Professional Education Program
Frequently Asked Questions

1. I am interested in becoming a teacher. Who should I contact for an application for admission?
2. Can I start a teacher preparation program in the spring semester?
3. Who arranges fieldwork and clinical practice (student teaching) assignments? What are the requirements?
4. Do you offer teacher preparation classes at night?
5. Do you offer an Elementary Education Program?
6. What tests do I have to take in order to become a certified teacher?
7. I am a certified teacher interested in becoming a school administrator. What programs are available at Stony Brook University in Educational Administration? What are the requirements for admission?
8. What Graduate level programs are available in teacher education at Stony Brook?
9. Must I have a bachelor's degree in education in order to be accepted into one of your graduate-level teacher education programs?
10. I already have a bachelor's degree, but not in teaching. I would like to obtain a teaching certification. How many credits will I have to complete, and how long will it take to meet the requirements for licensure?
11. Are Stony Brook University's teacher education programs accredited?
    

1. I am interested in becoming a teacher. Who should I contact for an application for admission?

   All teacher candidates must first be accepted for admission to the University in a particular major.

   For general admission to the University on the undergraduate level, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, located in room 118 of the Administration Building. Phone: (631)632–6868; Fax: (631)632–9898. You may also obtain more enrollment and program information by visiting their web site at http://www.stonybrook.edu/ugadmissions/

   For admission to one of Stony Brook's Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Programs, please contact the School of Professional Development, located in room N201 of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Building. Phone: (631)632–7050; Fax: (631)632–9046. Web site URL: http://www.sunysb.edu/spd/.

   For the Master of Arts in TESOL, please contact the Graduate School, located in room 2401 of the Computer Science Building. Phone: (631)632–GRAD; Fax: (631)632–7243.
   Web site URL: http://www.grad.sunysb.edu/.

   Once admitted to the University, students should contact the program director for the discipline of their personal interest. Contact information is available in the Programs section of the Professional Education Program's Web site: http://www.pep.sunysb.edu.

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2. Can I start a teacher preparation program in the spring semester?

   Yes. Please contact the director of the program of your interest for application deadlines in that subject area.

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3. Who arranges fieldwork and clinical practice (student teaching) assignments? What are the requirements?

   Fieldwork and student teaching assignments are arranged by your program director and/or faculty field coordinators of each discipline, in collaboration with our partnering school districts. Partnerships exist throughout Suffolk and Nassau Counties, and in New York City, and assignments will be arranged to ensure that teacher candidates receive diverse experiences.

   Teacher candidates are required to perform 100 hours of diversified field experience prior to student teaching including, for example, internships dealing with high needs districts, students with special needs, students from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds, integration of technology into the curriculum, and literacy across all curricula. One semester of supervised student teaching is also required. Typically, student teaching assignments occur during the teacher candidate's last semester of study.

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4. Do you offer teacher preparation classes at night?

   Yes. Stony Brook University offers a broad range of available options for taking classes in pedagogy and/or the content/major. Not all courses are offered in all formats. Methods courses involving field experience and student teaching are only offered during times when public schools are open and in session in a traditional school setting.

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5. Do you offer an Elementary Education Program?

   Our TESOL Program offers a P–12 certification. All other programs (English, Social Studies, Sciences, Mathematics and Foreign Languages) are on the secondary level only.

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6. What tests do I have to take in order to become a certified teacher?

   The New York State Teacher Certification Exams (NYSTCE) are required. The LAST (Liberal Arts and Sciences Test) and ATS–W (Assessment of Teaching Skills—Written) are currently required up front for initial licensure. The CST (Content Specialty Test) and ATS–P (Assessment of Teaching Skills—Performance) videotaping, are required for professional licensure. Effective February 2004, the CST will be required for initial licensure in addition to the LAST and ATS–W. The ELPA (English Language Proficiency Assessment) test is also required for TESOL certification.

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7. I am a certified teacher interested in becoming a school administrator. What programs are available at Stony Brook University in Educational Leadership? What are the requirements for admission?

   Please visit the following web page for a listing of our Post-Master's Advanced Graduate Certificate Programs in Educational Leadership.
   http://www.stonybrook.edu/spd/graduate/index.html

   Additional information about these programs, as well as application forms, can be found on the School of Professional Development 's website by clicking on the following weblinks:

   Educational Leadership Traditional:
   http://www.stonybrook.edu/spd/edleadership/edlct.html
   Educational Leadership On-Line:
   http://www.stonybrook.edu/spd/edleadership/edlzp.html
   School District Business Leadership:
   http://www.stonybrook.edu/spd/graduate/sdbl/index.html
   

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8. What Graduate level programs are available in teacher education at Stony Brook?

   The Professional Education Program offers a broad range of graduate level programs in teacher education. For program specific information, please inquire with the School of Professional Development, located in room N201 of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Building, phone: (631)632–7050, fax: (631)632–9046, Web site: http://www.sunysb.edu/spd/ for all teacher education courses and programs with the exception of the MA TESOL which is offered through the Graduate School, located in room 2401 of the Computer Sciences Building, phone: (631)632–GRAD, fax: 631-632-7243, Web site: http://www.grad.sunysb.edu/.

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9. Must I have a bachelor's degree in education in order to be accepted into one of your graduate-level teacher education programs?

   Applicants must have a bachelor's degree with a liberal arts major that is appropriate for the specific teaching license sought.

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10. I already have a bachelor's degree, but not in teaching. I would like to obtain a teaching certification. How many credits will I have to complete, and how long will it take to meet the requirements for licensure?

    The number of credits necessary for meeting teacher certification requirements, and the amount of time it takes to complete these credits depends upon a number of factors including but not limited to the particular teacher preparation program you have selected, the number of transferable credits in the associated content area that may be applied, your ability to maintain satisfactory progress during the course of study at Stony Brook, satisfactory completion of fieldwork and student teaching assignments, etc. After admission to the program, all teacher preparation students should arrange to meet with the program director in the content field department for review of their transcripts and to layout a plan of action for meeting program requirements. You may also visit the PEP Web site at http://www.pep.sunysb.edu. A Pathways to Certification chart in the Programs section specifies the licensure requirements for each of our programs in greater detail.

11. Are Stony Brook University's teacher education programs accredited?

    Yes. The Professional Education Program at Stony Brook University is nationally accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). More information about NCATE can be found on their website at: www.ncate.org.
    
    

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