The Cornell Teacher Education (CTE) program prepares teachers to work successfully in a variety of educational settings and with a range of students. In addition to a solid background in subject matter, students develop a broadly based knowledge of the art and science of teaching in secondary schools. Coursework and fieldwork in local educational settings integrate the practical and theoretical aspects of education.
- Contact Information
- Deborah Trumbull
Professor
424 Kennedy Hall
Phone: (607) 255-3108
E-mail: djt2@cornell.edu
The Cornell Teacher Education program supports the unique needs of those studying to become teachers of agricultural science, mathematics, or a science.
Students gain knowledge of ethical practice, teaching and learning processes, and the moral, social and political contexts of education, and integrate this with their specific content area in the sciences, mathematics and/or agricultural science. Students develop the knowledge and expert practice skills to assume leadership positions in formal educational settings (public, private, and charter schools, and other formal instructional situations).
Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.)
Nearly all students who complete the CTE program earn the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree and are eligible for secondary (grades 7-12) certification to teach agriculture, mathematics, or a science. Although certification in agriculture can be earned at the bachelor's level, students who aspire to teach agriculture are highly encouraged to complete the M.A.T. Applicants to the M.A.T. must have completed most of an undergraduate major or its equivalent in the area(s) in which they seek certification.
The M.A.T. is a graduate curriculum of professional education designed to meet the New York State standards for 
teacher certification. Students in the M.A.T. program complete additional coursework in their content area(s) and one off-campus semester of student teaching, and successfully pass required New York State examinations. Graduates are eligible to apply for New York State initial certification (grades 7-12) to teach one or more of the content areas emphasized in the program. Two years of successful teaching experience are subsequently required for professional certification in New York State. Cornell undergraduates majoring in a science, mathematics, or agricultural science may apply to the certification program track during their sophomore or junior years. Students admitted to the CTE program complete their undergraduate subject matter majors and a minor in education during their junior and senior years.
Students who have completed a bachelor's degree in agricultural science, a science, or mathematics apply to the M.A.T. program as graduate students. They can then complete the full CTE program in a minimum of 3 semesters of study.
Undergraduate Options
Cornell undergraduates admitted to the CTE program who complete the minor as undergraduates can complete the M.A.T. segment in two semesters. Students majoring in mathematics or one of the agricultural, biological, or physical sciences add a minor in education -- and apply the education courses toward their baccalaureate and their certification. Ideally, students apply to CTE as sophomores and take education courses as juniors and seniors -- including fieldwork to prepare for student teaching in the M.A.T. year. The second semester of the M.A.T. is designed to allow additional work in the academic specialties for greater breadth and depth, a further professional development.
Students in the following majors are currently eligible:
- Agriculture (agricultural engineering, animal science, food science, horticulture, plant science, soil science)
- Biology
- Biology and Society
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- Geological Sciences
- Human Biology, Health, and Society (Human Ecology)
- Mathematics
- Natural Resources
- Physics
- Biological Statistics and Computational Biology
The CTE program does not offer certification programs in areas other than those listed above. However, students majoring in the humanities or social sciences who are 
considering teaching use the minor to learn more about the field of education and to explore teaching as a career. Some of the courses in the minor may be accepted my master's degree programs elsewhere.
Admission criteria for the CTE program at both the undergraduate and M.A.T. level include a solid undergraduate background in the subject matter, including acceptance into or completion of a major (or its equivalent) in mathematics, science, or agriculture with a B (3.0) average, and evidence of successful teaching experience, such as work as a camp counselor, tutoring students in high school, teaching religious school lessons, working with 4-H, or experiences with FFA.
Review of applications for the fall semester begins January 15 and continues until the cohort is full. Students may also apply for spring admission. Review of those applications begins October 15. Admission is provisional for the first year with continued participation and student teaching placement contingent upon satisfactory academic progress and satisfactory performance in required field work.
Download an application or, for more information, please see our admissions page.