Drivers education certification

Courses are offered during the summer session and winter session.

Good driving habits start in the classroom. Schools everywhere are in need of more qualified driver and traffic safety educators as current instructors retire. SUNY Oswego is one of the few colleges in the state that offers flexible online training and practical learning that allows you to finish your certification for driver education in less than 12 months. 

Classes involved with receiving Drivers Instruction Certification:

SFE 551 Driver and Traffic Safety Education
(This is the FIRST of the sequence for provisional/initial certification. This course is REQUIRED.)  or experienced teachers desiring to meet New York State qualifications for instruction in secondary schools; prepares students to organize, teach and administer driver education. Emphasis is placed on materials and methods of teaching both the classroom and practice phases of a high school program. 6 Credits. This is a hybrid course offered every summer during sessions 2 & 3. The first four weeks of the course are online and the last two weeks are on campus. (View exact dates on MYOSWEGO webpage.) For more information please email: bradford.smith@oswego.edu

SFE 550 Fundamentals of Safety
Study of the fundamentals of safety including the accident problem and the societal impact, causation, and counter measures of accidents. Also, safety in the workplace, Occupational and Health and Safety Act regulations, home, school and recreational safety, traffic safety, and disaster safety. 3 Credits. 

SFE 560 Trends and Problems in Driver Education

For in-service teachers and supervisors of driver education. Selected instructional, supervisory and psychological aspects of traffic safety. Advanced techniques of instruction, new resources, research and professional problems. Prerequisite:  Successful completion of SFE 551 Driver and Traffic Safety Education. 3 Credits.

Here's a direct link to New York State Department of Education Driver and Traffic Safety Education Guidelines

Teacher of driver education and traffic safety education

  • Provisional/Initial (4-year) SFE 551** (6 hrs)
  • Permanent/Professional SFE 551** (6 hrs), SFE 550 (3 hrs)  and SFE 560 (3 hrs) total of 12 credit hours

** All courses except SFE 551 are offered on-line through SUNY Oswego and the SUNY Learning Network (SLN).  SFE 551 has a on-campus component.  Students must attend the on-campus (SUNY Oswego campus) to complete the course requirements.