Teacher Certification
State Teacher Certification
Teacher certification is conferred by New York State only when the student applies to the State Education Department, after the School of Education recommends those who complete a degree or program and when they have met all other requirements for certification. Others must apply on their own behalf.
Students who are not pursuing New York State certification or licensure do not have to meet the requirements for such certification or licensure in order to earn a Master's degree.
It is the responsibility of the candidate to be familiar with and to fulfill all of the Content Core and program Liberal Arts requirements, certification exams, mandated workshops, and any other requirements for certification. New York State certification requirements are subject to frequent change. The information herein is accurate as of the date of publication. Efforts are made to communicate changes to certification requirements via Manhattanville student email, but it is the responsibility of candidates to remain up-to-date and to meet current requirements.
New York State Content Core Requirements
Every Manhattanville candidate for an initial teaching certificate in Early Childhood and/or Childhood must have completed at least 18 credits in one Liberal Arts discipline or in closely related disciplines. For all Secondary subjects, the candidate must have completed at least 30 credits outside of the Masters in the specific area of certification. In certain cases, these courses may be completed as part of the graduate program. TESOL, Physical Education, and Computer Science also require specific pre-requisite courses. For detailed requirements, see the relevant program page.
No courses graded Pass/Fail can be accepted for purposes of certification, unless the credit-granting policies of the relevant college/university can be documented. Courses with grades below C cannot be counted toward fulfillment of certification requirement.
Determination as to whether a specific course is acceptable in meeting a requirement will be made by the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, in consultation with the faculty where needed. A course designated as meeting a specific distribution requirement by a college/university does NOT automatically qualify. The Office of Graduate Advising my request course descriptions or syllabi for any course.
New York State Examination Requirements
Candidates for NY certification must achieve qualifying scores on the specific tests required by NYSED for the relevant subjects and/or grade levels, including the Educating All Students test and one or more Content Specialty Tests. These are apart from, and in addition to, any comprehensive examinations required for the Masters degree.
For further information on specific tests for all certification titles, students can consult http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert, the Graduate Advising Office, and the relevant program plans.
State-Mandated Workshops
The New York State Education Department currently requires all candidates for certification to complete a two-hour seminar on identifying and reporting suspected child abuse and maltreatment, a two-hour seminar on school violence prevention and intervention (SAVE), and a six-hour workshop on Bullying, Harassment, and Cyber-bullying (Dignity for All Students, or DASA), which must be offered by NYSED-approved providers. Certification in Special Education also requires a four-hour workshop on autism. Candidates for certification in Childhood Education must also complete a workshop at the University on Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Health and Safety. Proof of completion of these workshops must be provided to the Office of Graduate Advising.
Fingerprinting
Fingerprinting is required prior to completing Field Experience hours and/or Student/Supervised Teaching. To arrange to be fingerprinted for NYSED, visit identogo.com.
Application for Certification
The School of Education will recommend those who have completed a degree or advanced certificate program and who have met all requirements for certification, excepting NYS assessments and some mandated workshops, for certification only in the area(s) of the Manhattanville degree or program.
After the recommendation has been submitted by the University, the student must apply online at nysed.gov and pay the required NYS fee(s).
Graduation or program completion does not automatically entail that the University will recommend a student for certification. The University reserves the right to withhold its recommendation at its sole discretion.
Additional Program Requirements for Certification
Manhattanville University requires a course in Child or Adolescent Developmental Psychology as appropriate, as a prerequisite for completion of most Master's degrees and Advanced Certificate programs. Students will not be allowed to participate in student teaching if they have not met this requirement. If a student has not taken such a course as an undergraduate, SSE.2025 or EDU.5344 will satisfy the requirement, but cannot be used as an elective in any degree or program leading to certification.