The University at Albany traces its roots to the founding of the State Normal School at Albany in 1844, the predecessor of the current School of Education. Since the University was constituted in 1962, the School of Education has grown to include a diverse array of nationally and internationally recognized programs of study for counselors, curriculum and media designers, evaluators, literacy specialists, policy analysts, principals and superintendents, psychologists, researchers, special educators, teachers, trainers, university and college administrators, and university and college faculty. The mission of the School is:
To foster enhanced learning and human development for diverse individuals and groups, in and out of the classroom, and across the life span.
In pursuing this mission, the School of Education encompasses the full range of research and practice, theory and application, and analysis and innovation. The School is committed to preparing professionals who can facilitate learning in our nation's schools and colleges, workplaces, families, and communities, especially in the most challenging circumstances. We seek to promote lifelong growth, resilience, learning, and development. By studying policy and practice, and by training the next generation of educational administrators and analysts, we seek to improve educational systems locally, nationally, and internationally. And, throughout our work, we focus on producing research-based solutions for the problems facing our schools and communities.
The School is organized into the following departments: Educational Administration and Policy Studies; Educational and Counseling Psychology; Educational Theory and Practice; and Reading. Through these departments, the School offers graduate programs leading to the degrees of Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Science in Secondary Education, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Psychology, and Certificate of Advanced Study.
The School of Education offers the following programs leading to a master's degree: secondary school teaching of academic subject (nine areas), curriculum development and instructional technology, educational administration, educational psychology, rehabilitation counseling, general educational studies, community counseling, reading, literacy, special education, and teaching English to speakers of other languages.
The School offers programs leading to a Ph.D. in educational administration, counseling psychology, curriculum and instruction, educational psychology, and reading; and to a Psy.D. in school psychology.
Also offered are programs leading to the Certificate of Advanced Study in curriculum and instruction, educational administration, educational research, school counseling, reading, and school psychology. A Certificate of Graduate Study in Urban Education is also offered.
A graduate student in the School must meet the requirements and standards of the School and of the University and be governed by their regulations. An applicant for admission who has completed previous graduate study with specialization in an appropriate field may apply for admission with advanced standing. See Admission and Graduate Requirements for further details.
