Admission Requirements

Applications for admission to this Master of Science in Education program in the Department of Specialized Programs in Education  are made to the Office of Graduate Admission. Admissions decisions are 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 GPA or testing criteria 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. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a liberal arts and sciences concentration.
2. A completed application form to the master’s program
3. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, or its 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. Submission of scores on a nationally-normed graduate admission test (GRE or Praxis). Recent SAT/ACT exams may be accepted if verifiable by the test provider.
5. Completion of General Education Core prerequisites for teacher education programs (see below).
6. Three letters of recommendation addressing the applicant’s potential to succeed in the teaching of students with disabilities.
7. A written personal statement of professional intent.
8. Interview with a faculty member in Special Education.

*Certified teachers who hold a master’s degree from an accredited college or university are exempt from standardized testing.

General Education Core Requirements

In order to ensure that prospective teachers have a broad education in the liberal arts and sciences, all students must have completed undergraduate course work from each of the content areas below.

1. Artistic Expression/Humanities (3 s.h.)
2. Communication (3 s.h.)
3. Information Retrieval or placement exam (0-3 s.h.)
4. Concepts in History/Social Science (3 s.h.)
5. Language other than English (3 s.h.)
6. Scientific Processes (3 s.h.)
7. Mathematical Processes (3 s.h.)
8. Literature, Analysis and Written Expression (6 s.h.)
9. Child Development (3 s.h.)

Course work for the general education core in the liberal arts and sciences must have a GPA of 2.75 or above with no grades below a C-.

Please note that programs may have general education requirements that exceed the minimum registered with the state. Degrees will not be conferred unless all general education core deficiencies have been met.

Program Requirements - Total Semester Hours: 49

A maximum of 12 s.h. of graduate course work leading to the master of science in education degree may be completed prior to matriculation in the program.

Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in order to remain in the program. Courses in which students receive grades below C- confer no credit toward the graduate degree but are included in determining grade point average.

Field Experiences Before Student Teaching

Prospective teachers in the inclusive elementary special education program complete a minimum of 120 clock hours as participant observers in designated schools prior to student teaching. At least one placement will be spent in a site recognized by the New York State Education Department as high-needs. Field experiences in both grades 1 through 3, and 4 through 6, are integrated extensively into course curricula. Placements are arranged by the Office of Field Placement and the Special Education program director.

• ELED 202 - Teaching Reading, Writing, and Language Arts: Birth-Grade 3 Semester Hours: 3

• 15 clock hours in Grades 1-3

• ELED 205 - Language in the Curriculum Semester Hours: 3

• 15 clock hours in Grades 4-6

• ELED 206 - Social Studies in the Curriculum Semester Hours: 3

• 15 clock hours in Grades 5-6

• ELED 208 - Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Teaching Mathematics and Science in Early Childhood and Elementary Curriculum Semester Hours: 3

• 15 clock hours in Grades 1-6

• SPED 201 - The Exceptional Child Semester Hours: 3

• 20 clock hours in high-needs district

• SPED 210 - The Creative Arts in Special Education Semester Hours: 3

• 15 clock hours in K-6

• SPED 211 - Knowledge and Strategies for Teaching Students with Cognitive Disabilities, Grades 1-6 Semester Hours: 3

• 10 clock hours in Grades 1-6

• SPED 241 - Identification and Interventions for Children with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders, Grades 1-6 Semester Hours: 3

• 10 clock hours in Special K-6 Programs

• SPED 242 - Psychoeducational Assessment in Special Education Semester Hours: 3

• 15 clock hours of individualized assessment with a student with special learning needs

• SPED 245 - Curriculum and Methods for Students With Diverse Learning Needs Semester Hours: 4

• 20 clock hours in Individualized Instruction

• SPED 248 - Education of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders Semester Hours: 3

• 20 clock hours in Special K-6 Programs

• SPED 249 - Understanding Physical, Sensory and Health Disabilities Semester Hours: 3

• 15 clock hours in Grades 1-6

Student Teaching

Students will qualify for admission to Student Teaching SPED 219G-219S, (219C) when they have satisfied the following requirements:

1. Successful completion of 37 semester hours of core course work, including all courses from Phase I and II;
2. A grade point average of 3.0 or higher in overall graduate course work and all special education core courses.

Admission by permission of the graduate program director and application to the Office of Field Placement and the Department of Specialized Programs in Education , due on May 1 for the succeeding spring semester and February 15 for the succeeding fall semester. Application forms are available in Hagedorn Hall, Room 118.

Graduation Requirements

1. Completion of General Education Core.
2. Completion of 49 s.h. with no fewer than 40 s.h. in-residence.
3. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 in overall graduate course work and all special education core courses.
4. Passing grade on the comprehensive examination.
5. Completion of all required Educational Law Seminars.
6. All course work taken in satisfaction of the degree requirements must have been completed within a five-year period.

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), 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 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 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. 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.