The Education Department offers two broad options for undergraduate students: the Agricultural Science Education major and the Education Minor/Concentration. Students in the Agricultural Science Education major enroll directly in the Department of Education. Students within other majors in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and throughout the University may enroll in the Education minor or concentration. Depending upon the college within Cornell, this option is identified as a minor or a concentration.
Agricultural Science Education
The Agricultural Science Education major offers two general options: teacher certification and non-certification. Students who wish to become teachers of agriculture at the secondary level may complete requirements for initial certification in New York State while completing the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Science Education. New York teacher certification is recognized in most other states and U.S. territories and possessions. Most of our undergraduate majors stay for one additional year to complete a master’s degree, which is required for permanent teacher certification in New York State. Those students typically enroll in the non-certification option and then move directly into the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program for their fifth year. Students who want to pursue education-related careers in areas such as extension, parks, arboretums, museums, agribusiness, and other settings that require a broad knowledge of agriculture and the environmental sciences as well as the ability to plan, deliver, and evaluate instructional programs, may elect to enroll in the non-certification program in Agricultural Science Education.
Education minor
The Education minor (or concentration) is intended for students majoring in other disciplines who have an interest in teaching either in schools, industry, or in non-formal educational settings. The minor offers three options: Cornell Teacher Education (CTE), General Education, and Adult and Extension Education (AEE). The Education Department offers the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree with teacher certification mathematics, science, or agricultural science. Cornell students who plan to enter teaching in one of those three disciplines may remain in their current undergraduate majors and “minor” in education in the CTE option. During their senior year, those students apply for the M.A.T. program which they can typically complete in one academic year. Cornell University does not offer teacher certification in areas other than math, science, and agricultural science. Cornell students who plan to pursue teaching careers in other areas such as arts, language arts, music, social studies, elementary and others, may enroll in the education minor in the “general education” option. This option prepares students for entry into master’s level teacher certification programs at other universities. Students who wish to develop a professional skill set that prepares them to plan, deliver, and evaluate instructional programs in non-school settings may enroll in the education minor in the Adult and Extension Education option.