SUNY at New Paltz

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Degrees Offered at SUNY New Paltz

SUNY New Paltz appears in our ranking of 50 Best Alternative Energy Colleges.

The State University of New York at New Paltz, otherwise known as SUNY New Paltz, is a liberal-arts college in upstate New York. As such, it provides students with a large array of curriculum choices from Business to Music Therapy. Budding musicians and artists have as many options as future scientists and accountants. There are also more than 50 undergraduate minors available in the catalog.

Most of the curricula involve 120-credit courses of study and combine core classes, major and minor classes, and practica, co-ops, and student teaching, depending on the degree. As an example, the bachelor’s degree in music is available as either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science. There are four main areas of study: general music, classical performance, jazz performance, and recording and electronic music. Each requires 53 or 54 credits of study. Each requires a capstone project, which would be either a recital, composition, or some similar item.

SUNY New Paltz’s claim to fame is its Music Therapy program. Students in that program earn a joint bachelor’s and master’s degree, and this involves practical teaching and field study as part of the overall curriculum.

At the graduate level, students have many other choices. A lot of the graduate programs are in education or its various subdisciplines. One of them is the Master of Arts in Teaching With a Concentration in Social Studies for Adolescents. Students learn techniques for teaching grades seven to 12 and how to implement those techniques in the social studies classroom. Students who complete the program will be recommended for immediate certification in the State of New York. Many courses at SUNY New Paltz are available online, but no degrees are offered solely online.

About SUNY New Paltz

The doors opened in 1828, and the school was then called the New Paltz Classical School. At that time, students could only study five subjects: Greek, Latin, reading, writing, and arithmetic. It was not an institution of higher learning at the time, however, and taught high-school courses. In 1884, the school burned to the ground, and it was decided to rebuild as a normal school. This is the basis for the school’s present focus on education degrees.

The school burned down again in 1906, and it was rebuilt in 1909. The “Old Main” building still stands. In 1938, the school became New York State Teacher’s College at New Paltz. Just a decade later, it was a founding member of the State University of New York system.

Today, the school ranks No. 41 in the North Region. U.S. News and World Report also ranks the school as No. 10 among “Best Public Schools” and No. 22 on the list of “Best Colleges for Veterans.” With a student-to-teacher ration of just 16-to-1, students receive much individual attention. SUNY New Paltz is a selective school and takes just 44 percent of applicants. In keeping with 21st-century sensibilities, the school has taken steps to rename many of the school’s dormitories and other buildings that were named after Huguenot slave owners.

SUNY New Paltz Accreditation Details

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education regionally accredited SUNY New Paltz. The college holds other accreditations from various granting bodies throughout the country. These include the:

  • National Association of Schools of Art and Design
  • National Association of Schools of Music
  • National Association of Schools of Theatre
  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
  • National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
  • American Music Therapy Association
  • American Chemical Society
  • Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
  • College Reading and Learning Association

SUNY New Paltz Application Requirements

Incoming freshmen must have completed the following in high school

  • Four years of English
  • Three years of social sciences
  • Three years of history
  • Three years of college preparatory mathematics
  • Three years of laboratory science
  • Two years of the same language other than English

The minimum SAT score required for entry is 1150, and the minimum ACT score for entry is 24. Students do not have to take both tests. Students must submit transcripts, letters of recommendation, and other “usual suspects” as well.

Graduate students in most areas of study must take the Graduate Record Examinations and must score at a certain level based upon their chosen fields. Students should check the website for those requirements. Each graduate discipline also has its own set of requirements, so students should make note of those too.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition at SUNY New Paltz is charged by the credit hour. All charges listed here reflect that unless otherwise marked. New York State residents pay $286. Graduate students pay $462. MBA candidates pay $619. Nonresident undergraduates pay $694, and nonresident undergraduates pay $944. Nonresident MBA candidates pay $1,016. Assorted fees come to about $200. Room and board cost $13,462 annually. So, the total cost for a resident undergraduate student taking 12 credits would be about $18,000.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is the starting point for any student looking for financial aid. The school and the government will use the information from the form to determine how much aid the student is entitled to receive. This aid may take the form of loans, grants, or scholarships, usually in combination.

Students may also choose to apply for private funding to help with their schooling costs. They must, however, include that aid on the FAFSA as an asset, which could affect the amount of need-based aid they receive. When it comes to loans, there are two types: subsidized and unsubsidized. With the former, the student is not responsible for the interest while enrolled in school. With the latter, the student is not only responsible for the interest but also for the interest on the interest.

SUNY New Paltz has come a long way since its humble normal-school beginnings. It looks to lead the way in the Hudson Valley for a long time to come.