Skip to: Skip to main content | Skip to additional content | Skip to this section's navigation | Skip to Find People, For Faculty/Staff and sitewide search | Skip to the main navigation | Buffalo State

Admissions

I Want to Be a Teacher

Buffalo State has a distinguished history of preparing teachers for a wide range of classroom settings and grade levels. With the largest teacher-education program in the region, the college sends more graduates into public education teaching positions than any other SUNY campus.

Buffalo State offers a full range of bachelor's, master's, and postbaccalaureate teacher certification programs that prepare students to become certified teachers.

Founded in 1871, Buffalo State has been accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) longer than any other SUNY college.

Buffalo State's Center for Excellence in Urban and Rural Education (CEURE) is dedicated to preparing teachers for high-need urban and rural schools. To support this mission and to help support educational reform and improvement, CEURE actively partners with schools, communities, and other colleges.

Buffalo State collaborates with more than 40 schools in Western New York that serve as professional development sites. As a result, students have many opportunities to observe and practice teaching throughout their professional sequence in the majors under the guidance of our accomplished faculty.

In addition, the college offers a postmaster's program in educational leadership, as well as two programs for teachers of adult learners.

Graduates of our education programs teach in many fields and are sought for teaching positions throughout New York State—and around the world.

Salary and benefits

  • Starting salaries for teachers average about $30,000—higher in many large cities—with the potential to earn as much as $80,000. Teachers who become principals and administrators can earn even more.
  • A 10-month appointment (typically).
  • Numerous paid holidays and generous vacation time.
  • Retirement benefits are better than comparable benefits in other careers.
  • Teaching offers many options, including the grade level and subject you'll teach and the type of school you'll work in including public or private, city or suburban, or high-need.