This area is likely to see a dramatic decrease in educators due to many of them planning their retirements. That anticipated need has allowed Utica College to offer a unique program for those young people interested in the field of education.

The shortage is indeed concerning and Utica College officials say the impact is already being felt. According to college officials, "Enrollment in teacher education programs across the state has dropped 47 percent since 2009, according to New York State United Teachers Union (NYSUT)." Officials with NYSUT believe that one-third of the state's teachers may be retired in the next 5 years.

Utica College officials say in the Summer 2021 they hope to prepare for a potential educator shortage by offering the Transitional B Apprentice Teacher Certification Program which will begin in May. What does the program consist of? Officials say "During the summer session of the program, students must complete 10 graduate credit hours, 40 hours of fieldwork, and pass the content specialty teacher certification test (CST) and the Educating All Students teacher certification test (EAS) given through the NYS Department of Education." The program is available to anyone who has earned a Bachelor's degree in what the college calls "high-need" areas. Those majors are English, French, social studies, Spanish, biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, mathematics and technology.

John Rowe is the Executive Director of Graduate Admissions at Utica College. Rowe says the program is quite competitive and spots are limited. The application deadline is Monday, February 15th, 2021. The 16-week intensive pre-service course of study is tentatively scheduled to run from May 1st through Aug. 24th. For more information, contact graduate admissions at 315-792-3010.

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