Spanish Teacher (7-12), M.A.

Matriculation Requirements

Applicants must offer at least 15 credits in advanced courses in Spanish. Applicants must also offer (a) or (b):

• (a) New York State Initial Certification in teaching Spanish grades 7–12 or courses in education that meet the New York State standards for the pedagogical core. These courses include study of the following: history of education and philosophy of education or principles of education or educational sociology; educational psychology or developmental psychology or psychology of adolescence or adolescent development; classroom management; teaching students with special needs and English language learners; six credits in literacy and language acquisition; curriculum development and methods of assessing student learning; uses of technology in the classroom; methods of teaching Spanish in grades 7–2; 100 hours of fieldwork; 40 full days or 300 hours of student teaching of Spanish in grades 7–12; or one year of full-time teaching Spanish at appropriate grade levels, and passage of a New York State–approved Performance Assessment.
• (b) an undergraduate degree with a major in Spanish or appropriate course work in Spanish.

Applicants must have a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.00. A minimum average of 3.00 in graduate courses is required to maintain matriculation.

International applicants for whom English is a second language are required to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of at least 550 on the paper-based test or 213 on the computer-based test or 79 on the internet-based test, before being considered for admission.

Applicants who have not completed all the specific course requirements are given individual consideration and may be admitted with conditions, with the approval of the chair of the Department of Secondary Education and the chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.

General matriculation and admission requirements of Graduate Studies are in the section “Admission.”

Each student is evaluated individually based upon prior experiences. Based upon this evaluation and current certification requirements of the New York State Education Department, courses in education or another department may be substituted for required courses with permission of the program coordinator.

Program Requirements (30–40 Credits)

Students enroll in the appropriate education courses listed below (Option A or B) based upon teaching experience, previous course work, and the teaching certificates, if any, they hold.

Option A (30 Credits)

Spanish (18 credits)

Students who possess Initial Certification in teaching Spanish or the equivalent must complete the following courses in Spanish: Spanish 7010X, 7510X or 7520X; a course in Latin American literature; and a course in Peninsular Spanish literature and six credits of electives as approved by the chairperson or deputy chair of the Modern Languages and Literatures Department.

Students must also complete a substantial final project, which may take the form of a thesis in Spanish, or may consist of a “teaching unit” completed under the co-direction of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and the School of Education. The writing of the thesis or completion of the teaching unit may take place during a three-credit tutorial, Spanish 7790G, taken as the final course of the student’s program. Spanish 7790G, however, is not a required course for the degree.

Courses in the Modern Languages and Literatures Department and the School of Education offered toward the degree must be 7000-level courses. The program of study must be approved early in the first semester by the chairperson or deputy chairperson of the Modern Languages and Literatures and the Department of Secondary Education.

Education (12 credits)

Students must also complete 12 credits in courses in Education as follows: Research in Modern Languages Education: SEED 7622T; Literacy: SEED 7503X; Mindfulness SEED 7504X; Development and SEL: SEED 7507X.

Option B (40 Credits)

Spanish (15 credits)

Students who do not possess Initial Certification in teaching Spanish or the equivalent must complete the following courses in Spanish: Spanish 7010X, 7510X or 7520X; a course in Latin American literature; and a course in Peninsular Spanish literature and 3 credits of electives as approved by the chairperson or deputy chair of the Modern Languages and Literatures Department.

Students must also complete a substantial final project, which may take the form of a thesis in Spanish, or may consist of a “teaching unit” completed under the co-direction of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and the School of Education. The writing of the thesis or completion of the teaching unit may take place during a three-credit tutorial, Spanish 7790G, taken as the final course of the student’s program. Spanish 7790G, however, is not a required course for the degree.

Courses in the Modern Languages and Literatures Department and the School of Education offered toward the degree must be 7000-level courses. The program of study must be approved early in the first semester by the chairperson or deputy chair of the Modern Languages and Literatures and the Department of Secondary Education.

Education Core (12 credits)

The following four education courses are required unless candidates have taken one or more as part of previous coursework. Foundations: SEED 7500X; Literacy: SEED 7503X; Special Education: SEED 7671X; Development and SEL: SEED 7507X.

Student Teaching (4 credits)

The following two student-teaching courses are required unless candidates have a New York State waiver: SEED 7542T and SEED 7543T. (SEED 7500X and SEED 7620T must be completed before student teaching). SEED 7543T is not required if the candidate is teaching English full-time at an appropriate grade level.

Students teaching with a New York State Internship Certificate must be enrolled in either SEED 7542T or SEED 7001T during every semester that they are teaching under the certificate.

Spanish Education (9 credits)

The following Spanish education courses, or Spanish education courses approved by the program coordinator, are required in the stated sequence unless candidates have taken one or more as part of previous course work: SEED 7620T, 7621T, 7622T.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will:

• Be prepared to pass NYSED teacher certification examinations in content area, pedagogy, and knowledge of students.
• Apply the ACTFL, CEC, NCSS, NCTE, NCTM, NSTA, and SHAPE Standards and the Next Generation Learning Standards to planning, instruction, and assessment for all students, including those of low SES, linguistic/cultural minorities, and those with IEPs.
• Design lessons and units of study that engage all students, including ELLs and students with IEPs, in doing, thinking, reasoning, speaking, and writing in the content areas.
• Incorporate community resources in culturally relevant units of study.
• Create classrooms that support social and emotional learning.
• Make plans for and use technological tools (e.g., communication and collaboration tools, adaptive devices, Web-based digital media) in instruction.
• Analyze instructional materials and assessments in order to identify linguistic and extra-linguistic demands and challenges of performance tasks in the content areas.
• Analyze and interpret whole-class interaction focusing on guiding techniques conducive to orchestrating meaningful, inclusive, and content-rich conversations.
• Analyze and interpret samples of student work and classroom data to identify different levels of student learning as well as typical errors and misconceptions.
• Conduct and use research in their own practices to improve learning and teaching.

Admissions Requirements

• Fall Application Deadline: May 15, rolling admission
• Spring Application Deadline: November 1, rolling a

Supporting Documents for Matriculation

Submit the following documents to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

• Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Applicants who earned a bachelor’s degree outside the United States need to submit a course-by-course international transcript evaluation. See Graduate Admissions for more information.
• Two letters of recommendation
• Résumé
• Photocopy of New York State or other state teaching certificate
• Brief biographical statement of 500 to 1,000 words describing your reasons for pursuing the specific graduate program to which you are applying and your future professional goals.

Interview with department.

Required Tests

• F-1 or J-1 international students must submit English Proficiency Exam. TOEFL—79, IELTS—6.5, PTE—58–63, Duolingo—105–160.

All students accepted to the School of Education are required to submit fingerprint verification before signing up for most education classes. Fingerprint verification is required for work in New York City Department of Education schools if you already have fingerprint records or not. Follow these instructions.

Refer to the instructions at Graduate Admissions.

Contact

Ralph Di Bugnara, Program Coordinator

2416 James Hall
E: RalphDB@brooklyn.cuny.edu
P: 718.951.5000, ext. 3903

Or contact:

Office of Graduate Admissions

222 West Quad Center
2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210
E: grads@brooklyn.cuny.edu
P: 718.951.4536

Office Hours

Mondays–Fridays, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

To make an appointment with a graduate admissions counselor, visit:

BC Admissions Appointment Tool