Matriculation and Continuation Standards

Requirements for acceptance into the school health education major program include: meeting Hofstra University’s general admissions standards and an interview with the program coordinator for advisement and scheduling. All school health education majors must meet the following criteria to continue in the program:

1. A cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or better in the following categories:
   1. All course work completed at Hofstra
   2. All required school health education major course work.
2. Recommendation of the major adviser.
3. Recommendation of the School Health Education Program Coordinator.

Final admission to the program is made by the Chairperson of the Department of Health Studies and Kinesiology upon recommendation of the department faculty.

Student Teaching Prerequisites

After completing at least 19 hours of professional education course work, including the special teaching-methods courses, students may apply for admission into student teaching. Application forms may be obtained from the Office of Field Placement in Hagedorn Hall and returned by May 1 for the succeeding spring semester and February 15 for the succeeding fall semester.  Admission criteria are as follows:

1. A cumulative GPA of 2.5 on overall course work or permission of adviser;
2. No grade lower than C- and no unresolved INC grades in professional education course work;
3. A GPA of 2.5 or higher in all course work.

Degree Requirements - Total Semester Hours: 128

In order to ensure that prospective teachers have a broad education in the liberal arts and sciences, all students must complete course work from each of the content areas as described on the distribution sheet for the program. The Bachelor of Science degree program in School Health Education requires 64 hours of study in the liberal arts and sciences. While the student has some flexibility, the following list of course work must be completed as part of those 64 semester hours in liberal arts and sciences. Some of the courses can be found in more than one category.

Candidates for graduation must fulfill the following requirements:

Distribution of Semester Hours By Specific Area

Teacher Certification Requirements

Upon the successful completion of 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 Office of Educational Support Services 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., For state certification requirements, students should consult with the Office of Educational Support Services regarding the appropriate examinations for their area of study.

We anticipate that teacher and school building leader candidates applying for certification on or after May 1, 2014, will be required to take certain new exams. Candidates who graduate and apply for certification on or before April 30, 2014, but do not meet all the requirements for an initial certificate on or before April 30, 2014, will also be required to pass the new exams. Candidates will not be permitted to mix and match examinations from the old and new tests. Please contact the Office of Educational Support Services at Hofstra University at 516-463-5747 or consult the state website.

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 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 Office of Educational Support Services. All of these seminars must be completed before the conferral of the degree and recommendation for certification.

Forms for applying for certification can be found at the Office of Educational Support Services Web page under the certification tab.

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 perspective 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 are now requiring that all student teachers, observers, interns or externs receive fingerprint clearance before they are placed in educational settings that are required for this degree program. Therefore, we recommend that you apply for fingerprint clearance upon acceptance to the program. Fingerprinting can be completed through Hofstra University using LIVESCAN technology, arranged by the Office of Educational Support Services each semester. You may contact us at 516-463-5747 or visit Hagedorn Hall, Room 129. You may also register online. Fingerprint clearance is also required for New York state certification.

Footnotes