This year-long program will prepare you to work with students with disabilities and within CS education contexts. Dynamic CS education research is combined with established special education practices, furthering your work as an equitable and inclusive educator who creates meaningful experiences and varied access points. We also offer generous funding through the Noyce scholarship.
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Upon completing your MAT program, you'll have the knowledge and foundation to:
- Build relationships with students and parents with the goal of fostering student learning, engagement, and wellbeing
- Integrate theory/research and practice
- Develop and implement discipline-based curricula, unit plans, and lessons that are coherent, use culturally relevant pedagogies, and foster experiential learning
- Individualize instruction and assessment activities to meet the needs of students with disabilities
- Create and apply classroom strategies that are explicit, innovative, appropriate for a specific context, and use technology to support student learning
- Develop a practice that is equitable and inclusive, particularly as it pertains to the social, historical, and political implications of ableism
You'll take comprehensive course work that combines our faculty's cutting-edge research in computer science education with special education methods, often within the same class. We’ll also integrate bilingual education into your course work! Our cohort is small by design, so you can get individualized support, connect with faculty, and develop a community with your peers that will last beyond your studies.
Your fieldwork placement will be customized based on your goals and focused on computer science and students with disabilities, with opportunities to work in a variety of grade levels and school settings. Our program will prepare you to teach in diverse urban districts, and our wonderful partnership network all around New York City will help you translate your learning into practice.
This program leads to eligibility for initial teaching certification in Students with Disabilities Generalist 7–12 and Teaching a Special Subject (All Grades): Computer Science. As an MAT program, this program will also count towards eligibility for NYS professional certification.
You'll be prepared for a breadth of education careers, including:
- Computer science teacher in elementary, middle, or high school
- Special education teacher in middle or high school
- Teacher in other subjects who integrates computer science into the curriculum
- Computer science or special education curriculum specialist, developer, or evaluator
- Computer science or special education program coordinator in schools and school districts
Graduates who receive the Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program funding have a subsequent requirement to work in schools in high-need local educational agency; learn more about the Noyce program and its requirements.
Why Computer Science (CS)?
Computer Science has a lot of algorithms but is not just coding! In our digital age, our students are constantly surrounded by technology and the myth of being a “digital native”. CS education also includes computational thinking skills (problem solving), digital fluency (how to navigate technology), digital citizenship (how to interact online), digital privacy (how to protect your data and information), and much more – all skills that our students need to be successful and safe in all fields. Furthermore, CS classrooms can be gatekeepers to the field, leading to disproportionate demographics in CS career paths as well as the design of technologies with unjust consequences. Initiatives such as CS4All NYC are making CS classes and units more commonplace. Help us foster inclusive CS education!
Why Special Education?
More than 200,000 public school students in NYC are eligible for special education services, and there is a continual need for certified special education teachers in various academic settings. All students should have supports and opportunities to reach their full potential. Additionally, learning more about inclusive pedagogy will benefit all students in your classroom, not just that of the students with documented services.
Read More about advancing your teaching career with computer science
Funding from the National Science Foundation's Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
We are pleased to offer funding from the National Science Foundation for our first class of students! Whether you begin your MAT course work in your senior year or join our program with a completed undergraduate degree, you will receive scholarship support for your studies. Noyce Scholars also receive mentorship with paid induction activities in the first year of teaching.
Questions
Due to the varied nature of your past coursework and the possibility that you may already be an in-service educator, the coursework and service/field-work requirements may look different for everyone. We will customize your program of study for your needs and circumstances. Our courses are also available for non-matriculated students.
Questions or concerns about... | Reach out to... | Contact Information |
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MAT Program |
Jasmine Ma (she/her) |
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Certification |
Mark J. Perez (he/him) |
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Fieldwork/Service Requirements |
Alyssa Alfano (she/her) |
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Coursework/Advising |
Kyle Morris (he/him) |