Education, Programs in
(Preparation for early childhood, childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, teaching English to speakers of other languages, business and marketing education and dual certification in childhood and special education or adolescence and special education)
Utica College offers programs in teacher education that lead to certification in several different teaching areas. In order to be certified to teach in New York state, prospective teachers are required to complete a bachelor’s degree, including the education program requirements, to pass the mandatory New York State Teacher Certification Examinations, and to meet all other regulations of the New York State Commissioner of Education.
Students interested in a teaching career should plan to consult with an education adviser soon after matriculation to discuss career possibilities, procedures for admission to the education programs and the requirements for completion, and for information about the certification areas available. Some education courses require written permission of the chair for registration.
Courses in the education programs include observation and work in the public schools as well as regular course work. The practical application of the theory and principles of teaching and learning culminates in an assignment to area schools for student teaching in the senior year. It is necessary for students to make plans to set aside one of the semesters of the senior year to devote entirely to student teaching.
There are specific admission and retention criteria and policies, including a minimum 2.75 GPA requirement, for the education programs. Students must achieve a grade of C or better in all courses required for certification. There are also additional requirements associated with student teaching.
Utica College also offers master’s programs in education. For more information, consult the Utica College graduate studies catalog.
According to figures from the New York State Education Department, in the 2010-2011 academic year, a total of 263 undergraduate students and 124 graduate students were enrolled in the program. Of 65 eligible provisional certificate program completers, 65 (100 percent) took the Professional Knowledge/Pedagogy NYSTCE Assessment of Teaching Skills, with 62 (95 percent) passing, and 53 (82 percent) took the NYSTCE Liberal Arts and Sciences Test or both the NTE (Praxis II) Communications Skills Test and General Knowledge Test, with 51 (96 percent) passing. The average number of supervised student teaching hours required is 490 with a faculty-student ratio in the student teaching practice of 1:6.
Learning Objectives
- Our degree candidates have a strong knowledge of subject matter.
- Our degree candidates demonstrate pedagogical content knowledge and the ability to use this knowledge to design effective lessons.
- Our degree candidates acquire teaching skills that promote student learning.
- Our degree candidates teach caringly and effectively and are professionals.
Adolescence Education and Students with Disabilities Grade 7-12 Generalist
This is a program of study for candidates who wish to seek dual certification in Adolescence Education and Students with Disabilities Grade 7-12 Generalist. Teaching areas open to students at Utica college are English, mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, economics, history, government and politics, sociology/anthropology.
In addition to the requirements of the Adolescence Education and Students with Disabilities Grade 7-12 Generalist Program listed below, students must fulfill the following requirements:
- Major in English, mathematics, Biology, chemistry, physics economics, history, government and politics, or sociology and anthropology
- 6 credit hours of study at the 200 level or above in each of the following is required: English, history, mathematics, sciences. Courses must have been completed within the last six years or may be taken in conjunction with the required courses shown below. Courses must show with a grade of B or above, may be taken at the graduate and/or undergraduate level, and must be approved by the department.
- 6 credit hours or the equivalent of study in a language other than English
- 3 credit hours in the fine arts
- Students seeking social studies certification must take both ECN 141 - Principles of Macroeconomics (3) and GOV 101 - Introduction to Politics and American Government (3) or the equivalent and a minimum of 21 credit hours in history.
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