Admission Requirements
Master’s Degree
1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution acceptable to Hunter College with an overall cumulative GPA of 3.0.
2. A minimum of 21 credits in biology to include a year of introductory biology with laboratory and a semester of organic chemistry.
3. A general education core in the liberal arts and sciences to include the following: 6 credits in English, 6 credits in a language other than English (3 years of high school study in the same foreign language with grades of C or better documented by high school transcript will meet this requirement), 6 credits in social studies (to include at least one course in U.S. history or U.S. geography), 3 credits in the arts, and one course in calculus.
4. Two professional references to be included with the application for admission.
5. A personal statement to be completed as part of the application for admission.
Advanced Certificate
1. An undergraduate major of at least 30 credits in biology and a master’s degree in the content area with a GPA of at least 3.3 from an accredited institution acceptable to Hunter College. Coursework at either the undergraduate or graduate level must include a course in introductory biology with laboratory and a semester of organic chemistry.
2. A general education core in the liberal arts and sciences to include the following (in addition to biology): 6 credits in English, 6 credits in a language other than English (3 years of high school study in the same foreign language with grades of C or better documented by high school transcript will meet this requirement), 6 credits in social studies (to include at least one course in U.S. history or U.S. geography), 3 credits in the arts, and one course in calculus.
3. Two professional references to be included with the application for admission.
4. A personal statement to be completed as part of the application for admission.
In addition, all students in this program will be required to take the Content Specialty Test (CST) of the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations and submit their scores to the School of Education before they complete 12 credits of course work. A student who does not receive a passing score on the CST may be required to enroll in additional courses in biology.
Progress Standards
A. 12-Credit Progress Standards for Matriculated Students
- Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0.
- Students with more than one course grade below B in the first 12 credits of SEDC or SEDF course work will not be allowed to continue in the program.
- A student who receives a grade of F in any course including arts and sciences courses in the first 12 credits will not be allowed to continue in the program.
- Students with one grade of IN (Incomplete) within the first 12 credits are restricted from registering for more than one additional course. Those with two or more INs will not be allowed to register for any courses.
Note: It is recommended that students with two or more INs take an official leave of absence.
- All students should take the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST) of the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations and submit their scores to the Office of Educational Services before they complete 12 credits of course work. Any student who does not receive a passing score on the LAST must enroll in the school’s reading/writing workshop series for teachers before being permitted to register for any further courses.
B. Fieldwork Benchmarks
All field experiences and student teaching will take place in New York City public schools.
Any student who receives a grade of B-, C+ or C in a supervised field experience or student teaching or practicum course must apply to the chairperson of the department for permission to repeat that course, which may be repeated only once. Any student who receives a grade of F or WU may not reregister and will not be allowed to continue in the program.
Adolescent Biology Course of Study
Advanced certificate students take only the education courses in the program. Master’s degree students take both education courses and the Biology courses listed below. (For other biology courses, go to Biological Sciences )
22-24 credits: Advanced Certificate program for students who matriculated before Fall 2011.
37-41 credits: Master’s Degree program for students who matriculated before Fall 2011.
26-27 credits: Advanced Certificate program for students who matriculated on or after Fall 2011.
41-44 credits: Master’s Degree program for students who matriculated on or after Fall 2011.
Exit Standards
An overall GPA of 3.0.
Master’s degree students will develop a professional teaching portfolio, which is a cumulative effort, integrating course and fieldwork throughout the program. In particular, students will be expected to complete a major research-based project, include artifacts that reflect the theme of that research, and connect all components through critical reflection. Teacher candidates must show progress toward the completion of the portfolio through regular review by their advisers. Students will arrange for a presentation and final review of their work during the last semester in the program. A performance assessment checklist and rating scale will assess the quality of the culminating experiences (portfolio and reflective presentation).
Master’s degree students will also be expected to prepare a research proposal or to conduct a research project while enrolled in
, which serves as the capstone course in biology.
Students must pass the School of Education technology assessment.
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