Teacher Education

If you want to be a teacher, there's no better place for you.

Our teacher education program is the oldest in the SUNY system, dating back to its foundation as the St. Lawrence Academy in 1816. In fact, we're one of the more highly regarded schools of education in the country. Our teacher education programs were recently accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), the most rigorous of the teacher education accreditation standards.

Programs of Study Visit Campus Apply Now

Highlights

Education scholarships
TESA- Teacher Education Student Association
Sheard Literacy Center
Student Teaching opportunities in many counties within NYS, as well as NYC and Canada
Math/Science Center
Small class sizes in Education courses
Multiple opportunities to grow, take risks, and develop your own teaching philosophy
Guidance and support from faculty
4+1 Program
- Pursue an undergraduate degree in four years in:
  - Childhood/Early Childhood (Birth - Grade 6) OR
  - Adolescence Education (Grades 7-12 with 5-6 extension) in English, Science, Math or Social Studies
- Pursue one of the following online graduate programs in one additional year:
  - Literacy
  - Special Education
  - Educational Technology Specialist

Academic Departments

Courtney Ferguson '22, a childhood / early childhood education major at SUNY Potsdam, discusses her reasons for becoming a teacher, and how she strives to be a support system for her students—in the same way that her kindergarten teacher supported her when she was a child.

Becoming an Educator

Building on teaching experiences in her father’s kindergarten classroom throughout her youth, Hannah McArthur ’25 is now pursuing a degree in early childhood/childhood education, and gaining valuable real-world experience through numerous elementary school classroom placements around New York state.

"A School Year Can Change Your Life"

Laura Smith ’23 harnessed the impact and convenience of SUNY Potsdam’s fully online MST in Childhood Education by completing her coursework from Canada with the goal of building classroom communities that function in positive, inclusive, and energizing ways. A mother of three, the online program was the perfect option for Smith, who was then able to complete her student teaching placements right in Ottawa.

Sailing into the Classroom

Much like the character in her children’s book, Katie Yang ’23 has been on her own adventure—teaching English in China, volunteering as an ESL teacher at Fort Drum, and now completing her master’s degree in childhood education at SUNY Potsdam. Her book, “Sailor Sam and the Crab Invasion,” which was written during her Literacy I class with Carolyn Stone, is now on sale at Barnes & Noble.

A Personal Connection

As a parent of a son with autism, Autumn Frazee Brown ’23 has always valued the importance of great educators. A longtime advocate for her son, she has seen the positive impact teachers have had on his life—ultimately influencing her own decision to pursue a master’s degree in education at SUNY Potsdam.

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The American Dream

In just four years, Miryam Veliz Calderon ’20 & ’21 graduated from SUNY Potsdam with an undergraduate degree in math and Spanish, followed by a master’s degree in secondary math education. With a unique combination of language, math, and teaching skills, Veliz Calderon quickly landed a job back home on Long Island after commencement. At just 22 years of age, she’s already a leader in the classroom, working as a bilingual math teacher for immigrants who recently arrived in the U.S.

Mentor for the Next Generation

Encouraged by his mother to pursue a career in teaching, Noah White ’22 transferred to SUNY Potsdam in the spring of 2019 to combine his passion for chemistry and education. He is now completing his second student teaching placement as he wraps up the College’s BA / MST program in secondary science education.

Becoming a Literacy Leader

After graduating with a degree in early childhood / childhood education in 2020, Karina Antonio ’20 & ’22 spent a year working as a pre-school teacher, before returning to SUNY Potsdam in the fall of 2021 to pursue a master’s degree in literacy. A first-generation college student, and the first person in her family to receive a master’s degree, Antonio’s passion for education is fueled by her desire to see her students succeed, in the same way that she did in her youth.

SUNY Potsdam  Ranks  #18 in the Nation for Teacher Education

The strength of SUNY Potsdam’s legacy in training teachers has earned the College a placing at No. 18 in the nation among institutions offering a bachelor’s degree in teacher education, according to a new ranking released by Study.com. The company considered hundreds of universities and ranked SUNY Potsdam based on academic and career resources, the quality of education, faculty, cost, graduation rates, student retention, job placement, and other factors. 

SUNY Potsdam to Welcome Virtual/Hybrid Cohort for its Master of Science in Teaching Program in Childhood Education

No matter what you studied as an undergraduate, the path to becoming an educator just became a little easier. SUNY Potsdam’s Master of Science in Teaching (MST) degree program in childhood education is now offering a virtual/hybrid cohort—giving the flexibility of a mostly online learning environment to enable candidates to juggle their studies with work and family obligations.

New Ways to Think About Success

Dr. Tasia White ’12 has a newly minted Ed.D. and passion for transforming how people view their own professional success. She wants them to be fulfilled by their work, and that part is trickier than some think. As national interest turns to the need for greater support of diversity in the workplace, White is in a position to offer the perspective of both a woman of color and a person who made the study of such diversity—and the barriers to it—the subject of her dissertation.

Natalia Anapolis ’20

With a tank of air on her back and fins on her feet, Natalia Anapolis ’20 stepped into the Coral Sea off the coast of Australia. The scuba diving adventure was a completely new experience for her—foreshadowing her work in Australia over the next few weeks as she stepped into a classroom as a student teacher for the first time. Last fall, Anapolis spent 13 weeks Down Under where she got to explore the continent, while also completing her student teaching placement as part of her degree in childhood/early childhood education.

Scott Elliott ’21

Scott Elliott ’21 has always wanted to be a teacher. After spending nearly 22 years as a musician in the U.S. Army, he’s turning that dream into a reality, as he pursues his master’s degree from SUNY Potsdam in childhood education, studying in Watertown. For more than two decades, he traveled the world playing his saxophone and clarinet to improve relations with other countries and support the troops, while he was stationed in Panama, Japan and Iraq. Now retired, his real-world experience will bolster his efforts in the classroom, as he follows his path to becoming a teacher.

Ivy Huber ’19

After walking across the stage at Commencement in May, Ivy Huber ’19, a double major in middle/secondary English education and literature/writing, spent the summer teaching English to children in Italy. Now she’s back home to start her career as a sixth grade English teacher at Waterloo Middle School after successfully completing SUNY Potsdam’s teacher education program and two student teaching placements in St. Lawrence County.

Inspiring a Community

In an effort to raise awareness about the 110,000 children currently in foster care who are up for adoption across the country, Jessica Hurlbut ’19—a graduate student pursuing an MST in childhood education at SUNY Potsdam, set out to run 110 miles in 24 hours.

Student Teaching Abounds

Our students receive a lot of hands-on experience, observing in elementary and high school classrooms and preparing lessons.