Certification

Pathways to Certification: Which Pathway is Right for Me?

TEACH Online Services There are a variety of ways to meet the requirements to become a New York State certified teacher.  Select the pathway that is right for you.

What is your Candidate Profile?

  1. High School Graduates
  2. College Graduates
  3. Career Changers, Persons Educated Outside the U.S., Persons who did not Graduate from Teaching Program
  4. Career Changers, College Graduates
  5. National Board Certified Teachers
  6. Completed a Teacher or Administrator Program in another U.S. State or Territory  
  1. NYS Certified Teachers Seeking Additional Certificate
  2. NYS Certified Teachers seeking to teach another subject while completing requirements for the certificate
  3. NYS Licensed speech language pathologists
  4. College Professors with a Master’s or Higher Degree and Two Years of Teaching Experience in Mathematics or one of the Sciences at the College Level.  

 

graduate

1.  Candidate Profile:
High School Graduates

Pathway:
Approved Teacher Preparation Program
or
Completion of a Comparable Educator Program in another U.S. State

 

Most candidates who fit this profile are High School graduates who wish to pursue a career in teaching. Your best option is to complete a traditional teacher preparation program, at a college or university in New York State or in another state. Upon graduation from a NYS program, the institution of higher education recommends candidates for Certification. Upon graduation from a program in another state, candidates apply directly to the State Education Department under the Completion of a Comparable Educator Program in another U.S. State pathway.

If you fit this profile, you may obtain Certification by:

  • Earning a bachelor's degree from an approved teacher preparation program at a NYS higher education institution or one in a state with a reciprocity agreement with NYS
  • Passing the appropriate New York State Certification Exams.

This is a general description only. For information on requirements specific to the subject you want to teach, click on the icon below.

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2.  Candidate Profile:
College Graduates

Pathway:
Approved Teacher Preparation Program

Teacher

Most candidates who fit this profile possess a bachelor's degree and enroll in a graduate program at a college or university in New York State leading to a first teaching certificate, usually including an internship in a K-12 school. Upon graduation from a NYS program, the institution recommends candidates for Certification.

If you fit this profile, you may obtain Certification by:

  • Earning a graduate degree from an approved teacher education program at a NYS higher preparation institution.
  • Passing the appropriate New York State Exams.

This is a general description only. For information on requirements specific to the subject you want to teach, click on the icon below.

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3.  Candidate Profile:
Career Changers,
Persons Educated Outside the U.S.,
Persons Not Graduated from Teaching Program

Pathway:
Individual Evaluation

teacher with book

Most candidates who fit this profile pursue college study at their own pace in order to fulfill the requirements for a teaching certificate or were educated outside the United States. They then apply directly to the State Education Department.

If you fit this profile, you may obtain Certification by:

  • Earning a bachelor's degree with a GPA of at least 2.5
  • Satisfying semester hour requirements and meeting specific liberal arts and sciences general core, content core, and pedagogical core competencies for the certificate title you seek
  • Passing the appropriate New York State Exams
  • Applying for a Certificate to the NYSED Office of Teaching Initiatives

Notice of Individual Evaluation Deadline

This is a general description only. For information on requirements specific to the subject you want to teach, click on the icon below.

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4.  Candidate Profile:
Career Changers,
College Graduates

Pathway:
Approved Teacher Preparation Program
(Alternative Certification "Transitional B" Program)

teacher with apple

Most candidates who fit this profile have subject matter expertise (baccalaureate degree with an academic major such as mathematics or chemistry for example). They enroll in one of the Alternative Teacher Certification (ATC) Programs offered by college-school partnerships in various locations throughout the State, in order to complete teacher education study. Upon completion of the alternative program, they are recommended for Certification by the college or university.

If you fit this profile, you may qualify for enrollment in an ATC program by:

  • Possessing a bachelor's degree (minimum 3.0 GPA), with a major in the subject, or 18 semester hours in the subject you plan to teach with 12 semester hours in a related subject
  • Passing the appropriate New York State Exams  
  • Applying to a college or university with a registered ATC program

This is a general description only. For information on requirements specific to the subject you want to teach, click on the icon below.

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5.  Candidate Profile:
National Board Certified Teachers

Pathway:
National Board Certification

teacher

Candidates who fit this profile possess a certificate from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

If you fit this profile, you may obtain Certification in the same or equivalent New York State title by:

  • Applying for a Certificate to the NYSED Office of Teaching Initiatives for a certificate in a title comparable to your National Board certificate.

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6.  Candidate Profile:
Completed a Teacher or Administrator Program in another U.S. State or Territory

Pathway: 
Completion of a Comparable Educator Program in another U.S. State

Music Teacher with Students

Complete a comparable approved teacher preparation program, in the subject of the application, at a college in another U.S. State or Territory that would lead to an institutional recommendation for certification in the state the college is located.

If you fit this profile, you may obtain Certification if you satisfy the requirements found at:
Applicants from Other States

This is a general description only. For information on requirements specific to the subject you want to teach, click on the icon below.

 

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7.  Candidate Profile:
NYS Certified Teachers seeking additional certificate

Pathway:
Individual Evaluation for Additional Certificate

Boy with Teacher

Candidates who fit this profile are teachers who already possess a New York State classroom teaching certificate and are interested in becoming certified in an additional classroom teaching subject.

If you fit this profile, you may obtain an additional certificate by:

  • Possessing a valid New York State classroom teaching certificate
  • Satisfying the 30 semester hour content core requirements (some certificates require additional pedagogy as well) for the certificate title you seek
  • Applying for a Certificate to the NYSED Office of Teaching Initiatives
  • Passing the appropriate New York State the Content Specialty Test(s) (CST)

If your first certificate was issued as the result of completion of an approved program or a professional license we will not have an official transcript of your college coursework on file. Please submit official transcripts of all completed coursework from all colleges you have attended.

This is a general description only. For information on requirements specific to the subject you want to teach, click on the icon below.

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8.  Candidate Profile:
NYS Certified Teachers seeking to teach another subject while completing requirements for the certificate

Pathway:
Individual Evaluation (for Supplementary Certificate)

Girl with Violin

Candidates who fit this profile are teachers who already possess a New York State classroom teaching certificate and are interested in teaching another subject while completing requirements to become certified in the new classroom teaching subject.

If you fit this profile, you may obtain a supplementary certificate by:

  • Possessing a valid New York State classroom teaching certificate
  • Satisfying the 12 semester hour content core requirements for the certificate title you seek
  • Obtaining a recommendation from the employing school district
  • Passing the appropriate New York State the Content Specialty Test(s) (CST)

This is a general description only. For information on requirements specific to the subject you want to teach, click on the icon below.

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9. NYS Licensed speech language pathologists

Pathway:
NYS Professional License

teacher with student

Candidates who fit this profile are professional speech language pathologists licensed in New York State who are interested in becoming teachers of speech and language disabilities. If you fit this profile, you may obtain Certification by:
  • Holding a NYS speech language pathology license
  • Applying for a Certificate to the NYSED Office of Teaching Initiatives

This is a general description only. For information on requirements specific to the subject you want to teach, click on the icon below.

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10. College Professors with a Master’s or Higher Degree and Two Years of Teaching Experience at the College Level.  

Pathway:
IHE Professor Experience

graduate

Candidates who fit this profile are college professors who have a Master’s or higher degree in the content area and wish to teach in a New York public school.

If you fit this profile, you may obtain Certification by:

  • Possessing a Master’s or higher degree in the content area of your application.
  • Two years of satisfactory teaching experience at the college level.
  • Passing the appropriate NYS Teacher Certification exam(s)
  • This is a general description only. For information on requirements specific to the subject you want to teach, click on the icon below.

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Last Updated: January 23, 2023