Graduate study at Cornell is interdisciplinary, student centered, and rather than being limited to a single department, is governed by the Cornell University Graduate School and organized around scholarly Fields of study. In the Field of Education, we have faculty in the Department of Education and from many other disciplines across campus. We offer M.A.T., M.S., M.P.S. and Ph.D. programs in Learning, Teaching and Social Policy and Adult and Extension Education. The M.A.T. in teacher education leads to certification of middle and high school teachers of mathematics and the agricultural, biological, and physical sciences. (We offer no programs in special education, school psychology, elementary education, language and literacy, or teaching in the humanities or social sciences, but these areas are discussed within the curriculum.)
Students in the Field of Education apply to one of the three programmatic areas of study:
The requirements for graduate study are set by both the Graduate School and the Field and can be found in the Handbook for the Graduate Field of Education (PDF 270KB). Among the requirements are the following: All students must form a Special Committee, including a chair from the Field of Education. Master’s degree committees typically include two faculty and Ph.D. students will typically have three faculty - with at least one member from outside the Field of Education.
- M.P.S. – 30 credit hours including an M.P.S. Project
- M.A.T. – Depending on prior coursework, 1-2 years including student teaching semester
- M.S. – Minimum four Registration Units* and a Thesis
- Ph.D. – Minimum of six Registration Units* and a Thesis
*Registration Unit = one semester of full-time study
Ph.D. students may petition to "transfer" up to two Registration Units from a relevant research-based master's degree program.
Graduate students are encouraged to match their research and practicum interests with one or more of Cornell's extension and outreach activities. These include the Rural Schools Association (RSA), the Cornell Educational Resources Program (CERP), Community Learning and Service Partnerships (CLASP), Strengthening Extension's Public Issues, Pathways to a Better Trained Workforce, and the Institute for Community College Development.