Calculus 1
Calculus is one of NYSED's own examples of acceptable mathematics content.
Self-paced online Calculus 1 course (Math 165). NCCRS recommends 4 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →New YorkTeachers
Missing content core credits for New York teacher certification? What counts and how to fill the gap
Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
The short answer
New York teacher certification by individual evaluation needs a 30 semester hour content core in the subject, or 18 hours for a certified teacher adding a middle childhood or adolescence title since April 2025. NYSED counts only college coursework from an institutionally accredited, degree-granting college, with a C or better. It never approves a course in advance.
The rule
Under 8 NYCRR 80-3.7, a candidate certified through individual evaluation completes a 30 semester hour content core in the subject of the certificate, while a teacher who already holds a New York classroom certificate and seeks an additional middle childhood or adolescence certificate completes 18 semester hours, under an amendment effective 23 April 2025.
The rule asks for 30 semester hours (content core, individual evaluation); 18 semester hours for certified teachers adding a middle childhood or adolescence title. The legal source is 8 NYCRR 80-3.7.
| Situation | Content core | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Individual evaluation, most subject titles | 30 semester hours in the subject | No more than 6 in a related cognate |
| Certified teacher adding a middle childhood or adolescence title | 18 semester hours in the subject | Amendment effective 23 April 2025 |
| Childhood education | 30 semester hours in the liberal arts and sciences | 6 each in math, science and social studies |
| Grades | Undergraduate C or better | Graduate B- or better |
| Does not count | CEU, professional development, audited, waived | Teaching methods courses too |
Who decides
New York State Education Department, Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) decides how this rule applies to you. We read its published rule and the pages below; each was checked on 15 Nov 2026.
Which credits count
What counts
- Courses on the official transcript of a degree-granting college accredited by a USDE-recognised institutional accreditor, offered for degree credit.
- Courses from a college department in the subject of the certificate, such as mathematics, biology, chemistry or history.
- Undergraduate grades of C or better; graduate grades of B- or better.
What does not count
- Professional development, continuing education (CEU), audited or waived courses.
- Teaching methods courses, even in the subject department.
- Science courses outside a pure science department, such as environmental science or engineering; finance or accounting for mathematics.
Courses that fit
Each course below is ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended for college credit. Whether it counts here is the decision of the college and of New York State Education Department, Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI).
Discrete Mathematics
Discrete mathematics is named in NYSED's mathematical processes description.
Self-paced online Discrete Mathematics course (Maths 230). NCCRS recommends 4 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Pre-Calculus
Algebra and trigonometry content for a mathematics content core.
Self-paced online Pre-Calculus course (MATH 115). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Intro to Biology 1
Pure biology content for a biology content core.
Self-paced online Intro to Biology 1 course (Biology 100). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
US History 1
United States history is part of the social studies content core.
Self-paced online US History 1 course (HIST 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →The path via a college transcript
- Read your noticeOpen the Notice of Unmet or Incomplete Requirements in TEACH and read the full requirement description for each content core item.
- Count the hoursAdd up the semester hours on your transcripts in the subject; the requirement is 30, or 18 if you already hold a classroom certificate and are adding a middle childhood or adolescence title.
- Pick subject coursesChoose courses a college subject department would list as core to a degree in that subject; avoid methods courses.
- Get it on a college transcriptThe credit must appear on an official transcript of a degree-granting, institutionally accredited college, offered for degree credit; ask that college in writing how it posts outside credit.
- Send transcripts togetherHave every college send official transcripts to OTI at once, before your application's 3-year window closes.
TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; NYSED decides at evaluation whether a course on that transcript meets your requirement.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
What it costs
| Option | Price | For this rule | Price checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPI Study PRO | $99 a month, every course | $99 for each month you are subscribed; take as many courses as you finish in that time | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning | $99 a month or $799 a year | Self-paced courses; the credit still has to reach a degree-granting college's transcript | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine | $99 a month + $79 a course | $474 in course fees for an 18 semester hour gap (six courses), plus the months you study | 15 Nov 2026 |
A SUNY or CUNY college's non-degree tuition is the other route; we did not confirm a current per-credit rate today, so none is listed. UPI Study PRO is $99 a month for as many courses as you finish, and the credit must still be posted by a college before NYSED sees it.
What UPI Study cannot do here
- UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited; our courses carry ACE or NCCRS credit recommendations, and NYSED reads only a college transcript.
- We cannot provide pedagogical core coursework; NYSED wants it from a college with an approved teacher education programme.
- We cannot say whether NYSED will count a course; no one can approve coursework before it is completed.
- We cannot send a transcript to OTI ourselves.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
Confirm in writing first
Ask the college that will post your credit, in writing, how the course will appear on its transcript and under which department, and keep the reply; NYSED itself reviews only at evaluation.
What the content core is
The content core is NYSED's word for the subject part of your preparation: the equivalent of a major in mathematics, biology, English or whatever title you seek. When you apply through individual evaluation, OTI reads your transcripts and compares them with the requirement for that title. If you fall short, your TEACH account shows a notice listing the unmet requirement and how many semester hours are missing.
Under 8 NYCRR 80-3.7, the content core is 30 semester hours for most titles, with no more than six hours in a related cognate. Since an amendment effective 23 April 2025, a teacher who already holds an initial, permanent or professional classroom certificate and is adding a middle childhood or adolescence title needs 18 semester hours in the new subject instead of 30.
- 30 semester hours: individual evaluation for most titles.
- 18 semester hours: certified teachers adding a grades 5-9 or 7-12 subject.
- Childhood education: 30 hours across the liberal arts, with 6 each in math, science and social studies.
What NYSED counts
NYSED counts only college coursework: study taken for college credit at, or transferred to, a degree-granting institution, offered for degree credit. For the content core, the college must be accredited by an institutional accreditor recognised by the U.S. Department of Education. Undergraduate courses need a C or better.
The course also has to sit in the right department. NYSED gives its own examples: geometry, algebra and calculus count for mathematics, but accounting and finance do not; statistics counts up to 6 credits only from a math or statistics department. Biology, chemistry, earth science and physics courses count for science, but environmental science and engineering do not. Teaching methods courses never count toward the content core.
- Counts: subject courses on a degree-granting college's transcript, C or better.
- Does not count: CEU, professional development, audited or waived courses.
- Does not count: methods of teaching a subject, even inside that department.
Where UPI Study fits, and where it does not
UPI Study's subject courses carry ACE or NCCRS credit recommendations. NYSED does not read those recommendations directly; it reads a college transcript. So the route runs through a college: a degree-granting college reviews the recommendation and decides whether to post the credit, and NYSED then evaluates what appears on that transcript. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit, and they decide how outside credit appears on their transcripts.
NYSED states that neither OTI, BOCES offices nor colleges can approve a course before you complete it. That means no one, including us, can tell you in advance that NYSED will count a course. What you can do is ask the posting college in writing how the course will appear, and compare the course with your requirement description in TEACH. Pedagogy is outside our lane: NYSED wants it from a college with an approved teacher education programme.
Questions people ask
How many content core credits do I need for New York teacher certification?
Through individual evaluation, most titles need 30 semester hours in the subject, with no more than six in a related cognate. Since 23 April 2025, a teacher who already holds a New York classroom certificate and is adding a middle childhood or adolescence title needs 18 semester hours in the new subject.
Does NYSED pre-approve a course?
No. NYSED says the Office of Teaching Initiatives, BOCES certification offices and college staff cannot approve coursework before it is completed, and requests for prior approval are not reviewed. Use the requirement description in your TEACH account and NYSED's examples of acceptable coursework to choose a course.
Do online or professional development courses count?
Online college courses can count if they are offered for degree credit by a degree-granting, institutionally accredited college and appear on its transcript. Professional development, continuing education and CEU courses, audited courses and waived courses do not count toward the content core, whatever their subject.
What grade do I need?
Undergraduate content core courses need a C or better, and graduate courses a B- or better. The regulation also asks for a 2.5 cumulative grade point average in the programme or programmes leading to the degree you use for certification. Check your transcript before you count a course.
Can UPI Study courses count toward my content core?
Only through a college transcript. Our courses carry ACE or NCCRS credit recommendations; a degree-granting college decides whether to post that credit, and NYSED then decides at evaluation whether the course meets your requirement. No one can confirm that in advance, so ask the posting college in writing how the course will appear first.
Does environmental science count for earth science?
No. NYSED lists environmental science, engineering, wildlife management and soil management among courses that are not acceptable science courses. Geophysics counts as earth science, and biochemistry counts as biology or chemistry depending on the department that offers it. Choose courses from a pure science department.
Read next
- NYSED Notice of Unmet Requirements: how to fill content core creditsA NYSED notice of unmet requirements lists each certification requirement your transcripts did not meet. For content core, it means you are short of...
- 30 or 18 credits? The 2025 New York content core change explainedNew York's content core is 30 semester hours for most individual evaluation applicants. An amendment to 8 NYCRR 80-3.7, effective 23 April 2025, cut...
- Why NYSED needs the credit on a college transcript (and how that works with NCCRS recommendations)NYSED college coursework means study taken for college credit at, or transferred to, a degree-granting institution, offered for degree credit. OTI...
The same topic in nearby states
Ready when you have it in writing
Check your TEACH requirement description first, ask the posting college in writing, then take the subject courses at your own pace.
Sources
- NYSED: Colleges and College Coursework (official)College coursework is study taken for college credit at, or transferred to, a degree-granting institution approved by the Commissioner or an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and offered for degree credit. Content core must come from an institution accredited by a USDE-recognised institutional accreditor; undergraduate grade C or better, graduate B-. Professional development, CEU, audited and waived courses do not count. OTI, BOCES and colleges cannot approve coursework before it is completed. Pedagogical coursework must come from a college with an approved teacher education programme. Statistics from a math or statistics department counts up to 6 credits for mathematics; environmental science and engineering are not acceptable science courses. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- 8 NYCRR 80-3.7 (Cornell LII text)Individual evaluation: content core of 30 semester hours in the subject, no more than 6 in a cognate; middle childhood and adolescence titles 30 semester hours, or 18 for holders of an initial, permanent or professional classroom certificate seeking an additional such certificate; childhood content core 30 semester hours in the liberal arts and sciences with 6 each in math, science and social studies; 2.5 GPA. Last amended eff. 4/23/2025. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- NYSED: Individual Evaluation of U.S. Credentials (official)Official transcripts from all colleges attended, including transfer credit on original transcripts; applications valid 3 years or two manual evaluations; a Notice of Incomplete Requirements lists unmet items. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Sophia: Plans and pricingPrice for Sophia Learning, checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- StraighterLine: PricingPrice for StraighterLine, checked on 15 Nov 2026.