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Teacher Certification Guide

Teachers College offers several teacher certification programs, most of which fall into two categories, Initial Certification and Professional Certification.  To help you find programs of interest based on the certification and/or grade levels review the descriptions below on Initial and Profession and Certification. 

Initial Certification: Students who do not currently hold any certification in the subject/content and/or grade level they would like to teach must apply to an initial certification program.  Initial certifications will eventually lead to professional certifications, providing that, after obtaining initial certification, the student follows NY State regulations for obtaining the professional certification.  If students have not yet completed a teacher preparation program and/or obtained certification, they must apply to an initial certification program.

Professional Certification: Professional certification programs are designed for students who already hold initial certification in the respective subject/content and/or grade level and would like to obtain the advanced level certification.  These students either completed a teacher preparation program and obtained initial certification at the undergraduate level or have completed an alternative path to certification. 

We strongly encourage students to explore the Teachers College Office of Certification and Compliance website for more information about certification requirements and for links to helpful sites within the New York State Department of Education website.