Prospective middle, junior high, and senior high school teachers must complete an approved liberal arts and sciences major plus a major in secondary education for New York State certification. Students are required to meet with a program advisor and file a major declaration card for admission to secondary education.
The program requirements for New York State certification and SEYS program completion are to complete an appropriate major with the minimum GPAs listed below; complete the major of 24 credits with a minimum 3.0 GPA consisting of the courses below; pass three New York State Teacher Certification examinations (Content Exam, LAST, and ATS–W secondary); complete fingerprint screening; have a minimum 2.5 overall GPA; and complete four seminars that deal with alcohol and drug abuse, child abuse identification and reporting, fire safety, and violence intervention.
The major in secondary education consists of the following sequence: Core education courses SEYS 201W, 221, 340, and 350 (with a minimum combined GPA of 3.0) plus a minimum grade of B for all the following professional courses: Methods (one of SEYS 360–364, depending on certification area), Initial Clinical Experience (one of SEYS 370.2–374.2, depending on certification area), Student Teaching (SEYS 370.4–374.4, depending on certification area), and Curriculum and Assessment (SEYS 380–384, depending on certification area) for certifications:
Social Studies 7–12: students must meet the degree requirements for a major in Anthropology, Economics, History, Political Science, or Sociology that were in effect at the time of matriculation; regardless of major a minimum of one economics course, one political science course, 21 credits in history (including 2 U.S. history and 2 non-U.S. history courses), four courses in a social science that is not your major; core education courses; and professional education courses SEYS 363, 373.2, 373.4 and 383 (economics major is minimum 2.75 GPA and the remaining majors are 3.0 minimum GPA)