The Internship certificate enables teacher candidates who are enrolled in a NYS registered graduate teacher education program leading to teacher certification to work as a certified teacher in a New York State public school in the area of the certificate being sought during their internship experience.  

An “internship” is the student teaching experience in a teacher preparation program.

The internship certificate cannot be issued any other semester than the student teaching.

Clinical experiences prior to the internship are not considered part of the internship (e.g., 100 clock hours of field experiences prior to student teaching are not part of the internship).

Candidates may only receive an Internship Certificate in the area of their employment.  The area of employment must meet the requirements of their program include grade level range, content area, etc.

Candidates must be supervised by program faculty and appropriately certified school personnel in the area of the certificate sought, according to the New York State regulations and program requirements.

Approval for an internship certificate is at the discretion of the teacher candidate’s School of Education Program Director, in coordination with the Director of Clinical Experiences and Partnership, and the Certification Office.

The Internship certificate is valid for up to two years and cannot be renewed (extended). When a teacher candidates successfully completes their educator preparation program, the Internship certificate immediately expires and is no longer valid.

If a teacher candidate who holds the Internship certificate leaves the educator preparation program prior to graduating the Internship certificate will immediately expire.

If you believe you have met the requirements for an Internship Certificate, please follow the steps below.

1. Meet with the Internship Certificate Proposal Team including your Program Director, the Director of Clinical Experiences and Partnerships and the Director of Academic Support Services and Certification Officer, to discuss the possibility of completing an Internship for your Graduate Student Teaching or Graduate Practicum.
2. If determined to be eligible by the team above, complete the Internship Certificate Proposal for Graduate Student Teaching or Graduate Practicum . Please remember to include the following in your application packet:
   
1. A letter from the school district’s human resources office verifying your employment including your start date, end date, job-title, responsibilities and full-time employment status.
2. The Plan for Program Completion Form with the signature of the Program Director including the courses remaining and the semester they are scheduled to be completed.
3. A copy of your daily schedule.
4. A detailed summary of your classroom duties and responsibilities.
3. When Nazareth's Office of Teacher Certification has reviewed your proposal and confirmed that you have met all eligibility requirements, the Certification Office will email you to apply for certification through NYSED-TEACH System.
4. Apply for an Internship Certificate on the NYSED-TEACH System. Please note:
• Please follow the Instructions to Apply for Certification to apply for the Internship Certificate.
• You are responsible for paying the application fee on the NYSED-TEACH website. 
5. Email the Office of Teacher Certification once you have applied on TEACH.
6. The Office of Certification will recommend you to the New York State Education Department to receive the certificate. Remember the Certification Office can only recommend you during your internship semester. 
7. You do not have an internship certificate until you have applied online through the NYSED-TEACH System, Nazareth College has recommended you in the TEACH system and the State has approved your application.
8. Once granted, your Internship Certificate is maintained electronically in the TEACH system. (No actual paper certificate is generated.)

Teacher Candidates must meet ALL of the following to be eligible for an Internship Certificate:

• Be a graduate student enrolled in a program leading to teacher certification. 
• Have completed at least 50% of the required coursework.
• Have a 3.5 GPA or Higher.
• Have been hired, or received a hiring offer, in a full-time teaching position that matches the area of teacher certification of your program.
• Have completed all undergraduate prerequisites courses as identified by the Nazareth University Certification Office.
• Have completed the DASA workshop.
• Have completed the Health Education/Child Abuse/Violence Prevention and Intervention Workshop.
• Have completed their NYS fingerprint clearance.

If a teacher candidates meet all of these requirements, please follow the steps for applying for an internship certificate.

• Candidates will be required to register for the appropriate student teaching or graduate practicum course (see Program Director for more information).

• Candidates are responsible for completing all student teaching or graduate practicum requirements including attending the student teaching/graduate practicum orientation and all reflective seminars, having two observations by the college-based teacher educator, completing the NSTAR assessment (student teachers only), etc.

• Candidates who are registered for student teaching, will still be responsible to completing their second placement in their other area of certification. This may require taking time off or completing the experience in another semester. 

• Teacher candidates are responsible for completing the remainder of their coursework within two years of receiving their internship certificate.  After two years, the internship certificate will expire.

• An internship certificate cannot be renewed to complete the course above. 
• If a teacher candidate leaves the program before completing the requirements above, the Internship certificate will immediately expire upon leaving the program.
• Upon completing the requirements for their New York State certification and having their degree conferred by Nazareth University, the teacher candidate's internship certificate immediately expires.
• To maintain certification, the teacher candidate must have completed all New York State Certification Requirements including certification testing and have applied on the New York State Teach Website.