Majors & Minors

All graduates of the education degree programs at Old Westbury requesting initial certification must pass the Assessment of Teaching Skills - Written (ATS-W) components of the New York State Teacher Certification Examination (NYSTCE), the Liberal Arts and Science Test (LAST), and the Content Specialty Test (CST).

Students of the Childhood Education with Bilingual Extension (1-6) and Special Education with Bilingual Extension (1-6) programs must also pass the Bilingual Education Assessment (BEA), formerly the Target Language Proficiency Assessment and the English Language Proficiency Assessment.

Under an Interstate Agreement, the NYS initial certification facilitates receiving teaching certification in the majority of states.

Undergraduate Degrees

Childhood Education: SUNY College at Old Westbury offers New York State approved and registered undergraduate programs leading to initial certification in the following fields and continues to update programs to maintain compliance with New York State teacher education requirements:

• Childhood Education (1-6)
• Childhood Education with Bilingual Extension (1-6)

The programs of study leading to certification in these disciplines prepares graduates to teach in general childhood education classrooms. These majors provide a comprehensive understanding of human behavior and specifically emphasize the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development of children for successful learning in grades 1 through 6.

To accomplish that, these programs are unique in that they require extensive field experiences and a student teaching placement. Students are exposed to public school classrooms at the beginning - rather than end - of their training.

In upholding its liberal arts tradition, Old Westbury's School of Education requires that each Childhood Education major must complete eight courses in one of the following areas of concentration:

Courses in these concentrations are offered in conjunctions with other academic disciplines at Old Westbury.

Special Education: Today teachers work in classrooms that serve an increasingly diverse student population. Students come from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and some have special learning and developmental needs that must be addressed. Through the following degree programs, Old Westbury prepares teachers to meet the challenge of addressing those children's needs:

• Special Education/Childhood Education (1-6)
• Special Education with Bilingual Extension (1-6)

In addition to extensive liberal arts coursework (including multicultural social science and literature), most of the professional courses will integrate material on children with either typical or special needs who come from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Like all other teacher preparation programs at Old Westbury, students are introduced to the classroom through observations and practicum along with student teaching.

In upholding its liberal arts tradition, Old Westbury's School of Education requires that each Special Education major must complete eight courses in one of the following areas of concentration:

Courses in these concentrations are offered in conjunctions with other academic disciplines at Old Westbury.

Middle Childhood Education: SUNY College at Old Westbury offers New York State approved and registered undergraduate programs leading to initial certification in the following fields and continues to update programs to maintain compliance with New York State teacher education requirements:

• Middle Childhood Education (5-9) - Biology
• Middle Childhood Education (5-9) - Chemistry
• Middle Childhood Education (5-9) - Mathematics
• Middle Childhood Education(5-9) - Spanish

Students receive not only a strong practical training in educational modalities and strategies, but also the finest in discipline-specific coursework through the College's science, language and mathematics departments.

Further, these programs are unique in that they require student teaching experiences where students are exposed to public school classrooms at the beginning - as well as the end - of their training.

Adolescence Education: SUNY College at Old Westbury offers New York State approved and registered undergraduate programs leading to initial certification in the following fields and continues to update programs to maintain compliance with New York State teacher education requirements:

• Adolescence Education (7-12) - Biology
• Adolescence Education (7-12) - Chemistry
• Adolescence Education (7-12) - Mathematics
• Adolescence Education (7-12) - Social Studies
• Adolescence Education (7-12) - Spanish

The programs of study in this discipline integrate teacher preparation with the finest in discipline-specific coursework through the College's science, language and mathematics departments.

Further, these programs require student teaching experiences where students are exposed to public school classrooms at the beginning - as well as the end - of their training.

Did You Know?

Maryann De Leo, a 1977 graduate of the Media & Communications program within the American Studies Department, was honored with an Oscar in the Documentary Short Subject category at the 76th Annual Academy Awards for her work as producer and director of "Chernobyl Heart," a film about the effects of radiation on the children of Belarus, Russia, 16 years after the infamous nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl.

Among SUNY's comprehensive colleges, Old Westbury ranks among the highest in science and engineering funding to support competitive scientific research. Funding for research is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the New York State Department of Education.

35 Old Westbury students gave up their traditional Spring Break rituals in 2006 and instead volunteered their time and effort in New Orleans to aid recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.