Professional Licensure Disclosure Statement
Purpose
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University offers several programs leading to professional licensure within the State of New York through in-person and online program delivery. States vary in what professions they require to be licensed/certified and how licensure/certification is acquired. Some states require an individual to graduate from an accredited program. Others require individuals to obtain additional coursework, additional fieldwork, background checks, passage of additional state licensing exams, additional fees, or other requirements.
Accreditation Statement
The State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University is an accredited institution and a member of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE or the Commission) https://www.msche.org/. DHSU’s accreditation status is Accreditation Reaffirmed. The Commission’s most recent action on the institution’s accreditation status on November 17, 2016 was to reaffirm accreditation. MSCHE is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education to conduct accreditation and pre-accreditation (candidate status) activities for institutions of higher education including distance, correspondence education, and direct assessment programs offered at those institutions. The Commission’s geographic area of accrediting activities is throughout the United States. For more information, please see Downstate's Statement of Accreditation Status https://www.msche.org/institution/0398/.
State Authorization
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA), which allows us to provide distance learning programs and coursework to residents of states other than New York. NC-SARA membership, however, does not grant reciprocity or exempt us from state professional licensing requirements. As a result, licensing requirements in New York may not be recognized as sufficient to obtain a license in any other state.
Relocation
Should a student relocate during the course of a program to another state, it may impact the student’s ability to remain in the program, meet the state licensure requirements, and/or continue to receive financial aid funding. Prior to considering relocation, please contact your program to discuss authorization and licensure eligibility requirements.
International Students
Prior to enrolling in any program at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, prospective students living and/or working outside of the United States should confirm with the appropriate certifying agency whether successful completion of any degree program at Downstate will meet the credentialing requirements of the country in which they intend to seek employment, as to certain types of employment or for advanced/specialized educational programs.
Professional Licensure Requirements
Effective July 1, 2024, federal regulations require institutions of higher education, including SUNY Downstate, to make a determination whether a Title IV eligible academic program that leads to professional licensure or certification meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification in the U.S. State where the institution is located and the U.S. States where “distance education” students are located at the time of initial enrollment in the program, as well as U.S. States where the program is advertised as meeting such requirements, and if applicable, the U.S. State where students attest they intend to be licensed/certified. The below programs at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University are registered by the New York State Education Department and thus meets the initial educational requirements for licensure/certification for New York State. Our academic programs leading to licensure only accept distance education students who are located in and intend to practice in New York State. Should you move to or decide to practice in another state, it is important to note that SUNY Downstate is not the licensure/certification authority in those U.S. States and cannot assess whether an individual candidate will be issued a license/certificate in those U.S. States and instead it is incumbent on each individual candidate to contact the licensure/certification authority in the applicable U.S. State for any further guidance on the requirements for licensure/certification requirements and application processes.
Programs this applies to:
- College of Medicine: Doctor of Medicine
- College of Nursing: Accelerated Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing; the Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science program in Nursing; Masters of Science in Nursing- with concentrations in Family Nurse Practitioner, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner; Advanced Certificate in Family Nurse Practitioner, Advanced Certificate in Women’s Health Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and Doctor of Nursing Practice
- School of Health Professions: Bachelor of Science in Diagnostic Medical Imaging-Sonography; Master of Science and Advanced Certificate in Midwifery; Master of Science in Occupational Therapy; Master of Science in Physician Assistant; Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis; Doctor of Occupational Therapy; and Doctor of Physical Therapy.
Last Updated: July, 2024
College of Medicine
This Disclosure is strictly limited to the SUNY Downstate’s determination of whether its educational programs, specifically the following program(s): Doctor of Medicine — that if successfully completed, would be sufficient to meet the educational licensure and/or certification requirements in a State for the practice of medicine. SUNY Downstate cannot provide verification of an individual’s ability to meet licensure and/or certification requirements unrelated to its educational programming. Such individual determinations are made by state licensing boards, and are fact-specific determinations.
Read College of Medicine Disclosure
College of Nursing
This Disclosure is strictly limited to the SUNY Downstate’s determination of whether its educational programs, specifically the following programs: Accelerated Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing; the Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science program in Nursing; Masters of Science in Nursing- with concentrations in Family Nurse Practitioner, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Midwifery; Advanced Certificate in Family Nurse Practiitioner, Advanced Certificate in Nursing Education and Women’s Health Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and Doctor of Nursing Practice — that if successfully completed, would be sufficient to meet the educational licensure and/or certification requirements in a State for the practice of nursing. SUNY Downstate cannot provide verification of an individual’s ability to meet licensure and/or certification requirements unrelated to its educational programming. Such individual determinations are made by state licensing boards, and are fact-specific determinations.
Read College of Nursing Disclosure
School of Health Professions
This Disclosure is strictly limited to the SUNY Downstate’s determination of whether its educational programs, specifically the following programs: Bachelor of Sciences in Diagnostic Medical Imaging-Sonography; Masters of Sciences, Health Informatics; Master of Science and Advanced Certificate in Midwifery; Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy; Bachelor of Science/Doctor of Physical Therapy in Physical Therapy and Master of Science in Physician Assistant — that if successfully completed, would be sufficient to meet the educational licensure and/or certification requirements in a State for the practice of Health Care Professions. SUNY Downstate cannot provide verification of an individual’s ability to meet licensure and/or certification requirements unrelated to its educational programming. Such individual determinations are made by state licensing boards and are fact-specific determinations.