text: Academics - Bank Street Graduate School of Education
  We offer a rigorous, humanistic foundation for educators with a focus on making learning vital, active, and creative.
  Bank Street's Graduate School of Education was founded in the tradition of progressive education. We are committed to learner-centered education based on sound developmental principles. Our master's programs integrate direct experience with children, teachers, and families. They offer opportunities to explore and examine theory, observe learning in action, and reflect on your own learning. Our graduate programs prepare educators for professional work in schools, museums, hospitals, and community organizations.
  Our degree programs lead to a Master of Science (MS), Master of Science in Education (MSEd), or advanced Master of Education (EdM). All programs are registered with the New York State Education Department and most lead to New York State certification.
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  We offer degree programs that prepare educators to work in a wide range of settings. Learn more about our Teacher Preparation Programs, Child Life Programs, Educational Leadership Programs, and flexible Individualized Master's Program.
  View by Specialty All Specialties Child Life Curriculum Development Dual Language/Bilingual General Education Infancy & Early Intervention Leadership Math Museum Reading & Literacy Special Education TESOL
  Rooted in Sound Developmental Principles
  Every Bank Street program is grounded in the developmental-interaction approach to learning. We recognize that children and adults learn best when they are actively engaged with materials, ideas, and people. Bank Street educators understand that children do not all learn at the same rate or in the same way. Our graduate students learn to create environments that foster children's development in the broadest sense by providing diverse opportunities for physical, social, emotional, and cognitive growth.
  Engaged in Active Problem-Solving
  A hallmark of the Bank Street approach is the integration of theory and practice and an active, problem-solving approach to learning. All Bank Street courses include opportunities for active learning alongside instructors and peers. At Bank Street, graduate students are immersed in the worlds of children, teachers, families, and educational leaders in schools, museums, healthcare, and/or community settings throughout their courses. Students have opportunities to examine their experiences in light of new ideas and insights and build close relationships that will enrich their professional lives.
  Immersed in a Community of Learners
  We understand that learning is social and that children and adults learn in interaction with each other and with their environment. Through supervised fieldwork and advisement, students gain practical experience with the support of an experienced faculty advisor. In addition to individualized mentorship, students meet weekly with their advisor in a small conference group setting to reflect on their fieldwork experiences. These groups become professional learning communities with peers who support each other in reflecting on their developing practice.
  Grounded in a Commitment to Equity
  Our commitment to social justice begins in every Bank Street classroom as we seek to ensure that every voice is valued and heard. It extends to the work our graduates and faculty do in the larger world. Bank Street graduate students learn to foster children and adults' innate curiosity, commitment to community, and engagement with the world. Our faculty partners with local, national, and international communities to create family- and child-centered programming in a range of settings. Bank Street educators are advocates for equity and ensure diverse voices are amplified and have impact. In the words of our founder, Lucy Sprague Mitchell, "Our work is based on the faith that human beings can improve the society they have created."
  Senior Director of Research, Effectiveness, and Innovation
  Senior Director of Student Learning Support and Community Initiatives
  Our courses require students to examine their own experiences in light of new ideas and new insights, offering opportunities for exploration, discussion, and reflection. Explore our course offerings and schedule.
  Course Directory Course Schedule Academic Catalogs
  Integrative Master's Project or Professional Seminar
  The Integrative Master's Project (IMP) and Professional Seminar are integrative, culminating experiences. As students move toward graduation, they use the Integrative Master's Project or the Professional Seminar to more deeply explore an area of interest of their choice. These experiences enable students to synthesize and expand on what they have learned during their graduate studies in order to further their professional growth through inquiry, reflection and integration.