Admission Requirements

Application for admission to the Master of Science in Health Education Programs in the Department of Health Professions and Family Studies is made to the Graduate Admissions Office. Admission decisions are based on a comprehensive review of the following:

1. Completed application form.
2. Interview with the Program Director.
3. Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended with a minimum 2.75 grade point average. Upon the recommendation of the Program Director, students with a grade point average lower than 2.75 may be admitted by meeting one or more of the following criteria:
   1. Complete 12 probationary graduate credits maintaining a minimum of 3.0 grade point average.
   2. The GRE may be required of those students with lower than a 2.5 grade point average.
4. Written personal statement describing the candidate’s goals in the teaching profession and in Health Education.
5. Two letters of reference that address the candidate’s potential to succeed in the teaching profession and graduate studies.

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.

General Education Core

Health Prerequisites and Corequisites

Students are required to have a minimum of 12-18 credits in health-related content including:

• One course in Human Biology or Anatomy and Physiology.
• One course (or certificate) in Safety and First Aid including CPR.
• One or more courses in one of the following:
  General Psychology, Child Psychology, Adolescent Psychology, Sociology, Statistics, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Measurement and Evaluation or another equivalent course.
• Student teaching: for those students with no prior certification.

These courses can be met by courses completed at the undergraduate or graduate level at any approved institution of higher education. The student will have met these health-related content courses with a minimum grade of B. This requirement will be determined at the initial interview with the department adviser.

Professional Education Core (Prerequisites and Corequisites) - Semester Hours: 12 to 18

Competency Requirements

Program Requirements - Semester Hours: 39

The program is an initial certification program in Health Education, all grades, for both students with prior certification in another discipline and students with no prior teaching certification. The total number of credits required is 39 semester hours.

These represent the requirements of the Master of Science in Health Education and do not include any prerequisites or corequisites described above.

Field Experiences Prior to Student Teaching

A minimum of 100 clock-hours of observation is required of those with no previous teaching certificate. In most cases, this requirement will be met by required observation hours in the professional education course work described below. However, if the candidate took the required courses at an institution other than Hofstra University and he/she cannot document the required hours of observation, he/she will be required to register for MHAE 263C in addition to the required MHAE 230C. A minimum of 50 clock-hours is required of those seeking a second certification. Those seeking a second certification are not required to student teach. Placements are arranged by the Office of Field Placement.

MHAE 230C (required in Pedagogical core above) and MHAE 263C (if necessary) each have a syllabus describing a variety of assignments designed to promote reflection on issues including: classroom management, differentiated instruction, high-needs students, special-needs students, motivation, and learning styles. Both courses are required to be taken after or concurrently with one or more of the following pedagogical courses: MHAE 238, 243, 258, or 268.

• CT 229 - Development and Learning in Childhood and Adolescence Credits: 3 s.h.

• 20 clock-hour placement, grades PreK-12.

• LYST 209 - Language, Culture and Identity: Literacy Issues for Adolescents and Young Adults Credits: 3 s.h.

• 10 clock-hour placement in literacy settings, grades PreK-12

• LYST 212 - Family, Community, and School Literacies: Cultural Perspectives Credits: 3 s.h.

• 10 clock-hour placement in literacy settings, grades PreK-12

• LYST 213 - Introduction to Bilingual and Biliteracy Instruction for Children and Adolescents Credits: 3 s.h.

• 10 clock-hour placement in literacy settings, grades PreK-12

• LYST 214 - Language and Literacy in Early Childhood and Childhood Credits: 3 s.h.

• 10 clock-hour placement in literacy settings, grades PreK-12

• MHAE 230C - Practicum in Health Education Credits: 1.5 s.h.

• 50 clock-hour placement in both PreK-6 and 7-12 (25 hours each) health education classrooms including those in high-needs districts and in classrooms with students with special needs. This is required of all candidates in both tracks.

• MHAE 263C - Field Experience for Health Teachers Credits: 1.5 s.h.

• 50 clock-hour placement in both PreK-6 and 7-12 (25 hours each) health education classrooms including those in high needs districts and in classrooms with students with special needs. This will be required of those students in the no previous certification track if they cannot demonstrate sufficient observation time to meet New York State’s requirement of 100 clock-hours prior to student teaching.

• SPED 201 - The Exceptional Child Credits: 3 s.h.

• 20 clock-hour placement in setting with speical needs students and high-needs students, grades PreK-12

• SPED 264 - Inclusion in Today’s Schools Credits: 3 s.h.

• 20 clock-hour placement in setting with special needs students and high-needs students, grades PreK-12

Graduation Requirements

1. Completion of all General Education Core requirements.
2. Completion of all program prerequisites and corequisites.
3. Completion of the 39 s.h. course requirements for the Master of Science in Health Education.
4. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 in overall graduate course work with no grade below B- in required courses.

Teacher Certification Requirements

Footnotes

* 50 clock hours required

** This course must be taken during initial semester in the program.

*** Student Teaching in Health Education: Elementary and Secondary, 3 s.h. each Required for students with no prior teaching certificate or license. Student teaching is taken after all other program requirements have been completed with the approval of the program director. Students will apply for student teaching the semester prior to graduation. A weekly reflective seminar with the university supervisor and other student teachers is a significant part of the student teaching experience. Also, the university offers New York State mandated seminars (child abuse and abduction; drug education; safety, fire and arson prevention; and violence prevention) each semester. All students must attend these mandated seminars unless the mandated topics have been addressed and certified in course work.