Program Quickview
All of the master's degree programs described below prepare candidates for NYS initial and professional teaching certification in Childhood Education (teaching all subjects in grades 1-6) and are offered at the graduate level only.
- Undergraduate degree in a liberal art (BA) or science (BS).
- Meets All Coursework and Internship Requirements for BOTH Initial and Professional NYS Teaching Certification: In addition, you will need to pass the required state exams and complete the teaching requirements for professional certification.
- Shortest Program: Preservice teachers can complete the program in 15 months of full-time study (if starting in summer); certified teachers seeking additional certification in childhood education may require less time.
- Focus on Content-Based Pedagogy: Includes a methods course in each of the four core content areas plus the arts; student teaching is taken concurrently with methods courses.
- Focus on Teaching ALL Students: Includes courses on diversity, students with disabilities, and English language learners (ELLs); these required courses may be transferred in for certified teachers.
- Option to Add Specializations: With only a few extra credits, you can pursue additional NYS certifications or advanced certificates that can strengthen your effectiveness with diverse learners and make you more marketable; see Opportunities for Additional Specializations.
Warner Programs that Prepare Elementary Teachers
- MS Program (TA3): 45 credits, including field experiences and two student teaching experiences.

- NYS Certification in Teaching Students with Disabilities in Childhood: Prepares you to better serve students with differentiated learning needs while qualifying you to teach in inclusive classes.
- Advanced Certificate in Urban Teaching and Leadership: Prepares you to teach and lead in racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse urban settings.
- NYS Certification in Early Childhood Education: Qualifies you to also teach in kindergarten and preschool.
- Advanced Certificate in Digitally-Rich Teaching: Prepares you to make the best use of digital technology in your teaching.
- NYS Certification in TESOL: Prepares you to better serve English language learners in your classes and qualifies you to teach ESOL courses.
Licensure in other states. Review certification and licensure requirements for all Warner programs.
- Leading to Professional Certification Only (PA1): Our most flexible option, including 12 credits of electives; allows for possible addition of Advanced Certificates in Digitally-Rich Teaching or Urban Teaching and Leadership, or taking some leadership courses that can provide a jump-start toward school leadership certification in the future.
- Distance Option Leading to Professional Certification Only (PX2): Taking online courses can reduce trips to campus in half.
- Leading also to NYS Certification in Early Childhood Education (SA1): To be able to also teach kindergarten and preschool (requires 34 credits including field experiences and one student teaching experience).
- Leading also to NYS Certification in Teaching Students with Disabilities (PA4): To be able to better serve your students' diverse learning needs and to teach in inclusive classes (requires 35 credits including field experiences and one student teaching experience).
- Leading also to NYS Certification in Teaching Literacy (SR1): To prepare for positions as a reading specialist, as well as better support literacy learning for your students (requires 36 credits and includes two reading practica).

- Advanced Certificate (NA2): Fastest path; as few as 11 credits, including specialization courses plus 50 contact hours of field experiences.
- MS Program (SA2): 32 credits, including 50 contact hours of field experiences; also leads to NYS professional teaching certification in your original area of certification.

Our Approach
Creating Effective Elementary Teachers Who Can Inspire and Lead Change.

Whether in private or public elementary schools across the world, or other informal learning settings, our graduates provide the tools and the environment for children to develop into responsible adults. Their students use various subjects, like math and literacy, as a way to make sense of the social and scientific world. And, their students bring rich and meaningful experiences to school that become valuable resources for curriculum development. Our graduates learn how to develop appropriate curriculum and instructional strategies for meeting the diverse learning needs of all children. Throughout the program, they approach curricular and pedagogical decisions as thoughtful practitioners with knowledge of social, historical, cultural, and political contexts of schooling and curriculum.
Our graduates are critically reflective practitioners who are committed to social justice, equity, and school reform. They have a deep understanding of the subjects they teach and the skills and understanding of teaching, learning, and development needed to help all students develop their potential. We prepare elementary teachers who lead efforts to advocate for full inclusion for students with disabilities in general education classrooms as part of their efforts to reform schools. And, they keep learning organic and teaching creative in the face of increasing demands.
The Warner Advantage
Preparing Graduates to Innovate, Advocate, and Elevate.
- Become an elementary teacher who can create learning opportunities that are inviting and accessible for all students – engaging with cutting-edge research and educational innovations.
- Be challenged to be an agent of change, who can effectively introduce new ideas and practices that will enhance students’ learning and address current inequities.
- Leverage the reputation of a leading research university to strengthen the recognition of your degree.
- Network with the best and the brightest future colleagues.
- Make yourself stand out when applying for teaching positions by pursuing additional specializations for a few additional credits.
- Learn from an accessible, supportive faculty of researchers and accomplished practitioners who will prepare you to become adaptive experts in today’s K-12 schools.
- Shorten your path to a doctoral degree by earning transferable credits.
- Benefit from a guaranteed 50% scholarship.
- Take advantage of online learning options that help reduce trips to campus.
- Be ready to teach the school year following enrollment, as the program can be completed in as little as 15 months, even by those new to the teaching profession.
All About Experience

Horizons at Warner: Enrichment Program for RCSD Students in Grades K-8
Warner hosts a six-week summer enrichment program that engages urban K-12 students in meaningful and authentic learning experiences. The Horizons program creates a unique opportunity for Warner students to interact with young learners in an out-of-school setting. Opportunities for paid teaching experiences in this program are also available after graduation for a limited number of students.

Project READ Literacy Program
Project READ aims to strengthen children’s literacy learning and looks at literacy as it takes part in every aspect of every child’s life—from the classroom to home. Warner students have the opportunity to take advantage of paid internship opportunities, providing tutoring services, in-class support, professional development, and family literacy activities in a local urban elementary school as well as part of our East partnership.

Expert on Alternatives to High-Stakes Testing
Warner faculty member David Hursh, who teaches the elementary social studies methods course as well as other foundation courses in the program, is a noted author of multiple books on the topic of standardized high-stakes testing. Dr. Hursh is a regular resource to national, regional and local media contributing interviews and essays on this critical educational topic.
Career Opportunities
Advancing Education and Your Career to the Next Level.
Unlike graduates of an undergraduate teacher preparation program, our graduates will have already met all the coursework requirements for NYS professional teaching certification. This means they will only be required to complete three years of teaching and some state exams in order to obtain this additional level of certification – a NYS requirement within five years of beginning a teaching job.
At the same time, some of our graduates have chosen to pursue careers other than teaching in K-12 public schools. These include teaching in private schools and other educational settings, including informal and after-school environments, community-based organizations, and private industry.

Faculty
An Accessible, Supportive Faculty of Researchers and Accomplished Practitioners.

Elementary Teacher Preparation Program Director and Advisor
LeChase Hall 456
(585) 273-5443
klove@warner.rochester.edu
Core Program Faculty
Jeffrey Choppin, PhDDavid Hursh, PhD
Joanne Larson, PhD
Additional Program Area Faculty
Scholarships
Making Warner Affordable.
Byron Williams Teaching Scholarships – Guaranteed 50% Tuition Savings
All new students starting their master’s programs in teacher education leading to New York State teaching certification are guaranteed a minimum 50 percent tuition scholarship, provided they commit to teach in a United States school for a minimum of two years after graduation.

Try Us Out
Get a Taste of What Warner Has to Offer.
- Horizons Summer Enrichment Program: A six-week, full-day summer program for K-8 students from the City of Rochester that takes place on the University of Rochester campus, and provides its students with meaningful literacy and math learning opportunities in an informal context.
- East Irondequoit Digital Conversion: A K-12 partner school that has incorporated iPads into student learning and implemented a district-wide Learning Management System (LMS) to transform teaching practices.
Contact admissions to arrange for a visit or learn more about opportunities for non-matriculated students.
