Certification and Licensure

Select your program to view certification and licensure requirements, procedures, program codes, and step by step instructions on how to obtain certification and licensure.

Undergraduate Programs Certification Requirements and Program Codes

Graduate Programs Certification/Licensure Requirements and Program Codes

New York State Teacher Certification Exam (NYSTCE) Test Prep Resources

Career, Professional and Partnership Development (CPPD) offers test preparation workshops for the Educating All Students (EAS) and the Multi-Subject Content Specialty Tests (CST) required for New York State Certification. The workshops are led by an instructor who has experience teaching and designing test preparation curricula. Registration is announced at the beginning of the semester. Spaces are limited, and students who are interested should plan to register early.

Visit the New York State Teacher Certification Exam (NYSTCE) Test Prep page for more information.

For support with the ATS-W exam, visit the School of Education ATS-W Resource site.

New York State law requires fingerprinting as a means to perform criminal history background checks for applicants for certification and all prospective employees of school districts, charter schools, and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) within New York State. For more information, please visit the Fingerprinting Information page.

How to Apply for the Emergency COVID-19 Certificate

For students who have completed all certification requirements, other than exam requirements including the edTPA, New York state has created an additional Emergency COVID-19 certificate that will be valid for one year and available to candidates in their specified certificate areas.

Only students who are graduating in Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Summer 2021 or prior semesters are eligible for the certification and those who are currently enrolled into a School of Education Alternative Certification program (Teaching Fellows, NYC Teaching Collaborative etc.) and need to obtain Transitional B Certification. Students who have completed all certification requirements, including exams and edTPA (or have used the safety net), can apply for certification as usual and do not need to apply for the Emergency Certification.

You must meet all requirements for your base certification, except the exams, and apply by September 1, 2021.

For support, please contact soeoasa@hunter.cuny.edu.

The following is a step-by-step guide to apply for the Emergency COVID-19 certification through the New York State Department of Education’s TEACH Account.

1. Create/Log in to your TEACH Account

Students must create/log in to their New York State Education Department (NYSED) TEACH Account.

2. Apply for your base certification.

Depending on your program this could be an Initial, Additional Certificate, Transitional B Certificate or Professional Certification. Directions on how to apply can be found on the Certification and Licensure page. Choose your program from the list and follow those directions first. Keep that page open in another window or tab as you will need to refer to it again. Then return to these directions.

3. Verify/Update Profile Again

The Verify/Update Profile section will ask for education and employment history. You must open each section, review and save it in order to move forward in the application.

4. Select Certificate(s)

On the certificate page, enter the information as you have done for your base certification.

Select your Area of Interest: Follow directions from your Certification/Licensure page.
Select your Subject Area: Follow directions from your Certification/Licensure page.
Select the Grade Level: Follow directions from your Certification/Licensure page.
Select the Title: Follow directions from your Certification/Licensure page.
Select your Certificate Type: Emergency COVID-19

Students must add each certificate they want to apply for.

On the next page, select “Pathway – Individual Evaluation.” Then select Next.

5. Sign Affidavit

6. Confirm and Sign Application

7. Review Application Transaction Summary

Teacher certification candidates who complete student teaching or a similar clinical experience in Spring 2020 through Summer 2021 but were not able to complete their edTPA due to the COVID-19 crisis are eligible to be exempt from the edTPA. Candidates must instead take and pass the Assessment of Teaching Skills Written (ATS-W), or use a prior passing score on the ATS-W. For more information on the safety net and a full list of qualifying courses, please visit the School of Education COVID-19 page.

Students applying for certification or licensure in states other than New York must complete the Out of State Certification and Licensure Form.

Students applying for certification or licensure for Mental Health Counseling or ABA can upload their required forms to the Out of State Certification and Licensure Form.

Submitting Workshop Completion

Upon completion of required workshops, students must submit their workshop certification(s) to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs so that their CUNYfirst account can be updated.

Workshop Completion Form

Please use this form to request a letter from the School of Education to verify your education experience.

School of Education Letter Request Form

Connect with a Certification or Licensure Advisor

To make an appointment with an advisor, please select “Certification and Licensure Advising” from the options below. You will then select the advisor that aligns with your School of Education program.