Sudha Ramaswamy, Ph.D., Chair
914-674-3058
sramaswamy@mercy.edu
 

Rose Rudnitski, Ed.D., Program Director
914-674-7447
rrudnitski@mercy.edu

 

General Education	60 credits
Major Concentration: Teaching Students with Disabilities:	36 credits
Open Electives:	24 credits
Total:	120 credits

 

This undergraduate program allows students to complete a BS in Teaching Students with Disabilities (SWD) and get  recommended for NYS teacher certification in SWD, birth-grade 12 (all grades) at the completion of the undergraduate degree. As part of their undergraduate major requirements, students will take 15 graduate level education credits that have the option of being counted toward both undergraduate and graduate level credit. 

Students must accumulate 30 credits in one liberal arts and sciences content area through the general education and open elective coursework as part of NYS teacher certification requirements. Students select a liberal arts content area from one of the Liberal Arts Disciplinary Groupings comprising the general education curriculum.

Program Objectives:

1. Candidates will attain the skills to teach diverse students in inclusive classrooms and across a variety of settings and service delivery models.

2. Candidates will be prepared to serve as critical and reflective practitioners who continue to examine, modify, and refine their own teaching practices, philosophies, and assumptions about teaching and learning

3. Candidates will be prepared to implement sound pedagogical practices that effectively address the varied academic and social needs of all students and will be prepared to develop and disseminate knowledge about teaching, learning, and human differences in order to improve opportunities and outcomes for all students. 

4+1 B.S./M.S. Option:

The 4+1 BS/MS dual certification program in Teaching Students with Disabilities (SWD), B-grade 12 + Early Childhood Education, Childhood Education, or Adolescence Education is an innovative and expedited option to create dual certified teachers to meet critical high needs shortage areas in schools.

Upon completing the BS degree in Teaching Students with Disabilities, students may apply the 15 graduate level credits they completed as part of their undergraduate major requirements to a MS degree and receive recommendation for an additional NYS teacher certificate in either Early Childhood Education (birth to grade 2), Childhood Education (grades 1-6), or Adolescence Education (English, Math, Social Studies, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, or Earth Science, grades 7-12), depending on which 30-credit content area they pursued as an undergraduate student.

Students must accumulate 30 credits in one liberal arts and sciences content area through the general education and open elective coursework as part of the NYS teacher certification requirements. Students interested in the 4+1 BS/MS option are limited to one of the 4 core content areas taught in schools: English, math, social studies, or science for their liberal arts content area.

For an adolescence certificate, the 30-credit liberal arts content area must match the content area of the certificate. For SWD, early childhood education, and childhood education, any of these liberal arts and sciences content areas are acceptable.
 

Notes:

*Students must take EDUC 205 Contemporary Issues in Childhood and Education to meet the Social Perspectives general education requirement

*Students must take an additional math course and an additional science course as part of their 18 credits of general education electives

*Students must take 12 of their 18 credits of general education electives in the same Liberal Arts Disciplinary Grouping. These credits will be used toward the 30-credit liberal arts content area requirement for NYS teacher certification.