Education

Education Studies is an interdisciplinary program for students who wish to understand, critically analyze, and conduct research on the role of education in society. Our students draw on a wide range of theoretical and empirical scholarship to study education as a social, cultural, and historical process. We understand education as much more than schooling, even as schooling is central to many of our concerns. Students who pursue the major or the minor/special concentration in Education Studies learn to evaluate educational policy, practice, and research through a critical, equity-oriented lens. Our graduates will be prepared to act creatively for peace, justice, and sustainability in local and global educational contexts. Education Studies prepares students to pursue graduate studies or positions in public policy, sociology, history, youth studies, philosophy, psychology, and other areas where K-12 education is frequently a focus of coursework and scholarship, as well as to pursue teacher certification through a graduate program. Education Studies does not lead to teacher certification.

Education Studies Major: The Education Studies major is designed for students whose primary interest is in pursuing Education as their major course of study. Education Studies majors concentrate in one of three areas: Education, Culture, and Society; Educational Policy; or Comparative and International Education. In their senior year, they conduct an original inquiry project. The Education Major is open to all students at Barnard College, Columbia College and the School of General Studies.

Education Studies Minor: Education Studies minors pursue similar coursework to that undertaken by the majors. This course of study is intended to complement a major's disciplinary specialization and methodological training. In addition to the requirements of the minor, students must complete a major. The Education Studies minor is open to all students at Barnard College, Columbia College, and the College of General Studies.

This track is for students who want to graduate from college with teacher certification. Our goal is to prepare students to become skilled and reflective teachers who can effectively respond to the learning needs of diverse learners, and create supportive and intellectually stimulating classroom communities. Students learn to create innovative curriculum; gain experience observing, tutoring, and teaching a diverse range of children and young people; develop confidence in their role as teachers who can promote fair and inclusive school practices; and graduate with certification to teach in New York.

This program is registered by the New York State Department of Education and accredited by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). Students who complete the program will be recommended for Initial Certification in either Childhood Education (Grades 1-6) or Adolescent Education (Grades 7-12). We provide ongoing support to program completers through our Barnard Teacher Network.

To apply to the Urban Teaching tracks, please visit our website. Students are encouraged to apply for admission by March of the sophomore year but no later than April 30th of their sophomore year. Those who plan to study abroad during their junior year should apply by the spring of their first year, but no later than the first Tuesday in September of the sophomore year. Admission criteria include good academic standing; evidence of commitment to the field of education; interest in issues of social justice issues as they affect education, particularly in urban schools; and capacity for growth as an intellectually resourceful and reflective teacher. Enrollment is limited.

This program prepares students for a New York State Initial Certificate in Childhood Education (Grades 1-6).

This program prepares students for a New York State Initial Certificate in Adolescent Education (Grades 7-12) in the fields of English, Foreign and Ancient Languages, Mathematics, the Sciences, and Social Studies.

The Barnard Education Program requires three levels of clinical experiences for Urban Teaching candidates prior to student teaching. These experiences provide rich opportunities for prospective teachers to connect theory to practice and build a reflective practice as they apply their developing skills in informal and formal, school and community educational settings. Urban Teaching candidates must map out a plan to complete each level of clinical experience prior to the subsequent one. All experiences must be completed with children and youth in the age group for which you are seeking certification. For childhood certification, you should work with children in grades 1-6. For adolescent certification, you should work with youth in grades 7-12. Placements for Urban School Practicum and Student Teaching will be made so that by the time students complete the program, Childhood Education candidates have experience in grades 1-3 and 4-6 and Adolescent Education candidates have experience in grades 7-9 and 10-12.

As part of the NYS Certification process, students are required to complete a minimum of 520 hours of supervised education-based clinical experiences. Students spend 100+ hours in NYC public school classrooms as part of pre-student teaching pedagogical courses, and 70+ days in Student Teaching. Additionally, as part of the Barnard Education Program, students are required to complete a 40-hour minimum foundational fieldwork experience prior to the start of student teaching. These clinical experiences are described below. 
 

Foundational Clinical Experiences: Exploring Educational Settings (40 hours)

All Urban Teaching candidates must complete 40 hours of independent fieldwork prior to or during the first year of admission to the Education Program. This fieldwork may be completed during the summer or during the academic year and should be documented using the Fieldwork in Education Packet. Students must keep a journal during their fieldwork experience and write a reflective essay that is submitted with the completed packet.
 

Intermediate Clinical Experiences I: Course-Related Fieldwork in Education (35 hours)

For the Pedagogical Elective requirement for Urban Teaching, students enroll in one of the courses listed below and complete 35 hours of fieldwork connected to their coursework. This fieldwork is documented using the Fieldwork Record Sheets which must be signed by the candidate, the cooperating teacher, and the instructor for the course and forwarded to the Education Program Office. All Urban Teaching candidates should complete one of the courses listed below prior to taking the courses EDUC BC 3025 Inclusive Approaches to Teaching Literacy and EDUC BC 3053 or 3054 Multicultural Elementary or Secondary Pedagogy in the Junior year.

• EDUC BC 3050 Science in the City 
• EDUC BC 3058 Science and Engineering in the City 
• EDUC BC 3052 Math and the City
• EDUC BC 3055 Arts & Humanities in the City
   

Intermediate Clinical Experiences II: Multicultural Pedagogy (40+ hours)

EDUC BC 3053/3054 Multicultural Elementary/Secondary Pedagogy is usually taken in the fall semester of the junior year. Students who plan to study abroad must take it in their sophomore year since there is a year-long field placement attached to this course and the Literacy course. Students are placed in a public school to observe and work alongside an experienced teacher. Students complete a minimum of 40 fieldwork hours in the fall semester.

Intermediate Clinical Experiences III: Inclusive Approaches to Teaching Literacy (60+ hours)

EDUC BC 3025 Inclusive Approaches to Teaching Literacy is usually taken in the spring of the junior year. Students who plan to study abroad must take it in their sophomore year. These two courses are the first of two supervised fieldwork experiences. Student continue their fall field fieldwork placement and complete a minimum of 60 fieldwork hours in the spring semester. By the end of the year, students must have completed at least 100 hours to go on to Student Teaching.

Student Teaching (70+ days)

Student Teaching is the capstone experience of the Urban Teaching Program. Students are placed in New York City public school classrooms for the duration of their senior year. In the fall, while taking Critical Inquiry in Urban Teaching, students are engaged in fieldwork 1-2 days a week.  Students must complete a minimum of 10 days during the fall semester. In the spring semester, they attend student teaching five days a week, full-time. This full-time teaching experience allows students to put theory into practice with the guidance of an experienced cooperating teacher. During the student teaching semester, students can only take two additional classes. The classes must meet after regular school hours. Some majors have requirements or opportunities for seniors that conflict with student teaching; therefore, it is important for students to plan their programs carefully.

The Urban Teaching program is a member of the Association for Advancing Quality in Education Preparation (AAQEP) and approved by the New York State Education Department to recommend students who complete the program for Initial Certification in either Childhood Education (grades 1-6) or Adolescent Education (grades 7-12). 

Certification is based on demonstrated competency in both academic and field settings. Students are required to complete a minimum of 520 hours of education-based field experiences. Students must pass the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations.  Also required are workshops in Child Abuse Identification; School Violence Intervention and Prevention; and the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA), offered at Teachers College.

Note: For certification in New York State, undergraduates must pass all courses counting toward certification with a letter grade of C or better. Pass/D/Fail grading is not an option.

Fingerprinting Forms 

• OSPRA 104
• OSPRA 103

Certification

• Certification Pending Letter Request Form

Links

• New York State Education Department
• NYS Teacher Certification Examinations
• New York City Department of Education
• TeachNYC
• Violence and Child Abuse Workshop
• Child Abuse and Maltreatment Workshop at CU
• DASA Training

We are proud of the accomplishments of our students and alumni, and the data support our claims that program completers are skilled and reflective teachers who can effectively respond to the learning needs of diverse learners, and create supportive and intellectually stimulating classroom communities.

The Barnard College Education Program is registered with the New York State Department of Education and is accredited by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) through December 2030. The 2023 accreditation report can be found here. 

Our publicly available 2025 Annual Report to AAQEP is available here. Important completer and consumer information is provided below.

1. Indicators of Program Effectiveness & Satisfaction of Employers

Employer and Alumni Surveys conducted in 2022 as part of the accreditation process were designed to investigate program effectiveness, one item stands out as emblematic of the feedback we have received about the effectiveness of our program. This question on the Employer Survey asked, “How well do you believe your teacher was prepared to teach through the Barnard Education Program in comparison to other new teachers in your school?” Seven of the eleven employers surveyed had hired one of our completers during their 1st-3rd year of teaching. Of these, five (71.4%) said that our teacher was more prepared to teach than most other new teachers. The other two employers (28.5%) thought our teacher was as prepared as other new teachers, with a mean response of 2.7/3.0 (n=7, SD±0.0.49). None of the employers thought our completers were less prepared than other new teachers in their school. See Figure 18.

Figure 18. Employer Survey: Preparation in the Barnard Education Program

2. Indicators of Program Effectiveness & Satisfaction of Completers

While the Alumni Survey was designed to investigate program effectiveness, one item stands out as emblematic of the feedback we have received about the overall effectiveness of our program. This question asked, “How well do you believe your experience in the Barnard Education Program prepared you in comparison to other new teachers in your school?” The majority of respondents thought they were more prepared, and 30 % (n=30) thought they were as prepared as other new teachers in their school, with a mean response of (67%, n=67) response of 2.7/3.0 (n=7, SD±0.0.49).

Our next round of Alumni and Employer Surveys will be conducted in the spring semester of 2025.

3. Graduation and Completion Rates

*This table does not account for completers taking certification exams in other states.

5.  Employment Rates in Education Positions

*Please note that teaching and enrollment in graduate school are not mutually exclusive.

** Currently working in an education-adjacent field.
 

6. Consumer information

Cost of Attendance

 Below are Barnard College's tuition and fees for the following academic years. The expected length of time to complete the teacher education program is three years.

Student Loan Default Rates

Student loan default rates for Barnard College can be found on the Federal Student Aid (FSA) site.

Teacher Salaries

The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) provides teaching salary and benefit information for New York City.

Course and credit requirements for pursuing the Urban Teaching Program differ, depending on whether you are interested in the Elementary program or the Adolescent program. The Childhood Education Program (Grades 1-6)works with any major. The Adolescent Education Program (Grades 7-12) closely aligns with the content area majors below.