Canisius University Teacher Residency
Prepare for a career in teaching in the Canisius University Teacher Residency (CUTR) program at Canisius University. This rigorous two-year program includes field placements and a year-long paid teacher residency to provide firsthand, real-world teaching experience starting day one. We offer a Teacher Residency Scholarship that covers 30% of your graduate tuition as well as opportunities to earn certifications in special education or TESOL.
Graduates of our program enjoy a 100% job placement rate, and no prior teaching experience is required.
Gain the Skills to Lead Classrooms and Teach Diverse Students
Whether you’re teaching in New York state or elsewhere around the country, today’s teachers must possess the professional skills necessary to address the unique challenges faced by students in culturally, linguistically and socioeconomically diverse classrooms.
Modeled after medical residencies, our teacher residency program begins by focusing on cohort-building, fieldwork and coursework. In your second year, you’ll be matched with a mentor teacher, whom you will work with as a paid teaching assistant over the course of a school year. Mentors provide ongoing coaching and feedback as you co-teach in a multicultural, high-needs school setting, preparing you to become a confident and impactful teacher.
Residency Paths
You can earn a New York State dual certification in one of the following areas :
- Childhood (Grades 1-6)/Special Education (Grades K-12)
- Childhood (Grades 1-6)/TESOL (Grades K-12)
- Adolescence Ed/Special Education (All Grades - PreK-12) (MSEd)
Affordable teacher residency program
Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors and strong school partnerships, Canisius is able to provide additional support to help you manage the cost of tuition and living expenses, including:
- A Teacher Residency Scholarship that covers 30% of graduate tuition
- A $27,000 to $31,000 teacher assistant salary that is paid by the partner school during the residency year (year 2 of the program)
- Eligibility for a Cullen Foundation Tuition Scholarship of up to $15,000 in year 2 of the program through Buffalo Urban Teaching Fellows (BUTF)
- Paid summer clinical fieldwork working with students with disabilities in our partner schools
- Priority hiring status upon completion of the program
- Varied learning experiences, which include classes that are online, hybrid and face-to-face
Teacher Residency Program Highlights
- Variety of online, hybrid and face-to-face courses
- Mentor teachers join residents on campus for workshops and seminars
- Graduates are first in line for hiring opportunities for Western New York teaching jobs with partner schools
- Course content is aligned to Resident High Priority Practices
- Faculty are current educators in the field and many adjunct professors are school leaders in partner schools
- Small cohort and personalized approach
- First teacher residency program established in Western New York
Featured Courses in the Canisius University Teacher Residency Program
- Inclusive Strategies — Explore successful strategies to support students with disabilities in the general education classroom. This course looks at the empirical methods used to meet the New York State Learning Standards and emphasizes collaboration to meet the diverse needs of all learners.
- Classroom Management — Learn to manage group and individual behavior and promote positive social skills. Emphasizing data collection procedures to determine intervention effectiveness, this course examines the importance of a multidisciplinary team approach to school-home collaboration and functional behavioral assessments.
Career Opportunities for Teacher Residency Program Graduates
Our graduates are highly collaborative, skilled in planning and have effective instructional classroom practices as well as knowledge of curriculum. A year-long residency also gives residents time to form student/parent relationships, experience the day-to-day approach to teaching and become part of a school community.
Most of our graduates pursue teaching in New York State, many with our partner schools in Buffalo, leading classrooms for grades 1–6. With certification opportunities in Special Education/Childhood Education or TESOL/Childhood Education, we also offer the chance to gain specialized expertise for Western New York teaching jobs that are in extremely high demand.
New York is the top-paying state in the nation for elementary school teachers, with a median salary of $87,700*
*US Bureau of Labor Statistics
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