School of Education Graduate Programs

Master of Arts in Teaching/Master of Professional Studies Diploma/Certification

Manhattanville offers Master of Arts in Teaching degree programs for strong liberal arts graduates with few or no prior courses in education. Upon completion of the program, the candidate is eligible for New York State certification as a teacher of Childhood and/or Early Childhood Education, English, Social Studies, Mathematics, Science or Foreign Language instruction at the secondary and middle school levels, or teacher of Art, Music, or Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy in all grades. MAT programs range from 36 to 49 credits depending on the program and the areas in which certification is sought. All MAT programs include one semester of full-time supervised or student teaching. One hundred (100) hours of fieldwork must be completed prior to supervised/student teaching.

Also offered are Master of Professional Studies programs in Teaching of English as a Second Language, Special Education, Literacy as well as a variety of programs leading to dual certification. The MPS and the Professional Diploma prepare candidates for certification in School Building Leadership, School District Leadership, School District Leadership/Athletic Director depending on prior experience. MPS programs range from 36 to 47 credits, depending on the program and the areas in which certification is sought. Upon completion of the program, the candidate is eligible for initial, professional, or permanent certification. This classification is determined by credentials presented at the time of matriculation into the selected program. All MPS programs except for that in Literacy require at least one semester of supervised fieldwork.

Advanced Certification Programs

Advanced Certification programs are available for 1) candidates who already hold a Masters degree in a related area but who have no prior preparation in education, or 2) for certified teachers wishing to obtain certification in an additional area. The School of Education offers Certification programs in the following areas: Special Education, Secondary/Middle Childhood and Adolescence (English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Second Languages, or Social Studies), TESOL, Literacy, Music and Art.

Individual Evaluation Certification and Extension Programs

Individual evaluation certification and extension programs are available for in-service teachers who are already certified, hold a Masters degree and who wish to become certified in another area OR for individuals who are teaching and are not yet certified. The School of Education offers the coursework required for certification through the New York State Individual evaluation application. In these cases, under New York State Regulations, candidates can apply for certification directly to the NYS Education Department, using graduate courses they have taken at Manhattanville. The college does not officially recommend candidates to NYSED under these pathways. Careful advising and specific choices of courses is required in these programs and interested students are advised to consult closely with the Graduate Advising Office and the NYS Education Department at http://www.nysed.gov.

Doctorate in Educational Leadership

The doctoral program (Ed.D.) in educational leadership is to meet the needs of mid-career professionals who already have leadership experience in public or private schools, in community programs, in governmental agencies, or in NGOs with major education initiatives. This program does not lead to any certification, as most accepted students will have both early career leadership experience and the initial licensure/certification/program requirements for their chosen career path as leaders in education. Students complete a three-year program of study that tightly integrates coursework, field experiences, and applied research (59 semester hours of post-master’s credit including dissertation). The focus is on preparing leaders to work in changing suburbs and small cities, and the signature pedagogy is problem-based learning. The doctoral program experiences are organized around five themes: leading learning organizations, becoming a sophisticated practitioner-scholar, developing self and others, participating in professional and policy-making communities, and facilitating responsive education programs. The program offers the option to do a three-article dissertation or a traditional five-chapter dissertation. Up to twelve (12) credits of post-master level courses taken at a regionally accredited institution within the last ten (10) years may be transferred. Students need to provide an official transcript (and in some cases a syllabus) for previously taken courses to allow for the course transfer. Students’ request for credit transfer is subject to review and endorsement of the faculty advisor, and approval by the Program Coordinator. The program is offered in collaboration with the Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES

Student/Supervised Clinical Field Experience Requirements

Teaching Field Experience

In addition to the student/supervised teaching in the final semester of each program, New York State regulations now require 100 hours of field experience prior to the clinical experience. At Manhattanville, most required education courses assign a specified number of hours of field experience. These field experience hours provide students with opportunities throughout their programs to observe and participate in school-related activities appropriate to the theoretical content of the courses with which they are associated.

Student Teaching

Student teaching is the culminating experience of the entire program. It consists of full-time involvement for an entire semester in appropriate classrooms, along with a weekly integrating seminar. It is during student teaching that the teacher candidate is expected to synthesize and put into practice the knowledge, understandings and skills developed during all of the previous courses and fieldwork. In order to qualify for New York State certification, student teachers are required to divide their semester to include two levels of experience as well as experiences in both urban and suburban settings. All clinical field placements will be at the discretion of the Director of Field Placement, Certification, and Community Outreach.

Supervised Teaching

Experienced teacher candidates who are currently employed in appropriate situations or appropriate teaching assistant positions may substitute supervised teaching for the student teaching experience with the approval of the Director of Field Placement.

Students wishing to opt for this plan must speak directly with the Director of Field Placement, who will ascertain whether or not the teaching environment is appropriate. It is important to know in advance whether the course competencies can be demonstrated in the setting. It is imperative that the student discuss his/her plans for a supervised teaching experience with the principal, and that the student receive some latitude in planning for the class during the semester. Supervised teachers attend the weekly integrating seminar along with the student teachers, and the seminar serves the same function in both cases.

Child Abuse and School Violence Prevention Education

The School of Education offers an opportunity for degree or PMC candidates to fulfill these New York State requirements during the student teaching semester.

Education Graduate Programs General Information

Program Sequence and Length

Students plan their programs with an advisor in the School of Education. Because students bring unique knowledge, skills, and experience to their programs, if there is proper planning, they can avoid a rigid sequence within the program of their choice. Students may choose to complete their graduate programs in any combination of semesters up to five years from the date of matriculation. Within this time frame, please note the following:

• Students will normally undertake their clinical experience at the end of the program.
• Students may request an extension of the completion date for their degree program. The Associate Dean of the School of Education will review this request. An extension will not exceed two years, and students may be required to take additional courses to update their program.

Independent Study

Independent study options may be exercised for a limited part of the program. With approval by a faculty member in the appropriate department and by the Graduate Associate Dean of the School of Education, students may design and conduct original study projects or curricula.

New York State Certification

To receive initial teaching certification in New York State, the student must take a test of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAST), an Assessment of Teaching Skills – Written (ATS-W), and a Content Specialty Test (CST). All students seeking certification must meet state Liberal Arts requirements. To meet those requirements, Manhattanville requires a liberal arts major or the equivalent of at least 30 credits in the liberal arts, and coursework in Literature, History, Math, Science, the Arts, Communication, Written Analysis and Expression, and a Foreign Language. More detailed information is available in the School of Education Graduate Catalog. To be certified in states other than New York, the student is urged to find out about the certification procedures of each state by calling the specific State Education Department, Division of Teacher Certification.

Transfer Credits

Matriculated masters and advanced certification program students may transfer credits. Appropriate graduate-level courses completed at other institutions, up to a maximum of six credits, provided that the coursework was taken within the last ten years, is determined by the faculty to be appropriate for their program, may be accepted towards a degree. Each course must have been completed with at least a grade of B+ at an accredited institution of higher learning within a five-year period of matriculation and must be directly related to the candidate's proposed program of study. Candidates should file a written request with the School of Education to have course credits considered for transfer. If at all possible, such requests should be made in advance of taking the course.

Additional credits beyond the maximum of six from selected institutions will be considered in very limited instances at the discretion of the college. We apply this largely to students transferring from our immediate regional competitors, notably LIU-Westchester and Fordham-Westchester.

Writing Assessment

All graduate students must complete the Manhattanville Writing Assessment during their first 6 credits. Students who do not achieve a satisfactory rating may be required to complete the graduate education writing tutorial during their next semester of study or may be prohibited from continuing in the graduate education program. Arrangements to complete the assessment are made through the Graduate Advising Office.

Comprehensive Examination/Final Project/Culminating Experience Report

The New York State Department of Education has mandated that all Master degree candidates must complete a final project as part of their requirements for graduation. For most candidates this will be a comprehensive written examination. With the approval of the School of Education faculty, students in Music, Art, TESOL or Foreign Language Instruction may complete an integrative project in lieu of the exam. Students taking the comprehensive examination must successfully complete it in the semester prior to their final semester. Students who are qualified to do a final project should complete that project in the semester before their final semester. A student who does not pass must retake their exam or revise the final project. Fall and Spring exam/project application deadlines will be available in the School of Education office and on the Manhattanville website. Candidates in Childhood Education will complete a Culminating Experience Report instead of a Comprehensive Examination.

Grades

All education courses must be taken for a letter grade. In all graduate programs, the student must maintain a “B” average (cum. index of 3.00) for graduation. Courses graded below “C” will not be counted toward the degree. The School of Education Review Committee may review the student’s records if he/she has received a grade below “B-”. After such a review, the Committee may:

• Require the student to repeat the course; or
• Ask the student to complete an equivalent course; and
• Refuse to count the course toward the program; and/or
• Deny the student permission to register for further study at Manhattanville's School of Education.
• If the student receives a “C” or below in any student teaching course, he/she may repeat the course only once. Any request for a change in grade must be requested within four months of the posting.

Grievance Procedure for Graduate Students

At Manhattanville, grievance procedures exist for students who feel they have received truly biased or unfair treatment by a faculty member.

If the student and faculty member cannot resolve the problem through direct discussion in a mutually satisfactory manner, the student should bring the matter in writing to the attention of the appropriate department chair (or the Associate Dean for Graduate Advising if the faculty member and chair are one and the same.) This must happen within one semester of the claimed instance.

If the matter cannot be resolved at this level, the student has the right to bring the issue in writing to the Associate Dean for Graduate Advising. This must be done within five business days of the latest communication with faculty or chair. The Associate Dean will convene the Graduate Review Committee, who will make a determination. The Associate Dean will communicate the results in writing to the student.

If the issue remains open, the student may appeal in writing within five business days of receipt of communication from the Associate Dean to the Dean of the School of Education, who will form a grievance committee for a formal hearing. The members of the committee will be the Provost, an Associate Dean, and one faculty member, either from the college or the School of Education. The Dean of the School of Education will serve ex-officio. The decision of the grievance committee will be conveyed by letter to the concerned parties.

The decision of the grievance committee may be appealed to the President only on the basis of procedural unfairness or new evidence that might result in a different decision. Such an appeal must be made in writing within 5 business days after receipt of the letter from the grievance committee.