Admission Requirements

Applications for admission to a master of science in education program in the Department of Teaching, Literacy, and Leadership are made to the Graduate Admissions Office. Students who do not meet the full admission requirements must complete all prerequisite courses prior to the conferring of the master’s degree. Admission is based on a comprehensive review of multiple criteria, including the following:

1. A completed application form to the master’s program.
2. A minimum grade point average of 2.75 in each of two categories:
   1. Overall undergraduate course work;
   2. Course work in the language in which certification will be sought.
3. Completion of General Education Core for teacher education programs.
4. A written personal statement of professional intent and rationale.
5. Two letters of reference that address the applicant’s potential to succeed in the teaching profession and in graduate course work.

The department understands that any single criterion may not reliably predict a candidate’s potential for success in a graduate program. Consequently, candidates are welcome to apply if they do not meet one of the criteria but feel that other aspects of their experience may compensate.

Foreign Language Content Requirements

Students admitted to the M.S.Ed. program in Foreign Language Education should possess a bachelor’s degree in Arabic, Chinese, Mandarin, French, Italian, Spanish, German or Russian, or a minimum of 36 s.h. in college-level course work above level four in the respective language, distributed over the following areas:

• Culture and Civilization, 6 s.h.
• Conversation, 3 s.h.
• Grammar, 3 s.h.
• Composition, 3 s.h.
• Literature, 9 s.h.
• Electives in the target language, minimum 12 s.h.; advanced course work in the above areas or special topics such as phonetics, grammar or linguistics (with advisement)

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 30 s.h. of credit toward the content core by passing both the oral and written 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 14 s.h. each. Please note, that these two exams are proctored on campus by a program director in the content area.

In order to fulfill the 36 semester hours requirement in the target language, candidates must take an additional 8 credits on the undergraduate level in the content area above level 4 distributed over the following areas:

• Culture/Civilization, 2-3 s.h.
• Grammar, 1-3 s.h.
• Literature, 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 Office of Educational Support Services in the School of Education.

If the candidate possesses an undergraduate degree in the target language but one or more of the above content areas were not included in the candidate’s undergraduate degree, those missing content areas must be completed prior to completion of the M.S.Ed. degree. Of these 36 s.h., 6 may be taken at the graduate level and counted toward the M.S.Ed. degree under the electives category.

Candidates who do not possess a bachelor’s degree in the specific language, but who have succeeded in completing a majority of the required content courses with a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or higher, may apply for admission to the M.S.Ed. program. Upon matriculation in the program, candidates may continue to complete the required content courses while they are completing the requirements for a master’s program. Where academic subject matter deficiencies in the language 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 31 s.h. in residence at Hofstra. No more than 6 s.h. may be transferred into the program. Student Teaching may be used to meet the 31 s.h. residency.

A maximum of 12 s.h. of graduate course work leading toward the M.S.Ed. degree may be completed prior to matriculation in the program. To register for courses in the program other than SED 205 , 213  or 264 , a student must be matriculated in the program or have written permission of the course instructor of departmental chairperson prior to the beginning of the course.

*Candidates seeking certification in Chinese or Mandarin may satisfy the content requirements by taking a combination of Mandarin/Chinese OPI and WPT ACTFL exam.

Program Requirements - Semester Hours: 37

Students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 while in the program. Grades of D or lower will not be counted toward the graduate degree but will be included in determining the grade point average. 

The major in foreign language education consists of a minimum of 37 s.h. of course work, including each of the following:

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 the following courses:

• LYST 213 - Introduction to Bilingual and Biliteracy Instruction for Children and Adolescents Semester Hours: 3

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

• 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 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 291L - Internship in Secondary World-Language Education 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

• 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 SED 217 , Student Teaching, or SED 218, Supervised Teaching, when they have satisfied the following requirements:

1. Completion of SED 205, 213, 264, 291; LYST 213/209/215A/217A; and SPED 201/264.
2. A grade point average of 3.0 or higher in overall graduate course work.
3. To qualify for student teaching, students must demonstrate competence in oral and written linguistic skills of the target language by taking and passing both the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and the Written Proficiency Test (WPT). To pass these two examinations, students must be placed in Advanced Low or higher, as described in the 2012 Guidelines of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Please note that these two exams are proctored on campus by a program director in the content area.

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

1. Completion of all General Education Core requirements.
2. Completion of all foreign language content requirements.
3. Completion of the 37 s.h. course requirement in the M.S.Ed. program with no fewer than 31 s.h. in-residence.
4. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 in overall graduate course work. 
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 of the degree requirements must have been completed within a five-year period.

Footnote:

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., including the Educating All Students Test (EAS), Academic Literacy Skills Test (ALST), Content Specialty Test(s) (CST) and the edTPA. Prospective School Leaders will be required to take the appropriate leadership exams. For more information regarding state testing, please contact the Office of Educational Support Services at 516-463-5747 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 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.