- Adolescent Education (Grades 7-12) With Option To Add Middle Childhood (Grades 5-9)
- Special Subjects: Visual Arts Or Business And Marketing (Pre K - 12th Grade)
Students completing these programs meet the academic requirements of the New York State Education Department for Initial certification.
Students who minor in Education receive an integrated blend of professional education methods coursework and field-based opportunities in area schools that enable them to apply theory to classroom situations. These field-based experiences expose students to a diversity of educational environments.
Students who wish to minor in Education must complete coursework in the arts and sciences that is rich in breadth and depth and fulfill requirements in basic competencies and areas of knowledge in the following subjects: artistic expression, communication, information retrieval, humanities, language other than English, written analysis and expression, concepts in history and social sciences, and scientific and mathematical processes.
Preparation for a teaching certification in Adolescent Education combines an academic major in a particular field, such as English or Biology, with an Adolescent minor in the Division of Education. Adolescent Education subjects include Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, English, Mathematics, Physics, Social Studies, and Spanish; students must be enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in one of these majors.
All students completing the program will receive Initial certification in Adolescent Education (7-12). It is possible to receive an additional certification to teach Middle Childhood Education by completing additional coursework and field experiences.
Students seeking certification in Visual Arts must be enrolled in the BFA program in the School of Art & Design and in the Visual Arts minor program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. A student preparing to teach in one of these areas should meet with an advisor in the Division of Education to integrate the education course requirements while planning a program of major studies.
Students seeking certification in Business And Marketing (Pre K - 12th Grade) requires completion of the appropriate academic major in the College of Business.
All courses used to complete a minor must have grades of "C" or better and at least half of the requirements should be completed at Alfred University.
Prerequisite Courses
Continuing Enrollment for Education Minors
In year 1, students are encouraged to declare their minor in Education and complete the prerequisite courses (EDUC 230 and EDUC 231). The semester prior to taking the appropriate Methods course (EDUC 489 or EDUC 491), students are reviewed for continued enrollment in the Education Minor. At this time, students must have declared Education as their minor and met with their Education advisor to ensure that all prerequisites have been met, that they have an overall 2.75 GPA, and have achieved a 3.0 GPA in each of the prerequisite education courses (EDUC 230 and EDUC 231). Students must also successfully complete a Progress Interview with Education faculty members before being allowed to proceed in the minor.
Pedagogical Core: Adolescent and Business Education
Students seeking certification in Adolescent Education (Grades 7-12) or in Special Subjects: Business and Marketing (Pre K - 12th Grade) should complete this pedagogical core.
Plus specific general education core courses required for each New York State teacher certification.
Middle Childhood Certificate
Those Adolescent education students who wish to earn an additional certification in Middle Childhood must also complete EDUC 488 - Current Teaching Methods: Middle Childhood Subjects as well as additional fieldwork and student teaching hours in Middle Childhood placements.
Pedagogical Core: Visual Arts
Students seeking certification in Special Subjects: Visual Arts should complete this pedagogical core.
As the Visual Arts Minor is within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, these students are also required to take 1 semester of a World Language and 1 semester of Science.
This minor requires an additional semester after the traditional 8 semesters for students to complete their student teaching.
Plus specific general education core courses required for New York State teacher certification.
Additional Program Requirements for All programs leading to New York State Teacher Certification
Examinations:
- Content Specialty Test (CST)
- The appropriate Content Specialty Test(s) for the appropriate developmental level(s) and certification area(s)
- Must pass before applying for a teaching certificate
- Educating All Students (EAS)
- Must pass before applying for a teaching certificate
- auTPA
- Completed during the student teaching semester
- Must pass before a student will be recommended for certification
New York State Mandated Workshops:
All students must complete state-required workshops in Child Abuse Identification and Reporting, School Violence Prevention and Intervention (SAVE), and Training in Harassment, Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Discrimination in Schools: Prevention and Intervention (DASA). The SAVE workshop is provided within EDUC 231 every semester and the DASA workshop is offered online every semester. The Child Abuse Identification and Reporting class is not offered for undergraduates at AU, but it can be taken online through NYSED.
Fingerprinting/Background Check:
NYS requires candidates applying for Initial (first) certification to complete a fingerprinting/background check. Students will need to have fingerprinting completed for the Practicum/Fieldwork semester in order to comply with school district policies. Fingerprinting information can be obtained from the Division of Education office.