Adolescent Education Programs, Grades 7-12 and Dance Education, Grades Pre K-12

List of Programs

Progress Standards

Students must maintain a minimum overall GPA of 2.8 and an education sequence index of 2.8.
Any student who receives a grade of B-, C+, C or D in student teaching must apply to the department chairperson for permission to reregister for that course, which may be repeated only once.
Any student who receives a grade of D+ or D in a course in the education sequence will be required to repeat that course. Students are permitted to repeat a course only once.
Any student who receives a grade of F in any course in the pedagogical sequence (including student teaching) will not be permitted to continue in the program.
Any student who has more than two grades of IN will be permitted to register for only one course the following semester.

Students will be permitted to register for the second methods course in their subject area only after having met the following requirements:

Completion of 18 credits of study in the major subject area;
Approval of the major department adviser; and
Maintenance of an overall GPA of 2.8 and an education sequence index of 2.8.

Students should register to take the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST) of the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations during their junior year. Students will not be allowed to enroll in student teaching until their scores on the LAST have been received by the School of Education. Students who do not pass the LAST at least partly because of low scores on subtest 4 and/or 5 must enroll in a college writing course before being allowed to register for any additional courses.

Admission Process

Students interested in applying to the Adolescent Education program should apply at the beginning of the semester prior to the semester in which they plan to enroll.
Students must participate in a group interview with several other students and School of Education faculty members.
Students must complete an on-site writing sample that the School of Education faculty will use to assess written English skills.

Admission Requirements

Students who wish to enter the adolescent education sequence must meet all the criteria given below.

Minimum of 65 credits but no more than 90 credits;
GPA of at least 2.8. If a student has more than 6 credits of CR/NR grades, the excess of these grades will be calculated as C or F in determining whether the student meets the minimum GPA;
A grade of at least B in ENGL 12000 (or a 200- or 300-level writing course such as ENGL 201);
Formal declaration of a major in a subject area appropriate for certification: English, Languages Other than English (Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Russian, Spanish), Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Social Studies (Geography Option 2), Dance; and
Submission of an application for admission to the sequence (the application is available in the Office of Educational Services, Room 1000 Hunter West).

Program Overview

Students who major in an academic subject may also wish to complete a sequence of courses in education that will enable them to pursue a career teaching students in grades 7-12. The undergraduate programs in adolescent education are designed to prepare prospective teachers to serve as high-quality educators for students in urban secondary schools.

Programs in adolescent education at Hunter College prepare prospective teachers to serve as highly effective educators in urban middle and high schools. Through rigorous course work, fieldwork and student teaching experiences in New York City schools, students learn how to provide an academically rigorous education to students of diverse backgrounds, abilities and interests.

Content Knowledge

Courses in the academic discipline offered by the School of Arts & Sciences will deepen teacher candidates’ subject knowledge. They will learn how to use knowledge of their subject to design and implement classroom instruction that reflects State and professional standards.

Professional Knowledge

Teacher candidates will learn the theory and practice of effective pedagogy in their subject area. They will gain a grounding in the history, philosophy, psychology and sociology of education that will inform their teaching. They will study research-based theories and methods of teaching their subject to students with special needs, including special education students and English language learners.

Skills

Teacher candidates will learn to design lessons and units of work for students and to adapt their instruction to students’ prior knowledge and level of skill. They will gain expertise in analyzing and using assessments of student achievement to guide and inform their instruction. They will master the use of technology as a tool for teaching their subject. They will learn to manage their classrooms to provide effective instruction for all students. They will practice ways to assess and reflect on their teaching practice in order to strengthen their work with students and grow as professionals.

Creating Community

Teacher candidates will learn to create humane and ethical learning communities in their classrooms and schools in which all students receive the support they need to achieve academically. They will learn to communicate effectively with parents, families, community members and other members of the school faculty and staff in order to provide this support.

Programs

The Hunter College School of Education offers the following undergraduate programs leading to initial certification in adolescent education (grades 7-12): biology, chemistry, Chinese, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, mathematics, physics, Russian, social studies and Spanish. Hunter also offers an undergraduate program leading to initial certification in dance (pre-K-12). In addition, BA/MA programs in biology, chemistry, earth science, mathematics, music and physics are offered. These programs lead to initial and professional certification.

The program of study for the baccalaureate degree at Hunter College requires a minimum of 120 credits. This is a daytime program that includes fieldwork in New York City public schools designated by the Hunter College School of Education. Students who wish to pursue initial certification in one of the above areas must take a specified sequence of education courses, in addition to fulfilling the college’s General Education Requirement (GER) and the requirements of their liberal arts or sciences major. All relevant departments accept the adolescent education sequence as a minor.

Transfer Students

The program will conditionally admit transfer students with 60 or more credits who have a GPA of at least 3.3 without requiring that they complete 12 credits at Hunter College. However, they must establish a minimum GPA of 2.8 at Hunter College to continue in the program after the first semester. Any transfer student who has a GPA of 2.8-3.29 must complete 12 credits at Hunter College with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.8 before being admitted to the program in adolescent education.