department includes evidence that the above requirements have been met.  Applications to CSS are available in Bacon 302. Acceptance into the department enables students to proceed through the curricular courses of their selected major.

Childhood with Social Studies Extension education majors must complete one year of college-level study of one language other than English. Typically, two years of high school study of one language is equivalent to one year of college-level work. Childhood education with social studies extension majors must also complete a distribution requirement of at least 6 credit hours in each of the following areas: mathematics, science, social studies, and English (not including CWP 101 and CWP 102).

Social studies extension majors also complete a 30-credit-hour concentration in social studies as outlined in the elementary education handbook, available in Bacon 302 and on the college website.

Many of the courses in our professional sequence are taught in authentic settings for clinically-rich mentored experiences. As a result, the teacher candidates will have observation, tutoring, and teaching experiences in a variety of placements in our Professional Development Schools Consortium. In addition, social studies extension majors take SSE 303 in the semester prior to student teaching. See the social studies education department for seat availability and orientation.

Program Requirements

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 Up to 6 general education (IF 14) courses (math/quantitative reasoning, American Civilization, Western Civilization, Non-Western Civilization, Humanities, Natural Science, Global and Diversity) may overlap with required courses in the major which could significantly reduce the total number of credit hours required.  Advisement is strongly encouraged.

The total number of required hours will vary with course selection. Students should refer to the Elementary Education Handbook and an academic adviser for more detailed information.