Certification and Licensure

Support

Connect with a Certification or Licensure Advisor

Current students, to make an appointment with your program’s certification or licensure advisor, visit their profile page at the link below and select the Schedule Me button. Alumni, please email the advisor directly to make an appointment.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Blind and Visually Impaired, all Counseling programs, and Deaf and Hard of Hearing,

Valerie J. Lyons

Adolescent, Bilingual, Creative Arts, Literacy and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) programs

Bonnie Veronico

Childhood Education (including Special Education), Early Childhood Education (including Early Childhood Development and Learning), Severe and Multiple Disabilities programs

Nora McCormick

Educational Leadership program

Jason Riffaterre

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership and School Counselor Certification Checklist

Certification 101: Definitions and Common Terms

New York State Education Department (NYSED) – The New York State Education Department is the certifying body for all teacher education, leadership and school counseling certification. For more information on NYSED, please visit the NYSED website.
TEACH Online Services – This platform is maintained by NYSED and is the application portal for teacher, leadership and school counseling certification. Access the TEACH Online Services website.
New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) – New York City Department of Education is the largest public school district in New York State and serves as employers and clinical experience settings for students. For more information on the NYCDOE, please visit the NYCDOE website.
TeachNYC.net – This platform in maintained by the NYCDOE and is the application portal for employment positions within the NYC DOE. Access TeachNYC.net.
Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI)- Office of Teaching Initiatives is the office within NYSED who manages the certification application process with the state. For more information on OTI, please visit the OTI website.
Initial Certification – The Initial Certificate is the entry-level teaching certificate and is valid for five years.
Professional Certification – The Professional Certificate is the next and final certification after Initial. Once teachers have completed three years of full-time, paid teaching experience including one year of mentored teaching and obtain a Master’s degree they can apply for professional certification. This certification does not expire.

Review your Fingerprinting Status

All students in programs leading to New York State certification need to have their fingerprints cleared by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). 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.

Visit the Fingerprinting for Hunter College School of Education Students to learn how to obtain fingerprint clearance.

If you already hold certification, you can check your status in your TEACH account under Finger printing.

Take Required Certification Exams and Workshops

Review the certification exam and workshop requirements specific to your program. Select your program from the list below.

Undergraduate Programs Certification Exam and Workshop Requirements

Graduate Programs Certification Exam and Workshop Requirements

Submit 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 via the Workshop Completion Form. Please review the workshops required for your program under the section above.

Complete Program and Apply for Graduation

In order to be recommended for certification, all students in all programs including advanced certificate programs, must complete their program and apply for graduation. For more information on the graduation process, please visit the School of Education Graduation and Commencement page.

Apply for Certification on TEACH/Program Codes

All certification candidates must apply for certification via their TEACH account. Please select your program from the list below and follow the application directions which include the program code.

Undergraduate Programs

Graduate Programs

Applied Behavior Analysis, Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling, Mental Health Counseling and Visual Impairment Programs

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Licensure

Students applying for licensure for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) can upload their required forms to the Out of State Certification and Licensure Form.

Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Licensure

Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling (MSEd)

Mental Health Counseling Licensure

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

Visual Impairment – Combined Rehabilitation Teaching and Orientation and Mobility

For more information on licensure, please visit the Visual Impairment – Combined Rehabilitation Teaching Orientation and Mobility page.

Visual Impairment – Rehabilitation Teaching

For more information on licensure, please visit the Visual Impairment – Rehabilitation Teaching page.

Additional Resources

Letter Requests

Please use the School of Education Letter Request Form to request a letter from the School of Education to verify your education experience.

Out of State Certification

Students applying for certification or licensure in states other than New York must complete the Out of State Certification and Licensure Form and upload the required completed form for the state they are applying to.

For students applying in states that have a web based form (ex. New Jersey), please send the access information to Melissa Boronkas, Certification Officer at mb74@hunter.cuny.edu.

For more information on certification or licensure requirements in other states, please review the interstate agreement information on the National Associate of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification site.

Internship Certification for Graduate Teacher Education Students

The Internship Certificate allows a teacher candidate to serve as a teacher of record while completing the master’s degree program. The Internship Certificate is reserved for graduate teacher education students who meet certain New York State Education Department (NYSED) and Hunter College School of Education requirements. For more information on the Internship Certificate with Hunter College, please review the Internship Certificate page.

New York State Certification Test Prep

New York State Certification Test Prep Resources

CUNY Test Prep Resources

Visit CUNY’s Overview of the NY State Teacher Certification Examinations page for information regarding each certification exam’s procedures and requirements, as well as helpful preparation aids. Also visit CUNY’s Teacher Education YouTube Channel that houses test prep videos and other resources.

Hunter School of Education Test Prep Resources

The Office of Career, Professional and Partnership Development (CPPD) within the School of Education offers test preparation workshops for the Educating All Students (EAS) and the Multi-Subject Content Specialty Tests (CST) exams 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 about upcoming sessions.

Changes to Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) Requirement for Teacher Preparation Programs

Changes to Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) Requirement

The Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) and Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) safety net will no longer be a teacher certification requirement as of April 27, 2022. The New York State Board of Regents voted to eliminate the Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) as a stand alone certification requirement.

Any individual who is pursuing, or plans to pursue, New York State teacher certification will no longer need to complete the Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) as a certification requirement as of April 27, 2022. This includes, but is not limited to, individuals who:

Are in-state or out-of-state,
Completed a teacher preparation program in the past,
Did not pass the edTPA in the past,
Currently enrolled in a teacher preparation program graduating prior to Fall 2023
- Students who graduate from their teacher preparation programs in Fall 2023 or later, will be required to complete a teacher preparation assessment (TPA) as a requirement for program completion. Currently, the Hunter College School of Education is reviewing the options for the TPA and we will have more information available for students in the coming months.
Currently have an application in TEACH
Are planning to take the ATS-W for the safety net, or
Currently hold an Emergency COVID-19 certificate.

Please note that all other certification requirements, including any other certification exams required for your certificate, remain in effect. If you are unsure what this means for you, please contact your administrative advisor.

To review the full New York State Education Department (NYSED) Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) announcement, please visit the Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) news page.

Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Question: I have an active application in TEACH and the edTPA is listed as a requirement, but I have not completed the edTPA. What will happen to my application on April 27, 2022?

All active teacher certificate applications that are submitted before April 27, 2022, and have the edTPA requirement listed as “unmet”, will have this requirement automatically marked as “met” in the TEACH system on April 27, 2022. You will no longer need to meet this requirement for certification on that date.

In addition, if the edTPA is the only remaining requirement that you need for certification (i.e., you have met all other requirements for certification), this requirement will automatically be marked as “met” in the TEACH system and your application will be approved on April 27, 2022. On the following day, your certificate will either be issued or be in “Evaluation Complete – Pending Final Review” status, which is described on the Status of Your Application webpage.

Question: If I apply for certification on or after April 27, 2022, will the edTPA be listed as a requirement on the application?

No. Applications for teacher certification will no longer include the edTPA as a requirement beginning April 27, 2022.

Question: Do candidates need to complete the edTPA while their program is developing or choosing a teacher performance assessment?

Candidates do not need to complete the edTPA for certification purposes on or after April 27, 2022. Since colleges have until September 1, 2023 to implement their new teacher performance assessment (TPA), there will be a transition period where candidates are not required to complete the edTPA for certification or the TPA developed or identified by their college. Once programs implement their TPA by September 2023, candidates will complete the TPA in their program. Currently, the Hunter College School of Education is reviewing the options for the TPA and we will have more information available for students in the coming months.

For the full NYSED FAQ list, including questions on refunds for the edTPA and ATS-W, please review the Office of Testing Initiatives (OTI) testing page.

Advising

Have additional questions or need further support? Please contact your Administrative Advisor. You can find your Administrative Advisor listed in your Navigate account or you can locate their information on your undergraduate or graduate program page.