Studying Education at Barnard

Located on the third floor of Milbank Hall, the Barnard Education Program offers a variety of courses across campus and educates students “to draw on interdisciplinary research and perspectives in order to critically analyze the role of education in society, and to create and sustain equitable educational practices and policies for all” (from Education Program’s website). As a Barnard student aiming to minor or special major in education, I really enjoyed the courses I’ve taken within the program, and I have learned so much through the program’s emphasized discourse on equity and social justice in education. In this post, I want to introduce the Barnard Education Program to those who might be interested to become an educator or to find some special classes available for all students at Barnard.

Currently, Barnard only offers minors in education, but students can apply for a petition to a special major in education or complete their major in Urban Studies with a specialization in Urban Teaching/Education. In addition to these options, the program is also “working toward accreditation of its educator preparation programs under the AAQEP standards with an anticipated Quality Assurance Review in Fall 2022” (from the program’s website)--which means an Education major might be available for you by then!

Students in the program each go through one of the three tracks offered: Urban Teaching - Elementary/Childhood Education, Urban Teaching - Secondary/Adolescent Education, and Education Studies. The Education Studies Track does not lead to a teaching certification but coursework and field experiences are intended to help students better understand K12 education and to apply this knowledge in their future career or academic focus. Both Urban Teaching tracks prepare teachers with necessary NYS Teacher Certification, and these tracks involve 360 hours of educational based field experiences in addition to rigorous courses, certification examinations, and workshops. The NYS Teacher Certification will allow students to not only work in New York State but also in most other states through the Interstate Certification Agreement.

Within the program, there are many amazing courses focusing on different areas in education, but my favorite one is Science in the City, which I am taking right now. Science in the City is a course in partnership with the American Museum of Natural History, and it is composed of weekly seminars and fieldwork by which students teach in local schools. Most of the seminars are held in the classroom where we discuss science pedagogical methods, and there are also sessions when we meet at the museum learning about how to incorporate New York City resources into our science teaching. For the fieldwork, we are assigned to different local schools by groups of three, and for each week we develop our own class plans catering to our students’ interests and needs. Even though I was nervous about my very first teaching experience, now every Friday with the kids has become my favorite time of the week! Most students in Science in the City are students who are considering an education minor, but there are also many students who are here to fulfill their Thinking Locally and Thinking Technologically requirements--and also to have a good time! Science in the City is offered every semester, and there are also similar courses such as Arts & Humanities in the City and Math in the City (you can find information about these courses and all other courses offered in the program here).

I hope this post can be helpful to students who are interested in studying education at Barnard. It’s a great experience for those who want to interact with diverse New York City resources!