Careers, Certification and Licensure

Career, Professional and Partnership Development (CPPD)

At Hunter College School of Education, Career, Professional, and Partnership Development (CPPD) empowers students and alumni to excel in diverse education fields. Through collaborations with local schools and organizations, CPPD offers sessions focused on Pedagogical Practice, Professional Preparation, and Strategies for Self-Care. These efforts ensure that participants are equipped with both practical skills and holistic support to navigate the hiring process and thrive in their educational careers.

Follow Career, Professional and Partnership Development (CPPD) on Social Media Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and Pinterest.

Employers please review the CPPD page for ways to connect with us.

Cover Letter and Resume Support

A cover letter is often your first chance to make a great impression. It goes along with your resume and application to the school district or educational institution. You want to promote yourself in the cover letter to ensure that the employer really studies your resume and considers you’re a serious candidate for the position. Together, your cover letter and resume should sway the employer into wanting to know more about you through an interview.

Having a visually appealing and organized resume is as important as the content of your resume. Details that quantify your experience make for a more favorable impression. Remember that the average amount of time a hiring manager spends looking at your resume is about 10-30 seconds.

You can make an appointment for cover letter or resume support with CPPD on the Advising page.

Handshake

Handshake is the school’s official job/internship portal. Thousands of employers are hiring students on Handshake.

Once you fill in your career interests, you’ll get personalized recommendations for jobs and events and direct outreach from employers interested in students like you—80% of students with a complete Handshake profile get messaged by employers!

Activate your account at app.joinhandshake.com.
- Enter your .edu email address and other basic information.
- Career Services will need to approve your account. You will receive an email once approved.
- For support, review the resources on the Handshake website.
Download the Handshake app from Apple or Google Play so you get notifications on the latest jobs, events, and employers.
Check out this article to learn more, “5 Reasons You Need Handshake More Than Other Career Sites”.

New York City Public Schools

Search and apply for current opportunities with the NYCDOE for all school professional positions and non-school based positions by clicking here. All teacher candidates interested in positions in New York City public schools must complete the NYCDOE’s online application. It is important that you visit the TeachNYC website to begin the online application process. There are Application Deadline dates given on the website that change periodically.

After it has been submitted, your online application will be reviewed by the NYCDOE’s Office of Teacher Recruitment and Quality to determine whether or not you are eligible for job-search support. Candidates who are eligible for job-search support are admitted into the New Teacher Finder, which principals can use to post open positions and to contact candidates. Candidates may also receive invitations through the New Teacher Finder to attend job fairs or other recruitment events. Candidates are also encouraged to contact schools directly to express their interest in available positions for the upcoming school year

You can visit the NYCDOE’s website to see a list of public schools in a particular borough, district, or zip code. Each school has a school portal on the NYC Department of Education website. The school portal contains basic information about the school, including address, grades served, and the name of the principal. These school portals also contain links to the school’s Learning Environment Surveys, Quality Reviews, and Progress Reports.

An independent website, Get Selected, is an additional source of information on New York City public schools. GetSelected matches teachers with schools based on school culture and other criteria to find the ‘best fit’.

City Charter Schools

Charter schools are publicly funded schools that are free and open to all students but operate autonomously. New York City charter schools establish their own hiring processes are not subject to the same hiring restrictions as NYCDOE schools.

You can visit the website of the New York City Center for Charter Schools to see a list of charter schools by borough, grade level, or district, along with links to each school’s website. Each New York City charter school also has school portal on the NYC DOE website, which includes basic information and links to the school’s Learning Environment Survey and Progress Report.The NYC Center for Charter Schools also maintains a list of available teaching positions at charter schools. Many New York City charter schools also post openings on the Idealist job board, located at Idealist. You are also advised to visit each school’s website for information on available positions and the hiring process.

New York City Private and Independent Schools

Most private schools now have websites that include a description of the mission, atmosphere and school ratings, as well as current and projected needs for faculty and staff. The website Private School Review also maintains profiles of private schools.

Information on substitute teaching with NYC Public Schools can be found on the NYC Public Schools Substitute Teaching page.

Professional Learning Opportunities

Professional learning opportunities sponsored by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), can be found on the NYSED Calendar and Events page.

Certification and Licensure Support

Important Updates on Mandated Reporter Training

Changes to Mandated Reporter Training

Due to changes in Social Services Law § 413, all mandated reporters, including classroom teachers, educational administrators, school counselors, applied behavior analysts, mental health counselors and pupil personnel service providers and professionals working in other fields that maintain this requirement for licensure or certification, must complete updated training by April 1, 2025.

The Mandated Reporter Training is now required to include additional content on recognizing signs of abuse or maltreatment while interacting with youth online and strategies for identifying adverse childhood experiences. Additionally, the workshop is now required to include protocols to reduce implicit bias in decision-making processes. To review the full change, please visit the New York State Open Legislation page.

Who needs to take action?

You are required to take the updated mandated reporter training by April 1, 2025 if:

You currently hold certification or licensure.
You have already taken or will take a health and safety course in the summer 2024 (not all programs require this course).
You have completed the workshop independently (not as part of your coursework).

Who does not need to take action?

If your program includes a health and safety course and you plan to take it in fall 2024 or later, this course will meet the updated requirement. To review the course list, please see the additional drop down on this page.

How do I retake the workshop?

The Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) has a 2-hour web-based self-directed online training course that can be completed to satisfy this updated requirement. Please note for school personnel, you must submit proof of completion to the NYSED Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI), in order for your TEACH account to reflect the updated workshop. To submit, use the OTI online form and select workshops from the drop down.

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact the Office of Academic & Student Affairs at soereception@hunter.cuny.edu.

Hunter College Health and Safety Course List

If your program includes a health and safety course and you plan to take it in fall 2024 or later this course will meet the updated requirement.

ECC 31400 – Health, Family, and Community Partnerships
ECC 71400 – Health, Safety and Nutrition in Early Childhood
EDUC 22000 – Health and Safety in Birth through 21
EDUC 72000 – Health and Safety in Birth through 21
CEDC 71300 – Health Education for the Classroom Teacher
CEDC 71350 – Childhood Education – Health and Safety
HED 31400 – Health Education for the Classroom Teacher
HED 71500 – Health Education for Special Educators
SEDC 22000 – Adolescent Health and Safety
SEDC 22050 – Adolescent Health and Safety
SEDC 72000 – Adolescent Health and Safety

Certification and Licensure Advising

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 Counseling Programs

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.

Certification Application Requirements, Procedures, and Program Codes

Select your program to view program specific certification application requirements, procedures and program codes.

Undergraduate Programs

Graduate Programs

Dignity for All Sudents Act (DASA) Workshop

The School of Education, in partnership with Continuing Education Programs, offers a Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) workshop. This workshop is fully online delivered as a combination of synchronous (live) online and asynchronous work. Hunter College is an approved provider by the New York State Education Department for the required Dignity for All Students (DASA) training and offers courses to teacher and school counseling candidates. The workshops are open to the public.

For more information, please review the Dignity for All Students (DASA) Certification Workshops page.

How to Show Proof of Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) Completion

If you have taken the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) at Hunter College, completion will automatically be reflected on your records. No action required.

If you have taken the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) at another university, college, or New York State approved Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) provider, you must share proof of completion via the Workshop Completion Form or by emailing soeoasa@hunter.cuny.edu.

The Dignity for All Students Act Certification Workshop is a requirement for all Teacher Education and School Counseling students by New York State and by Hunter College for successful graduation and certification.

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.

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.

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.

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.