Admission Requirements

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Applications for admission to this Master of Science in Education program in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Technology  are made to the Graduate Admission Office. Students who do not meet the full admission requirements must complete prerequisite courses prior to the conferring of the master’s degree. 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 master’s program.
2. *A Bachelor of Arts degree from an accredited college or university with a major, or the equivalent, in the certificate title sought. 
3. A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 on all 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 coursework in the content area in which certification is being sought.
5. A written personal statement of professional intent and rationale.
6. Two letters of reference that address the applicant’s potential to succeed in the teaching profession and in graduate coursework.

* Candidates with a degree from outside of the United States will need to have coursework in the following:

• Concepts in History/Social Science (3 s.h.)
• World Language (3 s.h.)
• Scientific Processes (3 s.h.)
• Mathematical Processes (3 s.h.)
• Literature, Analysis, and Written Expression (6 s.h.)

Social Studies Content Requirements

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Students admitted to the MSEd in social studies education program must have a minimum of 36 s.h. in history and social studies courses, including a minimum of 21 s.h. in history and geography. In addition, the Hofstra University program requires a distribution of history and social studies courses in different subject areas.

1. Minimum 6 s.h. European history (Western civilization)
2. Minimum 6 s.h. United States history
3. Minimum 9 s.h. Geography or non-western history (min 3 s.h. each)
4. Minimum 3 s.h. Political science (American government)
5. Minimum 3 s.h. Economics
6. Additional 9 s.h. course work (under advisement) that demonstrates competency in history, anthropology and sociology)

If one or more of the above content areas are missing from any student’s transcript, those content areas must be completed prior to completion of the MSEd degree. Of these 36 s.h., six may be taken at the graduate level and counted toward the MSEd degree under the electives category.

Candidates who do not possess a bachelor’s degree in their certification area, but who have succeeded in completing a majority of the required content courses with a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or higher, are eligible to apply for the MSEd program.

Upon matriculation in the program, candidates may continue to complete the required courses while they are completing the requirements for the master’s program. Where academic subject deficiencies in social studies are so great as to prevent completion of requisite work within the 37 s.h. master’s program, additional course work may be required. Matriculated students must complete a minimum of 28 s.h. in-residence at Hofstra University. No more than 9 s.h. may be transferred into the program. Student teaching may be used to meet the 28 s.h. requirement.

A maximum of 12 s.h. of graduate course work leading toward the MSEd degree may be completed prior to matriculation in the program. To register for courses in the program other than SED 205 , 213 , or 264 , students must 1) be matriculated in the program, or 2) have written permission from their adviser or the chairperson of Teaching, Learning and Technology  prior to the beginning of the course. Students accepted to the program must meet with their adviser to determine any undergraduate content area deficiencies and to complete a plan of study (Graduate Student Advisement Record).

Program Requirements - Semester Hours: 37

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The graduate director will review the academic standing of all graduate students at the end of each semester.  A student must maintain a 3.0 average to be considered in good standing.  Students who do not maintain a 3.0 average will be placed on academic probation.  Students who earn more than one C-, C, or C+ per semester, accumulate more than two C-, C, or C+ grades in their graduate coursework, or receive a D or an F in any course will be dismissed from the program.  In addition to the required GPA, students must demonstrate adequate competence and professionalism throughout all coursework and fieldwork.  If the director or program faculty determines that a student has failed to demonstrate this standard, they will be dismissed from the program.  Students may petition for readmission by following the School of Education Appeal policy.

The MSEd in Social Studies Education consists of 37 s.h. of course work, as follows:

Field Experiences Prior to Student Teaching

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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 or

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

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

• 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 294L - Internship in Secondary Social Studies Semester Hours: 1

• 50- hour field placement, grades 7-12

• SPED 201 - The Exceptional Child Semester Hours: 3

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

• 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

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

1. Completion of SED 205, 213, 242, 264, 294, 294L, LYST 209/215A/217A, SPED 201/264.
2. Maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher in overall graduate coursework.
3. Completion of all Social studies content coursework 

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

Graduation Requirements

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1. Completion of all Social Studies content requirements with no grades lower than C- and a minimum Social Studies GPA of 2.75.
2. Completion of the 37 s.h. course requirement in the MSEd program with no fewer than 28 s.h. in-residence.
3. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 in overall graduate course work and no grades lower than B in required professional education courses.
4. An electronic portfolio, illustrating the student’s education course work, program objectives, and professional accomplishments.
5. Completion of all required Educational Law Seminars.
6. All course work offered in satisfaction of the master of science in education degree requirements must be completed within a five-year period.

Footnotes

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*Course requires participation/observation in designated schools.

Teacher Certification Requirements

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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.