Admission Requirements

Applications for admission to this secondary education program in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Technology  are made to the Office of Graduate Admission. Admission is based on a comprehensive review of multiple criteria. The department understands that any single criterion may not reliably predict a student’s potential for success in the program. Students may consider applying even if they fail to meet one of the criteria listed below but feel that other aspects of their experience might compensate.  All individual cases will be reviewed by an Admissions Counselor before being referred to the graduate program for further review.

1. A completed application form for the program.
2. A bachelor of arts degree and a master’s degree (or its equivalent) in the content area (or related content area) in which certification will be sought. Coursework must include at least 3 credits in the following: Math, Science, History/Social Science, English, and Language other than English with a grade of C or above.
3. A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 on undergraduate course work, or it’s equivalent (e.g., a 3.0 in a completed graduate program). We encourage you to submit all transcripts from your undergraduate work and any graduate work for consideration.
4. A minimum GPA of 2.75 on course work in the content area in which certification is being sought.
5. Three-semester hours introductory Psychology or equivalent or established competency in the field.
6. A written personal statement of professional intent and rationale.
7. Two letters of reference that address the applicant’s potential to succeed in the teaching profession and in graduate course work.
8. An interview and/or portfolio are required for some content areas.

Language other than English majors must submit satisfactory scores on the departmental proficiency examination or equivalent in the language for which certification is sought. 

General Education Prerequisites

1. Three semester hours introductory Psychology of equivalent or established competency in the field.
2. Meet the requirements of the general education (see below) for initial certification.

Content Area Requirements in Area of Specialization

Business Education:

• 36 s.h. in business related course work including accounting, business law, business policy, computer tools in business, economics, ethics, finance, international business, management, marketing, and political science or equivalents or established competency in the field.

English Education:

• 36 s.h. in English course work including English language, linguistics or general language, American Literature, English Literature and World Literature or equivalents or established competency in the field.

Foreign Language Education:

36 s.h. in Arabic, Chinese, Mandarin, French, German, Italian, Russian or Spanish in college-level course work above level four in the respective language including course work in the following areas: culture and civilization, conversation, grammar, composition and a minimum of 9 s.h. in literature or equivalents or established competency in the field.

Candidates who do not possess a bachelor’s degree in a foreign language and are native speakers or skilled and proficient in languages other than English may demonstrate their knowledge in an alternative manner. Candidates can earn a maximum of 24 semester hours of credit toward the content core by passing both the oral (OPI*) and written (WPT*) proficiency portions of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) examination. To pass these two examinations, candidates must be placed in Advanced high or Superior in both the OPI and the WPT. As stated in the summary of the American Council on Education (ACE) for Official ACTFL Ratings, the levels Advanced High or Superior in OPI and WPT are worth the equivalent of 12 semester hours each. 

In order to fulfill the 36 semester hours requirement in the target language, candidates must take an additional 12 credits on the undergraduate level in the content area above level 4 distributed over the following areas:

• Culture/civilization – minimum 2-3 s.h.
• Grammar – 1-3 s.h.
• Literature – 1-3 s.h.
• Elective in the target language – 1-3 s.h.
  
  Students who wish to fulfill the credits mentioned above off campus must first seek approval from the director of program support in the School of Education of HCLAS .
  
  *Candidates seeking certification in Chinese or Mandarin meet the content requirements by taking a combination of Mandarin/Chinese OPI and WPT ACTFL exams.

Mathematics Education:

• 36 s.h. in college-level mathematics including course work in differential and integral calculus, higher algebra, higher geometry, discrete or finite mathematics, applied mathematics, probability/statistics, or equivalents or established competency in the field.

Science Education:

• 30 s.h. in one content area for which certification is sought (below):
  • Geology (Earth Science): Including course work in historical and physical geology or equivalents
  • Biology: Including course work in general biology, genetics, comparative anatomy, general ecology, invertebrate zoology, and plant physiology or equivalents Chemistry: Including inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, quantitative analysis, and physical chemistry or equivalents
  • Physics: Including general physics, electricity and magnetism, modem physics, optics, thermodynamics, mechanics, and quantum mechanics or equivalents.

Social Studies Education:

• 36 s.h. in history and the social sciences with a minimum of 18 s.h. in history or its equivalent and 3 s.h. in political science (American Government), 3 s.h in geography, and 3 s.h. in economics or equivalents or established competency in the field.

NOTE:  Students can establish some competency by documenting competency via portfolio.

*Required of all students seeking certification in any of the sciences.
 

Program Requirements - Semester Hours: 25

Field Experiences Prior to Student Teaching

At least one field placement must be in a district identified as high-needs by the New York State Education Department. All field experiences are incorporated into course curricula. Students enrolled in SPED 201/264 are placed in educational settings to work with students who have special needs or disabilities. A minimum of 100 clock-hours of participation/observation is required prior to student teaching. Placements are arranged by the Office of Field Placement. Departmental policy is to place prospective teachers in districts other than those in which they currently reside or in schools that they attended.

• Participation/observation field experiences in designated secondary schools are required in each of the following courses:

• LYST 209 - Language, Culture and Identity: Literacy Issues for Adolescents and Young Adults Semester Hours: 3

• 10-hour field placement in varied settings, grades 7-12

• LYST 215A - Language and Literacy in Middle Childhood and Adolescence Semester Hours: 3

• 10-hour field placement in varied settings, grades 7-12

• LYST 217A - Reading and Writing With Adolescents: Pedagogical Practices Semester Hours: 3

• 10-hour field placement in varied settings, grades 7-12

• SED 264 - General Methods of Teaching Semester Hours: 3

• 20-hour field placement in a high-needs district, grades 7-12

• SED 290L-296L: 30-hour field placement in varied settings, grades 10-12 
• SPED 201 - The Exceptional Child Semester Hours: 3

• 20-hour field placement in settings with special-needs students, grades 7-12

• SPED 264 - Inclusion in Today’s Schools Semester Hours: 3

• 20-hour field placement in settings with special-needs students, grades 7-12

Student Teaching Prerequisites

Students will qualify for admission to Student Teaching, SED 217, or Supervised Teaching, SED 218, when they have satisfied the following requirements:

1. Completion of SED 213, 264, 290-296L Special Methods Series, LYST 209/215A/217A, and SPED 201/264 with a B or higher.
2. A grade point average of 3.0 or higher in graduate course work.

Applications are obtainable from the Office of Field Placement and are due on May 1 for the succeeding spring semester and February 15 for the succeeding fall semester.

Graduation Requirements

1. Completion of all General Education prerequisites.
2. Completion of all content area requirements.
3. Completion of the 25 s.h. course requirement in the certificate program.
4. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 in overall graduate course work and no grades below B.
5. An electronic portfolio, illustrating the student’s education course work and professional accomplishments.
6. Completion of all required Educational Law Seminars.
7. All course work taken in satisfaction with the program requirements must have been completed within a five-year period.

Footnote**

Course requires participation/observation in designated schools.

Teacher Certification Requirements

Upon successfully completing a Hofstra state-approved teacher education program, students are eligible for the University’s recommendation for New York state certification. A request for recommendation must be submitted to the School of Education Dean’s Office during the semester in which the student is graduating. There will be opportunities to attend a certification workshop during the student’s final semester to receive all the necessary information regarding applying for certification. Individuals who apply directly to New York state for certification are responsible for learning about and satisfying the certification requirements set by the state. It should be noted that such requirements may differ from those in Hofstra’s registered programs.

All prospective early childhood (birth-grade 2), childhood (grades 1-6), adolescent (grades 7-12) and special subject, students with disabilities, gifted, TESOL, bilingual, literacy, speech and language disabilities teachers, as well as school leadership candidates, are required to pass the New York State Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) administered by National Evaluation Systems, Inc., including the Educating All Students Test (EAS) and, Content Specialty Test(s) (CST). Prospective School Leaders will be required to take the appropriate leadership exams. For more information regarding state testing, please contact the School of Education Dean’s Office or visit www.nystce.nesinc.com.

In addition to fulfilling the required courses of study, the Commissioner’s Regulations mandate that all prospective teachers, pupil personnel, and education leaders receive instructions regarding:

1. Identification of Child Abuse and Maltreatment
2. Fire and Arson Prevention
3. School Violence Prevention and Intervention
4. Prevention of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drug Abuse
5. Highway and School Safety/Prevention of Child Abduction
6. Training in Harassment, Bullying and Discrimination Prevention and Intervention is required under the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA)

New York state legislation also requires all persons seeking certification in special education, speech and language disabilities, or school administrators working in special education to have training in the area of children with autism.

Hofstra University offers the above-listed educational law seminars through the School of Education Dean’s Office. All of these seminars must be completed before the conferral of the degree and recommendation for certification.

Fingerprinting
Chapter 180 of the Laws of 2000, the Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE), requires that applicants for teaching and administrative and pupil services personnel certification and prospective employees of covered schools (school districts, charter schools and BOCES) must undergo fingerprint supported criminal history background check. However, many school districts and institutions across the metropolitan New York area now require that all student teachers, observers, interns, or externs receive fingerprint clearance before being placed in educational settings that are required for this degree program. Therefore, we recommend you apply for fingerprint clearance upon acceptance to the program. Fingerprint clearance is also required for New York state certification. For information on how to register to be fingerprinted, visit http://www.hofstra.edu/Academics/colleges/soeahs/CESS/cess_requirements_fingerprints.html.