A residency is a sustained year-long experience in a classroom where you will co-teach alongside a mentor teacher. During the residency experience, you will also engage in coursework that will inform your teaching practice.
Traditional programs begin with coursework and some early field experiences, culminating in a student teaching experience that lasts about 15 weeks. A residency program involves a full year of co-teaching experience in a classroom, with coursework being completed throughout that year. Additionally, residencies differ from alternative certification programs by providing you with a year-long mentored experience prior to becoming the teacher of record in a classroom.
To be eligible for our teacher residency cohort, you must:
No. This program is designed for individuals who are interested in becoming teachers, but do not have backgrounds in education.
Through the program’s teacher residency cohort, you will earn New York State initial teacher certification in one year in early childhood, childhood, english for speakers of other languages, or adolescence education. Additionally, residents will have the option to enroll in our initial/professional track, which leads to an EdM and fulfills the graduate degree requirement for professional certification.
One year. The program begins in the summer with coursework and our Teacher Residency Summer Institute. The full-time co-teaching residency experience in a high-need school lasts one full school year, running from September through June.
Residents will be placed with an expert mentor teacher in a high-need school in the Buffalo Public School District, with limited placements in Sweet Home Central School District, Amherst Central School District or Kenmore-Tonawanda School District. During the residency year, you will also have an opportunity to visit a range of other schools in and around Buffalo.
Once accepted to the program, you will receive immediate support from program staff, who will guide you through pre-residency requirements such as workshops, fingerprint clearance and preliminary certification exams. At the Teacher Residency Summer Institute, you will meet members of your teacher residency cohort, mentor teachers and university faculty. Through virtual and in-person learning communities, individual and small group collaborative sessions, and regular seminars, you’ll benefit from comprehensive support. Additionally, you’ll receive support as you begin your work as the teacher of record. Through our UB Teacher Residency Consortium, during your first years in the classroom, you’ll remain connected to a network of school leaders, mentor teachers, university faculty and other stakeholders who are committed to supporting effective teachers for high-need schools.
The first step is to complete the online application, providing a copy of your undergraduate transcripts, contact information for two references, and preparing a written response to two prompts. Selected candidates will then be invited to participate in an interview.
Applications will be reviewed in late January, with the possibility of late February if the cohort is not full.
In exchange for your commitment to a rigorous teacher preparation program and three years of service to the school district that you complete your residency in, all residents will receive a living stipend of $20,000 which will be paid in ten monthly installments beginning in August and ending in May. In addition, some residents will be eligible for an additional tuition scholarship.
View tuition rates at UB. Initial/professional programs range from 48 to 54 credit hours. The advanced certificate leading to initial certification only requires 33 credit hours and is available only for adolescent certification areas.
Upon successful completion of the residency program, you will be expected to commit to three years of teaching at the school district you completed your residency in.
Complete this brief inquiry form and a member of our staff will be in touch to address your specific question.
