Teaching Spanish
| About |
From the Program Coordinator, Adam Yuro
Adjunct Lecturer and Co-Coordinator, Graduate Program in Spanish Teacher Education, Undergraduate Program
, Middle & High School Education
Professor, Graduate Program in Foreign Language, Middle & High School Education
The major requirement for being accepted in the program is to have completed a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a Spanish major (or its equivalent) and an overall index of 3.0 or higher. The successful applicant must have completed 24 credits in advanced (300-level and above) undergraduate Spanish courses (including a minimum of 12 advanced credits in literature courses conducted in Spanish). Also, the candidate must successfully complete the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), i.e., with at least the Advanced Low-Level check according to the American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL).
Furthermore, the applicant must complete 36-39 credits in total for Sequence 1 or 32-33 credits in total for Sequence 2 to complete the coursework; additionally, there are state mandated examinations and workshops that must be fulfilled in order to achieve the 7-12 Spanish Teaching certification. In the last semester prior to completion of the master's degree and the NYS teacher certification, successful execution of the Spanish Comprehensive Exam, administered by Lehman's Department of Languages and Literatures, is required.
We wish to stress that the ability to communicate in Spanish on top of a college degree in a subject other than Spanish, or completion of college in a Spanish speaking institution, does not make one eligible to pursue an MA in Teaching Spanish.
Lastly, qualified Spanish Teacher 7-12 candidates may also apply to the Advanced Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL P-12) and become ESOL-certified upon successful completion of that program of study.
This program is designed for candidates seeking a master's degree in teaching Spanish. Graduates of this program are eligible for New York State Certification in Teaching Spanish grades 7-12 upon completion of additional New York State Education Requirements.
-
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 MA Teaching Spanish program leads to New York State certification in grades 7-12 Teaching Spanish. 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.
