The Educational Foundations Department at Buffalo State was reorganized into three new departments, according to an announcement made by Provost Dennis Ponton on August 18.

The move was the result of increasingly disparate programs housed within the former department.

With input from administrators including Paul Theobald, interim dean of the School of Education, and School of Education faculty, three new departments were formed: Adult Education; Career and Technical Education; and Social and Psychological Foundations of Education.

The Adult Education Department provides three graduate-level programs that can be completed entirely online or in the classroom: a master’s program; a 12-credit adult education graduate certificate; and a 12-credit human resource development graduate certificate.

The M.S. in adult education prepares professionals for careers in adult education and human resource development. About 130 students are enrolled in the program. The adult education graduate certificate program provides adult educators with educational theory, methods, and evaluation approaches relevant to adult education. The human resource development graduate certificate program imparts essential skills and competencies to professional human resource practitioners.

The Career and Technical Education Department offers six programs: a B.S., M.S. Ed., and postbaccalaureate teacher certification program in business and marketing education; and a B.S., M.S. Ed., and a postbaccalaureate teacher certification program in career and technical education.
 
Students in the business and marketing education programs acquire the credentials and degrees necessary to become certified to teach business and marketing in high schools in New York. The career and technical education programs prepare students to become teachers in city high schools, vocational schools such as BOCES, technical institutes, correctional facilities, and community college technical programs. More than 83 certification titles are available in disciplines including agricultural education, family and consumer sciences subject education, health careers education, technical education, and trade education. The Career and Technical Education Department currently supports 170 undergraduate majors and 115 graduate students.

The Social and Psychological Foundations of Education Department offers courses that are a critical component to all of Buffalo State’s teacher-preparation programs. It will play a key role in two significant curricular efforts currently under way: a multidisciplinary master’s degree in urban education, and an undergraduate minor in urban education. Faculty members from diverse academic backgrounds are committed to high-quality instruction and scholarship that examines the role of education in bringing about progress and democratic participation in our society.