30 Credits | Additional ESOL PreK–12 Certification

Designed for educators who already hold New York State teacher certification and wish to pursue additional certification in English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) PreK–12.

Candidates must hold New York State teacher certification and meet the program's special education prerequisite requirements.

39–42 Credits | Initial ESOL PreK–12 Certification

Designed for liberal arts and sciences graduates who wish to begin a teaching career and pursue initial certification in English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) PreK–12.

This sequence includes foundational education coursework, TESOL instructional preparation, and supervised student teaching.

30 Credits | ESOL PreK–12 Certification

Designed for liberal arts and sciences graduates who have already completed prerequisite coursework in education and linguistics and wish to pursue ESOL PreK–12 certification.

Candidates must consult the TESOL program adviser before applying to determine eligibility. All prerequisites must have been completed with a grade of B or better.

• To be eligible for fall admission, complete the application by April 15 (with supporting documentation by May 15). 

  To be eligible for spring admission, complete the application by November 15 (with supporting documentation by December 15).  

  Apply here. 

CUNY offers highly competitive tuition rates here. 

Graduation is the official completion of your program and conferral of an academic credential. To graduate, students must apply for graduation using CUNYFirst the semester before the semester of their planned graduation and complete any outstanding requirements by the stated deadlines. Always check the academic calendar here. 

The MSED Social Studies Education program leads to New York State certification in grades PK-12 TESOL and an option to include Students with Disabilities. Students should visit the certification webpage here for more information and contact information. 

New York State requires a minimum of 100 field hours of observations and participation before entering the final semester of student/internship teaching. The field hours will be attached to most of the courses as you move through the program. Candidates must arrange for background checks and fingerprinting before beginning the program.  

In the semester before the last semester of the program, candidates will apply for student or internship teaching. The application deadline for a fall placement is April 1. The application deadline for a spring placement is November 1. 

Please visit The Clinical Practice & Partnership webpage for information related to fingerprinting, field hours, and student/internship teaching. 

Internship Certificate 

New York State allows master’s program candidates in an Initial Certification program (SST-MA) to seek fulltime employment as a teacher-of-record after completing at least one-half of the credits in the program. If you are interested, talk to the adviser about entering the profession while completing the second half of the program. 

Types of Certifications 

Students are recommended for both initial and professional certification in SST-MA and for the professional certification in SSTPRF-MA: 

• The Initial Certificate is the entry-level teaching certificate and is valid for five years. Students who graduate from a Lehman College master’s degree certification program without prior certification will be recommended for initial certification. 

• The Professional Certificate is an advanced certificate. Once teachers have completed three years of full-time, paid teaching experience including one year of mentored teaching, they can apply for professional certification.