Teacher Education Admission Information
An applicant to one of the programs may be admitted either as 1)a matriculated student, one seeking to fulfill the requirements for a degree, or 2) as a non-matriculated student, one earning graduate credit for specific courses (typically for state certification purposes) but not for the degree. Before beginning graduate courses, all applicants must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university acceptable to Dominican College. Applicants who file an application before the baccalaureate degree has been conferred may be provisionally accepted pending successful completion of undergraduate work. Applicants who have completed curricular requirements for a New York initial teaching certificate in one of four student developmental levels (Early Childhood, Childhood, Middle Childhood, or Adolescence), but who have not yet passed the New York State Teacher Certification Exams, may also be provisionally accepted to the Students with Disabilities or Blind/Visually Impaired programs and must submit documentation to meet outstanding requirements prior to the beginning of their second quarter.
Undergraduate seniors with a 3.0 G.P.A. who are enrolled in an Education/Special Education program may pursue the College's S.Y.R.O.P. (Senior Year Overlap) option, an opportunity to start Year I of the six quarter M.S.in Ed. degree program while simultaneously completing the bachelor's degree. This option is intended to enable completion of both the bachelor's and the master's degree within a five-year period. Undergraduate applicable courses are SE 330, 336, 441 and 465. Application to S.Y.R.O.P should be made to the Program Director early on during the undergraduate's studies.
At least a B average in the overall undergraduate or graduate record is required for admission, although other factors will be considered in the decision, such as years of professional experience, grade point average in the major field, and academic development beyond the baccalaureate degree. Students not meeting the stated criteria may be admitted on a conditional basis. In order to maintain matriculated status, such students must then achieve a minimum grade of B for the first six credits attempted and provide evidence of having remediated any deficiencies.
Application forms are obtained online from the College's website (www.dc.edu) or from the College's Office of Admissions. The completed form, accompanied by the application fee (non-refundable), must be returned to the Office of Admissions. The candidate must also arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent and official transcripts (not student copies) of all undergraduate and graduate records.
Graduates of Dominican College should write to the Office of the Registrar requesting that an official transcript be sent to the Office of Admissions. Copies of teaching certificates as well as scores on the L.A.S.T., A.T.S.-W., and C.S.T. must also be submitted for Students with Disabilities and Blind/Visually Impaired programs. An on-site, phone or email interview with the Program Director is required of all applicants. Graduate students are expected to demonstrate proficient written and oral communication skills in English. At the discretion of the Program Director, determination of such skills can be made by combinations of phone, fax, email, and/or on-site samples.
These processes are the same for students seeking either the degree or certification only.
Please note that certification in teacher education is contingent not only on completion of prescribed course work and student teaching experiences, but also requires successful completion of additional requirements by the State Education Department.
