I’d like to be become a High School Spanish & Italian teacher in NY. I am trying to decide between 3 schools with different paths:
#1 - Offers undergraduates degrees in Spanish, Italian and Foreign Language education and the option to get my Mat in year 5. Other masters (tesol, foreign language Ed, bilingual Ed) are also available. I can do:
- BA in Spanish with a co-major BA in foreign language education & minor in Italian. Then start masters year 5.
Or
- double major in Spanish & Italian and get my Mat in education in year 5.
#2 - Only offer the 5 Yr dual degree in Spanish & Education with minor in Italian. I’d get a BA in Spanish with minor in Italian and a Mat in education in year 5.
So my questions are:
- Is there any advantage to getting the education degree at the undergraduate level vs having to do the 5th year to get the education degree at masters level?
- Can I teach in NY schools with a BA in Ed or do most high schools require a masters in Ed to get hired?
- If I can get hired with BA in Ed, how likely would the school be to pay part of my masters program?
- Can I teach with a minor in the second language? Or do I really need 30 credits in each language to get certified?
Do you live out of state and wish to teach in NY after you graduate?
The short answer is yes, you can teach with a BA in education, but you have five years to get a masters. If you attend a SUNY college you can get a BA in adolescent education 7-12 Spanish, adolescent education 7-12 biology, etc. If you attend one of the four universities (Buffalo etc) then most people major in a subject area (history, Spanish etc) and stay for the fifth year to get the masters.
Some people do alternate route (City Year etc) and get the masters right away while working. They were not education majors.
Whether the district pays or not…depends on the district. Some districts have money to help pay for classes.
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Are you talking about teaching in public or private schools? Assuming public:
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You have to get the MEd for NYS anyway
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You have 5 years from getting your BA before you have to have your Masters.
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Funding MEd:
NYS Higher Education Services Corporation - NYS Masters-in-Education Teacher Incentive Scholarship
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Afaik, you need 30 hours in each subject you want to teach.
Thanks so much for the helpful info. I live in NY and want to teach in NY, so my HS Italian teacher recommended that I apply to NY colleges only to make certification easier.
An Italian major is only offered at SUNY Stony Brook & Binghamton. I got into SB but still haven’t heard back from Bing bc I applied in Jan as regular decision.
I got the same exact scholarships from all private schools. Iona & Marist would cost the same as a Suny. Hofstra has a higher tuition so that would cost more even though the scholarship was the same.
Which school is best for education majors? Stony Brook, Hofstra, Marist or Iona? I’ve read negative things about SB for education - that grads don’t feel prepared- so I’m leaning towards the private schools.
If you attend SB I assume you would major in Italian (and possibly Spanish) and stay for a fifth year and get a masters? SB is a very good school- I can’t imagine being unprepared to teach if you go there.
FYI first year teachers often feel unprepared to teach, regardless of the school. Teaching can be very overwhelming for new teachers, and it takes time for your skills to develop.
I would not pay more to attend Hofstra over SB. Did you visit Marist and Iona?
Thanks for the helpful info. Yes, public schools is where I’d prefer to teach. I wasn’t aware of the NYS funding for the masters program - great to know! Thanks too for confirming that I need 30 credits to teach each language. So basically if I minor in Italian I’d have to take 12 more credits after graduation (or perhaps each summer) to get the additional credits.
I visited each school once. Going back to accepted students day starting next weekend.
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My other concern is that Italian is not a common major. I need to find out how many Italian majors there are and if classes get canceled if there is not enough interest.
Would you consider a double major in Spanish and Italian and doing the fifth year masters in adolescent education?
Do the private schools have an undergraduate education major (ie adolescent education 7-12 Spanish, etc)?
** I just looked at Marist and they have an undergraduate adolescent education 7-12 Spanish (not Italian) with a fifth year masters.
Yes, I would consider the double major in Italian and Spanish and MAT in Education. That would rule out Iona bc they only have Italian as a minor. Marist has lots of Ed classes in the Spanish teacher program and are telling me I can only minor in Italian.
The only private school that offers an Undergraduate education major is Hofstra. Their program is major in language with co-major in foreign language education.
Will you have access to a car for student teaching? Do you know where the schools will send you to student teach? Did you apply to any of the smaller SUNY schools that have undergrad majors in education?
Are your scholarships only for undergrad, or do they include the masters portion?
Yes I’d have access to a car when the time comes to student teach. Not sure where the schools place students for student teaching.
No I did not apply to any other Sunys bc none offered a minor in Italian. At the very least I wanted a school that offered a mlnor in Italian. I’m taking Suny Italian V now in HS and the other Sunys only had Italian classes below what I’m currently taking.
My scholarships are only for undergraduate
If I do the double major in Spanish & Italian and take no Ed classes in my undergraduate, I don’t think I can complete the Mat in one year. I think the dual degree programs have you take around 12 Ed courses at the undergraduate level which can be used towards the mat.
I would compare the costs between the schools, taking the masters into account. All of these schools will lead to a degree in education.
Yes, I agree that I need to factor in the cost of the MA as well. That’s why I was wondering if the undergraduate in Ed was the way to go. If I can get hired after 4 years and then do my masters at night and have the school I work at pay for part of my masters, I wouldn’t have to incur the tuition & room/board for year 5 and could be in the workforce sooner.
Hofstra is the only school with an undergrad education major, but it costs more? How much more?
There is no guarantee that the district will pay for a masters. I would not count on it, and if it happens it’s a pleasant surprise.
I would go to Stony Brook or Binghamton and stay for the fifth year, if it is affordable. The alternative is to go to Hofstra and work while completing your masters part time.
If you attend SUNY with a masters your starting salary will be higher.
All very good points!! From a cost standpoint, I agree that the 5 year program is the way to go. Perhaps major in Spanish & get MAT in year 5. Then I only need 12 more credits in Italian which hopefully won’t be that hard to do. I’m concerned that doing the double major in Spanish & Italian and Mat afterwards will keep me in school longer than 5 years to get the ed degree and that would increase costs significantly.
Attending Hofstra and then working while getting your masters part time - it could take you 2 or 3 years.
Going to Stony Brook or Bing and staying for the fifth year- you would be making the higher salary for a few years. Then you could work on your MA + 15 sooner. This is what I would do- these are very good schools.
I would speak to the schools about getting the credits you need in Italian.
Thanks so much for all your input twogirls. Hopefully the accepted students days and looking at costs taking the masters into account will help me make the best decision.
Thanks again & enjoy the rest of your weekend!