Fast-Track to a Teaching Career Opens with New Program at
Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus
– Program qualifies participants to teach within two semesters –

Brooklyn, N.Y. – The economy may be slow, but those considering a change of career now can make a rapid move to the field of education. At Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus, the new Fast-Track Adolescence Urban Education program, begins this fall, and leads to state certification for teaching within a year.

“It is possible to enroll in fall 2009 and qualify to be teaching in a classroom in fall 2010,” said Cecelia Traugh, dean of the School of Education at the Brooklyn Campus.

Those who enroll in the Fast-Track program need to have a bachelor’s degree, as well as a background in biology, chemistry, English, social studies or math. After two intensive semesters of classes at the Campus, participants can qualify to obtain state certification in teaching Grades 7-12. They can begin to work as teachers while taking up to two more years to complete the full program and receive an M.S.Ed. degree. With late afternoon and evening classes, the program is designed for career changers and those who are working while they study.

According to the New York City Department of Education, the salary for a beginning teacher with a master’s degree starts at $51,422, rising to a maximum of $100,000. Teachers also receive excellent fringe benefits.

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics has predicted that job opportunities for teachers through 2016 will be good to excellent. “Students can look forward to a bright future in a rewarding and secure profession,” said Traugh, adding, “No matter what happens with the economy, the world will always need teachers!”

The School of Education at the Brooklyn Campus is renowned for its urban focus. It offers master’s degree programs with specialties in areas such as early childhood education, childhood education, adolescent education, special education, teaching English as a second language and bilingual education, as well as school counseling and school psychology.

For more information, contact Sara Salloum at (718) 780-4371 or e-mail sara.salloum@liu.edu.; or call the Brooklyn Campus Admissions Office at (718) 499-1011, e-mail admissions@brooklyn.liu.edu or visit http://www.brooklyn.liu.edu/education/home/index.html.

Media Contact: (718) 488-1015

Posted: March 11, 2009