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

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.

Professional Licensure: This program leads to a recommendation for NYS certification; please check for certification requirements in all other states

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 Combined education majors (ECC) include two supervised student teaching experiences. 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 these majors will have at least one urban teaching experience. Successful Graduates will be recommended for New York State Initial Certification to teach children from birth through grade 6 (Combined Childhood and Early Childhood, ECC).

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 Combined Childhood and Early Childhood education 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 Combined program and wishing to complete their program in four 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, Combined majors should anticipate 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 Combined Childhood and Early Childhood education major (ECC, grades birth-6), 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 ECC are available in Bacon 302. Acceptance into the department enables students to proceed through the curricular courses of their selected major.

Combined Childhood and Early Childhood 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. Combined education 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).

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. Combined education majors are required to complete a 30-credit hour academic concentration in addition to the professional program requirements; the concentration seeks to broaden students’ academic backgrounds. Descriptions of the approved concentrations can be found in the Elementary Education Department Handbook for Majors, available on the department website, or from the department office. Currently, the concentration may be chosen from: American studies, English, Liberal Arts, foreign language, mathematics, science, social studies or urban studies.

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/English, Natural Science, Global and Diversity) may overlap with required courses in the major, distribution, and concentration 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 advisor for more detailed information.