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[njs1010]

Any information out there on the various Social Studies Ed. programs in NYC?  How do Teacher's College, NYU Steinhardt and the various CUNY schools compare, both in terms of the quality of instruction and in job prospects after graduation (I know these are bleak)? Any particular experience at any of these programs?

[msparticularity]

What level are we talking about here, initial licensure, a master's, or a doctorate? While the hiring situation in the public schools is fairly dire these days--not only in social studies but in most content areas--the higher ed picture in social studies ed is not hideous. If that is your goal, though, you would need more than just the degree, and you would need to be mobile: possibly for the doctorate and definitely for employment.

[njs1010]

Masters with initial certification. Thanks.

[zharkov]

NYU, Teacher's College, plus Bank Street, have reputations that go far beyond NYC.  Something to keep in mind of you are mobile.  (Not to diss CUNY.) 

[msparticularity]

Okay, for a master's with initial certification, your first concern needs to be placement rate; you should feel quite free to ask each of these programs what their placement looks like for social studies--into full-time assignments, not substitute positions. You will also want to find out exactly how you would be certified: U.S. and world history or comprehensive social studies; secondary (6-12), or high school only (9-12), or middle grades only (5-8). These factors can affect your employability quite dramatically. What would help even more is ability to be certified in an additional area. In some states, it is fairly painless to pick up an ESL endorsement along with one's primary licensure, and that can help make you more marketable as well. I was licensed in language arts, along with history, and actually got my first tenure-eligible contract in that--I transferred into a history position once I was in the district and had preference.

Another issue for you may be financial: it is quite unusual for there to be any form of financial assistance for these programs, beyond federal loans. Typically, too, the accelerated programs are so intensive that it is quite difficult to work full-time, if not impossible. You may find, too, that NYU and Teacher's College do have a better record for placement, which could balance out the steeper costs.

Finally, if you are thinking that you might, at some point, want to pursue a position in higher ed, then you will want to consider Zharkov's point about the programs with national reputation.

[prytania3]

You do know there really aren't any jobs for social studies? Just sayin'.

[gradstudentanon]

And the jobs that do exist get hundreds (500+) of applications.

[njs1010]

Reviving this thread in hopes of some more input. I appreciate the cautionary advice. However, someday there will be a job available and I would very much like to be prepared for it.

I'm still looking for more information on how the social studies programs at Teachers College and NYU Steinhardt compare. National reputation is indeed important to me, but so is the quality of the training that I recieve. 

[msparticularity]

Weighing the two programs is a matter of prioritizing your own goals and doing a little checking on your own. One approach is to look up the social studies ed faculty at each place and investigate their research: which are doing things that you find interesting and relevant to your own professional interests and perspectives? Which program has faculty who are more research-active currently, and with good engagement with the issues facing schools in this NCLB era? Which faculty members are more active in professional social studies organizations (NCSS especially)? Look at the coursework: do the program requirements at either place look particularly good to you? Does either have a particularly strong relationship with the local schools, including not only the normal practicum and internship placements, but actual ongoing engagement in the communities? Finally, talk to the DGS (Director of Graduate Studies) at each department about their placement rate.