The Reading and Language Arts Center offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in English Education designed to prepare you to teach in secondary and post-secondary education institutions, to work as a teacher educator, to conduct research, or to develop policy.

The undergraduate program in English Education leads to initial certification in New York State. Students in this program are dually enrolled in Education and in Arts and Sciences as English and Textual Studies (ETS) majors. English content courses are selected in order to meet the demands of a typical high school curriculum, including study of the major literary genres of poetry, drama, short story, the novel, Shakespeare, multicultural literature, expository writing, speech, and history and structure of the English language. Students also complete a variety of field placements prior to student teaching in conjunction with professional development courses. Student teaching experiences are split between middle and high school, as well as urban and suburban placements.

At the Master's level, English Education-Preparation 7-12 is intended for individuals who have previous study in English and writing but no education background, and are seeking initial NY state certification to teach English. Field placements mirror those at the undergraduate level.

Those already certified as English Teachers at the undergraduate level sometimes choose to complete the master's degree program in Literacy Education 5-12, leading to an additional certificate in that area.

The doctoral program in English Education effectively prepare students for leadership positions in public schools, as well as for teacher education, research, and curriculum design.

NOTE: Because we do not offer degrees in Teaching English as a Second Language, applicants whose previous experience and career goals involve teaching English to those for whom English is a second language should contact the Linguistic Studies program at the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.

A significant strength of our programs is our exceptionally strong and cooperative relationship with area public schools, industry, and local literacy organizations that allow our candidates to gain valuable field experiences and to conduct research in a variety of educational settings.

All of our programs in English Education have been modified over time to be consistent with the National Council of Teachers of English Guidelines for the Preparation of Teachers of English Arts.

For further application information about the undergraduate and graduate programs in English Education please contact: