Spring 2024 Update 
    
    Nov 22, 2024  
Spring 2024 Update [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Educational Theatre, P-12 (Certification), M.A.


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NY State Program Code: 35679
HEGIS CODE: 0899.00
CIP Code: 13.1324


(33-39 Credits)


Diane Caracciolo, Associate Professor, Program Advisor
Alumnae Hall, Room 115A
p - (516) 877-4099
f - (516) 877-4097
e - caraccio@adelphi.edu

FULLY ONLINE AND PERSONAL: Our three programs in Educational Theatre are fully online and freed from the constraints of traditional schedules and formats. The online learning communities we create are lively, meaningful, and deeply personal spaces to explore creativity and the arts supported by a university that has a long history of championing the arts as part of a rich and deeply human education. Students are offered personal advisement at all stages of the program to help them achieve their goals in a manner most suited to their individual needs.

INTEGRATED AND NON-TRADITIONAL:  Our courses are designed with a multi-arts approach that integrates creative writing, storytelling, movement, performance, and visual arts, and views traditional educational subjects such as literacy, special education, foundations, and psychology through a decidedly arts-based lens.

INNOVATIVE AND EXPERIENTIAL: Our core courses in Educational Theatre cultivate an experiential, exploratory approach to learning deepened by the Michael Chekhov system of mind-body awareness.

We offer two fully online Master of Arts programs and a fully online post-graduate Advanced Certificate.

The MA in Educational Theatre P-12

The MA in Eduational Theatre P-12 is a teacher certification program designed to address the needs of theatre majors who are interested in earning NYS certification in Theatre P-12. The program of study requires 33 credits and culminates with a student teaching semester taken at the end of the program. Applicants for this program must have successfully completed an undergraduate major in theatre or the equivalent. One hundred hours of pre-student teaching field work in classrooms and/or studios are required for NYS certification. These hours are attached to specific program courses.  In appropriate cases, such hours may be fulfilled in the student’s own theatre classroom or in a school location convenient to the student’s home.

English 7-12 or Social Studies 7-12 Additions

With the addition of 6 specialty graduate credits, qualified applicants may earn along with the Theatre P-12 certification, an English 7-12 or Social Studies 7-12 NYS teaching certificate. To qualify for an additional certificate, applicants must have completed a major in English or minimum of 30 credits in a range of approved literary topics or 21 credits in U.S. & World History and Geography plus coursework in geography, sociology, economics, political science, and psychology to equal a minimum of 30 credits.  Applicants to the program will receive a transcript evaluation which indicates any deficiencies in undergraduate content area for the certification(s) being sought, and students may opt to make up this work for college credit external to the degree requirements. If you are interested in pursuing an additional certificate, it will be important to contact an academic advisor early in your program for specific recommendations. Fifty additional hours of pre-student teaching fieldwork in an English or Social Studies 7-9 and 10-12 classroom setting is also required. The Content Specialty Test (CST) in English Language Arts  or Social Studies will be required in addition to the Theater CST.

MA in Educational Theatre, Storytelling and the Arts

The MA in Educational Theatre, Storytelling and the Arts is a non-certification program designed to nurture educators and other professionals who do not seek theatre certification. The program offers a rich array of multi-disciplinary courses in arts education, with a focus on creative dramatics and storytelling. Along with a range of Exploring the Arts electives, the program follows similar coursework to the certification program in Educational Theatre P-12, but has no specific content area requirements for admission and there are no fieldwork, student teaching or tests required.  This program supports educators of all content areas, who would like to discover how to integrate creativity, dramatic play, creative movement, creative writing, storytelling and the visual arts into their teaching practice or find new sources of inspiration for their related arts profession while networking with a national  community of creative practitioners. The non-certification program is open to all interested graduate candidates, regardless of prior study, and can meet the needs of already certified English, music, or dance teachers seeking a masters degree in a related area.

 Advanced Certificate in Educational Theatre P-12

For students who already hold a masters degree, we offer an advanced post-graduate certificate leading to NYS certification in Theatre, P-12. The Advanced Certificate Program requires as prerequisite 30 credits in theatre, undergraduate or graduate, and offers the student a program tailored to fulfill certification requirements in NYS, which ranges from 12-18 graduate credits depending on the student’s prior study in education.

Additional Certification Requirements

Students in  programs leading to NYS teacher certification in theatre must take and pass the required New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE), including the Educating All StudentsTest (EAS), Content Specialty Test (CST) in Theatre. Students seeking an additional certificate in English 7-12 or Social Studies 7-12 must also take the CST in English Language Arts or Social Studies.

Requirements for Educational Theatre, P-12 (Certification), M.A.


Addition of English 7-12 or Social Studies 7-12 Certification


Qualified students may apply for an additional teaching certificate in English 7-12 or Social Studies 7-12 with the addition of 6 credits.

Additional Requirements for Program Completion/State Certification


  • Satisfactory completion of Content Core Requirements including major in theatre or equivalent 30 credits. For addition of English certificate: Major in English or 30 credits of approved literary studies course work. For addition of Social Studies certificate: History major OR 21 credits in U. S.& World History and Geography plus approved coursework in geography, economics, political science, sociology, and psychology to equal at least 30 total credits.
  • Maintenance of 3.0 GPA in all program coursework
  • All teacher certification candidates must take and pass the New York State Teacher’s Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) required for their particular area of certification which includes the Educating All Students Test (EAS) and the Content Specialty Test (CST) in Theatre.  CST’s in English Language Arts or Social Studies are also required for the addition of these certifications.
  • Completion of three non-credit seminars: DASA (Dignity for All Students Act); Child Abuse Identification and Reporting; Violence Prevention and Intervention

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