Teacher Certification

• Requirements for New York State Initial Teaching Certificate
• SUNY Cortland Teacher Certification Exam Pass-Rates

Requirements for New York State Initial Teaching Certificate

Completion of All Degree and Certification Requirements Prior to Graduation

The undergraduate degree may not be posted nor an official transcript produced without the completion of the relevant teacher certification requirements for the applicable undergraduate degree program. These requirements include, but are not limited to:

• Completion of all degree requirements for an approved teacher certification program at SUNY Cortland
• Completion of a workshop of two clock hours on Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting (CARR)
• Completion of a workshop of six clock hours on Dignity for All Students Act (DASA)
• Completion of a workshop of two clock hours on Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE)

Information about the three workshops is available through the Field Experience and School Partnerships Office. Candidates register for these workshops as they would register for a class during the specified online registration period.

Please consult the department with regard to additional specific certification requirements for your program.

Upon completion of all the degree requirements, including the three workshops, and any departmental requirements, the graduate will be recommended by SUNY Cortland for certification to the New York State Education Department. Candidates must complete the online TEACH Authorization Form to authorize the university to make this recommendation.

The New York State Education Department requires the following prior to actually awarding the teaching certificate:

• Filing the online application for certification to the New York State Education Department, Office of Teaching Initiatives
• The payment of the certification application fee to the New York State Education Department
• A criminal background check and fingerprinting. Information about fingerprinting requirements is available at Career Services.
• Passing scores on all required New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE). The department should be consulted for details. NYSTCE registration information is available at Career Services. Additional information regarding certification requirements can be found on the NYSED Certification webpage.​ Career Services, Van Hoesen Hall, Room B-5, 607-753-4715, is also available to answer questions on teacher certification.

Criteria for Admission to the Teacher Education Program

Please consult the appropriate academic department for admission requirements.

Job Placement Availability

The New York State Education Department requires publication of statistics regarding labor market and job availability for teachers. These may be accessed at the following Web sites: aaee.org for national statistics and www.highered.nysed.gov/ for statewide statistics. Contact Career Services for information regarding Cortland graduates.

SUNY Cortland Teacher Certification Exam Pass Rates

All graduates of teacher preparation programs must pass New York state teacher certification exams in order to be granted Initial Certification in Teacher Education to teach in New York state. The table below presents the pass rates by SUNY Cortland graduates on the New York State Teacher Certification Examination (NYSTCE).

Since its founding in 1868, SUNY Cortland has maintained a long and distinguished history in preparing high-quality teachers. The university's teacher education programs are highly recognized both regionally and nationally. Among SUNY institutions, SUNY Cortland prepares the largest number of teachers and ranks in the top 20 colleges nationally in terms of the number of teachers that graduate each year.

Program completers in this table are defined as undergraduate and graduate students receiving a degree between Sept. 1, 2022, and Aug. 31, 2023, and who have taken the NYSTCE exams. While most graduates take one or more of these exams, they are not a graduation requirement at SUNY Cortland for bachelor's and master's programs.