Upon completion of an approved program, the college will submit a recommendation to the State Education Department for its graduates to receive initial teaching certificates.

Program graduates still have to complete required New York State certification examinations for the state to process applications for an initial certificate.

In New York, teacher preparation programs are offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

There are several pathways interstate applicants can take and choosing the right one is critical.

To learn more, view the Applications From Other States page on the State Education Department's website.

Once the requirements are complete, applicants submit transcripts to the state and apply using what the state calls the Individual Evaluation pathway. SED then conducts a course-by-course review to ensure that applicants have met the requirements.

The state breaks down requirements into specific competency areas that are not always addressed by a single course, so applicants may have to seek out additional coursework in some cases.

Under this approach, field hours and student teaching requirements are often satisfied by teaching in non-public schools.