It incorporates both New York State's new and more demanding regulations for teacher certification with the State's goal to offer today's student field-intensive programs with a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences. Forwarding thinking educators generally agree that preparing students to meet the professional challenges of the new millennium should require a master's degree in education after an academic bachelor's degree. Students in the STEP program major in a liberal arts subject in the College of Arts and Sciences during the undergraduate component of their program. After completing their undergraduate degree, STEP students immediately begin a Master's degree in childhood or adolescent education. Graduates who have successfully completed the fifth year of the program are then eligible for initial New York State certification in childhood or adolescent education with elective courses toward a second certification in a specialty field such as special education, literacy, or English as a Second Language.
Step is a competitive program.
Interested students must have good academic ability, good preprofessional personal characteristics, fine recommendations and be interviewed by an Adelphi faculty member. The fifth year is a dynamic experience, it's a year of professional preparation that culminates with a Master's degree in either childhood or adolescent education along with the University's recommendation for initial teacher certification. While students in the undergraduate component of STEP take education courses and participate in elementary and secondary schools as a complement to their college curriculum, the fifth year of study is devoted exclusively to professional-education course work, and more intense participation in school classrooms. Fifth-year students become integral parts of school communities, teaching individually and as part of teams, planning lessons, and pursuing action research. For teachers, this intellectual growth helps them make clear and ethical decisions both in the classroom and in life, and to bring the benefits of this kind of true education to the children and youth of tomorrow.