Experience It.

Canadian Education Program

Teacher Certification Requirements

Students who complete the program earn a master of science in education degree and are eligible for certification to teach in Ontario and New York State. Elementary Education (Grades 1-6) corresponds to Primary/Junior (K-6) in Ontario, and Adolescent Education: (Grades 7-12) corresponds to Intermediate/Senior (7-12) in Ontario.

Students in the Adolescent Education program will receive one teachable subject and qualifiy to teach in that subject within the Province of Ontario. The Ontario College of Teachers requires that all adolescent education students upgrade for a second teachable subject within six years. This can be completed by taking Additional Qualification courses approved by the OCT after you obtain your certificate of qualification.

Step 1: Liberal Arts and Sciences Requirements

  • A baccalaureate degree with a concentration of 30 semester hours of college level credit in one of the liberal arts and sciences; in the case of the Adolescent Education Program, applicants must have a concentration in one of English, French, Mathematics, Biology, or Chemistry, depending on the student’s certification area.
  • 3 credit hours in each of the following  (examples are included):
    Artistic Expression:     Art history, art appreciation, music history, music appreciation, dance appreciation, theatre appreciation, theatre history, creative witting, file appreciation
    Communication: Speech, writing
    Written Analysis & Expression: Composition, writing, English, literature
    Information Retrieval: Any course involving research
    History & Social Science: Sociology, cultural studies, history, psychology, anthropology, political science, economics, cultural geography, woman studies, criminal justice
    Humanities: Composition, literature, creative writing, linguistics, public speaking, philosophy, ethics, history of religion
    Scientific and Mathematic Processes: Algebra, calculus, statistics, biology, zoology, anatomy, physiology, physics, chemistry, geology, physical geography
  • At least three credits of language other than English or 2 years of high school language

3 credit hours is equivalent to one half credit course in Ontario

Step 2:  Education Coursework

Elementary Education Courses 36 credits

Adolescent Education Courses 24 credits*

Step 3: Student Teaching  (6 credits)

Approximately 14 weeks
Elementary Education
Primary Placement -Grades 1-3 (7 weeks)
Junior Placement – Grades 4-6 (7 weeks)

Adolescent Education
Intermediate Placement – Grades 7-10 (7 weeks)
Senior Placement – Grades 11-12 (7 weeks)

Step 4 – Certification Examinations

NYS Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST)
NYS Assessment of Teaching Skills-Written (ATS-W) – Elementary or Secondary
NYS Content Specialty Test (CST) – Elementary (Multi-Subject), Adolescent* (French, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry or English/Language Arts)

* A comprehensive examination must be written and passed as part of the program completion requirement.