Master's Degree

Overview
Structure of the Master’s program
Cost to the Fellow

Overview
One of the benefits of becoming a Teaching Fellow is enrollment in a subsidized Master’s degree program while working as a full-time teacher under the NY State Transitional B certification. The New York City Department of Education subsidizes most of the costs of tuition (excluding books and materials) at one of several partner universities. These participating universities, located throughout New York City, offer Master’s degrees that have been customized for Fellows. Each university offers expertise in specific subject areas and a unique set of Master’s programs. Fellows are assigned to a university based on their subject area and borough preferences.
 
Structure of the Master’s program
Master’s programs are tailored to accommodate Fellows’ teaching schedules with classes during the evenings, as well as during the summer. The Master’s degree takes two to three years to complete; the duration varies depending on a Fellow’s subject area and assigned university.
 
Fellows take a range of courses at their universities, including:
 
• History of Education
• Teaching: Methods and Principles
• Classroom Organization
• Psychological Foundations of Education
• Language, Literacy, and Educational Technology
• Skillful Teaching: Strategies for Effective Instruction and Classroom Management

Fellows average two courses (six credits) per term. Each participating college or university will help every Fellow decide on the best strategy for completing the credits required for the Master’s degree. Summer coursework may be required.
 
Cost to the Fellow
Each Fellow in the June 2008 program is contributing $6,600 toward the cost of his/her Master’s degree. Please note that the contribution for June 2009 Fellows has not been finalized.
 
The NYC Department of Education takes its investment in Fellows’ continuing education and development very seriously, as reflected in its subsidy of the Master’s degree. Fellows must be active NYC DoE teachers in order to maintain enrollment in the Master’s program.

 
*New York State teacher certification regulations require that all teachers have completed coursework in a range of liberal arts subjects.  While each university’s specific requirements vary, some Fellows may need to take additional coursework to fulfill a NYS required liberal arts core.  In addition, NY State requires that special education, childhood education (elementary) and ESL teachers have an undergraduate major or equivalent coursework in one of the liberal arts or sciences.  Fellows in one of these areas whose undergraduate major or degree is in a professional or applied field may be required to complete additional coursework to satisfy this liberal arts requirement. Again, actual coursework requirements vary by university.  Note that while NYCTF subsidizes a large portion of the cost of the Master’s degree, it does not subsidize tuition costs associated with these additional courses. However, Fellows in the past have been eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award after at least one full year of service, which can be used to pay for additional coursework.