Science Education (BS): Physics Concentration
The Science Education: Physics concentration (BS) degree is one of five undergraduate degree options in the Science Education program in the Department of STEM Education.
This degree program prepares teacher-leaders to have a deep understanding of the pedagogical strategies to teach high school Physics. Students complete courses focused on Physics and Science education, obtain relevant pedagogical experiences while immersed in rich field experiences in science classrooms, and emphasize teaching science with technology. Upon successful completion of the program, students are recommended for an initial North Carolina teaching license in grades 9-12. They will be able to seek employment opportunities in education and make a positive difference in their communities.
The goals and objectives of the BS degree in Science Education are:
- To enable and ensure that each prospective teacher enriches his/her life through a comprehensive university education
- To develop the professional qualities and academic background needed to teach science to all student levels in the grade for which the teacher is certified
- To develop a general knowledge foundation upon which specialized professional knowledge is built, and upon which a well-rounded university education is the base
Coursework for the degree is divided into four types of knowledge:
- General pedagogical knowledge — the nature of learners and general principles of instruction
- Content-area knowledge — knowledge of the natural sciences
- Pedagogical content knowledge — principles of curriculum, instruction and assessment directly related to the natural sciences
- Context knowledge — understanding the culture of the school, community and society in which educational institutions exist and function
Students in this program also have the opportunity to participate in:
- Undergraduate research
- The student chapter of the NC Science Teachers Association (NCSTA), and other high impact experiences such as Passport to Success, SAY Village, and study abroad
- Outreach and tutoring in local schools
For more information about this program, visit our website.
Contact
Department of STEM Education
North Carolina State University
208 Poe Hall, 2310 Stinson Drive
Raleigh, NC 27695
Matt Reynolds, Ph.D.
Assistant Teaching Professor
Undergraduate and MAT Program Coordinator for Science Education
NC State University Campus Box 7801
Poe Hall 326P Raleigh, NC 27695
ced.ncsu.edu
Plan Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orientation | |||
| ED 100 | Intro to Education 1 | 2 | |
| or ED 150/151 | Students Advocating for Youth I | ||
| Communication/Advanced Writing | 3 | ||
Choose from: | |||
| Public Speaking | |||
| Interpersonal Communication | |||
| Argumentation and Advocacy | |||
| Science Communication and Public Engagement | |||
| Literature and Medicine | |||
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | |||
| Communication for Science and Research | |||
| Analysis of Scientific and Technical Writing | |||
| (Physics BA double major choose ENG 331 or ENG 333) | |||
| Mathematics | |||
| MA 141 | Calculus I | 4 | |
| MA 241 | Calculus II | 4 | |
| MA 242 | Calculus III | 4 | |
| MA 341 | Applied Differential Equations I | 3 | |
| Sciences | |||
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity 2 | 4 | |
| BIO 183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology 2 | 4 | |
| CH 101 & CH 102 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science and General Chemistry Laboratory 2 | 4 | |
| Earth and Environmental Science Electives 2 | 6 | ||
| PY 205 & PY 206 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists I and Physics for Engineers and Scientists I Laboratory 2 | 4 | |
| or PY 201 | University Physics I | ||
(Physics BA double major choose PY 201) | |||
| PY 208 & PY 209 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists II and Physics for Engineers and Scientists II Laboratory 2 | 4 | |
| or PY 202 | University Physics II | ||
(Physics BA double major choose PY 202) | |||
| Physics Electives 100/200 Level 2 | 3 | ||
(Physics BA double major choose PY 203) | |||
| Physics Electives 300/400 Level 2 | 9 | ||
| Advised Science Electives 2 | 6 | ||
| Science Education | |||
| EMS 205 | Introduction to Teaching Science 3 | 2 | |
| EMS 373 | Instructional Materials in Science 1 | 3 | |
| EMS 375 | Methods of Teaching Science I 3 | 3 | |
| EMS 475 | Methods of Teaching Science II 3 | 3 | |
| EMS 476 | Student Teaching in Science 3, 4 | 10 | |
| EMS 495 | Senior Seminar in Mathematics and Science Education 1, 4 | 2 | |
| General Education and Psychology | |||
| ED 204 | Introduction to Teaching in Today's Schools 1 | 2 | |
| EDP 304 | Educational Psychology 1 | 3 | |
| ED 311 & ED 312 | Classroom Assessment Principles and Practices and Classroom Assessment Principles and Practices Professional Learning Lab 1 | 3 | |
| ELP 344 | School and Society 1 | 3 | |
| ECI 416 | Teaching Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms 1 | 3 | |
| History and Philosophy of Science Education Elective | 3 | ||
| Free Electives | 0-4 | ||
| GEP Courses | |||
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 | |
| GEP Humanities (verify requirement) | 0-6 | ||
| GEP Social Sciences (verify requirement) | 0-6 | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | ||
| GEP Additional Breadth (Humanities/Social Sciences/Visual and Performing Arts) | 3 | ||
| GEP U.S. Diversity (verify requirement) | |||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | |||
| World Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | |||
| Total Hours | 120 | ||
- 1
A grade of C or higher is required.
- 2
A grade of C or higher is required for science content courses, up to two courses with a grade below a C is permitted
- 3
A grade of B- or higher is required.
- 4
Admission to the Professional Semester is required.
Earth and Environmental Science Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choose from: | |||
| Introduction to Environmental Sciences | |||
| Earth from Space | |||
| Water and the Environment | |||
| Climate Change and Sustainability | |||
| Energy and Environment | |||
| Earth System Science: Exploring the Connections | |||
| Geology I: Physical | |||
| Geology I Laboratory | |||
| Introduction to Weather and Climate | |||
| Introduction to Weather and Climate Laboratory | |||
| Environmental Issues in Water Resources | |||
| Introduction to Oceanography | |||
| Geology II: Historical | |||
| Oceanography Lab | |||
| Geology II Laboratory | |||
| Introduction to Atmospheric Sciences | |||
| Introduction to Coastal Environments | |||
| Introduction to Coastal Environments Laboratory | |||
| Human Dimensions of Climate Change | |||
| Environmental Geology | |||
| Fundamentals of Air Pollution | |||
| Fundamentals of Air Quality and Climate Change | |||
Physics Electives 100/200 Level
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choose from: | |||
| PY 123 | Stellar and Galactic Astronomy | 3 | |
| PY 124 | Solar System Astronomy | 3 | |
| PY 125 | Astronomy Laboratory | 1 | |
| PY 203 | University Physics III | 4 | |
| PY 251 | Introduction to Scientific Computing | 3 | |
| PY 252 | Instrumental and Data Analysis for Physics | 2 | |
| PY 299 | Special Problems in Physics | 1-3 | |
| Physics Electives 300/400 Level | |||
Physics Electives 300/400 Level
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choose from: | |||
| PY 301 | Introduction to Quantum Mechanics | 3 | |
| PY 328 | Stellar and Galactic Astrophysics | 3 | |
| PY 341 | Relativity, Gravitation and Cosmology | 3 | |
| PY 401 | Quantum Physics I | 3 | |
| PY 402 | Quantum Physics II | 3 | |
| PY 407 | Introduction to Modern Physics | 3 | |
| PY 411 | Mechanics I | 3 | |
| PY 412 | Mechanics II | 3 | |
| PY 413 | Thermal Physics | 3 | |
| PY 414 | Electromagnetism I | 3 | |
| PY 415 | Electromagnetism II | 3 | |
| PY 452 | Advanced Physics Laboratory | 3 | |
| PY 456 | Senior Design Project in Physics | 3 | |
| PY 489 | Solid State Solar and Thermal Energy Harvesting | 3 | |
| PY 495 | Special Topics in Physics | 1-4 | |
| PY 499 | Independent Research in Physics | 1-6 | |
Advised Science Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANY 200+ Level AEC, BIO, BCH, BSC, CH, ENT, ES, MB, MEA, PB, PY, ZO | |||
| ANY GEP Natural Sciences course (except BIO 105/106, CH 111) | |||
| ANS 150 | Introduction to Animal Science | 3 | |
| ANS 205 | Physiology of Domestic Animals | 3 | |
| ANS 206 | Anatomy of Domestic Animals Lab | 1 | |
| ANS 220 | Reproductive Physiology | 3 | |
| ANS 221 | Reproductive Physiology Lab | 1 | |
| BIO 165 | |||
| CS 211 | Plant Genetics | 3 | |
| ES 100 | Introduction to Environmental Sciences | 3 | |
| ES 111 | Applications of Environmental Sciences | 1 | |
| ES 150 | Water and the Environment | 3 | |
| FOR 252 | Introduction to Forest Science | 3 | |
| FOR 260 | Forest Ecology | 4 | |
| FOR 261 | Forest Communities | 2 | |
| FOR 264 | Forest Wildlife | 1 | |
| FOR 339 | |||
| FW 353 | Wildlife Management | 3 | |
| FW 404 | Wildlife Habitat Management | 3 | |
| FW 405 | Tropical Wildlife Ecology | 3 | |
| FW 444 | Mammalogy | 3 | |
| FW 453 | Principles of Wildlife Science | 4 | |
| FW 460 | International Wildlife Management and Conservation | 3 | |
| NR 303 | Humans and the Environment | 3 | |
| NR 406 | Conservation of Biological Diversity | 3 | |
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| ED 100 | Intro to Education 1 | 2 |
| PY 205 & PY 206 or PY 201 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists I 2 or University Physics I | 4 |
| MA 141 | Calculus I | 4 |
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| PY 208 & PY 209 or PY 202 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists II 2 or University Physics II | 4 |
| MA 241 | Calculus II | 4 |
| CH 101 & CH 102 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science and General Chemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Communication/Advanced Writing Req. | 3 | |
Choose from: | ||
| Public Speaking | ||
| Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Argumentation and Advocacy | ||
| Science Communication and Public Engagement | ||
| Literature and Medicine | ||
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | ||
| Communication for Science and Research | ||
| Analysis of Scientific and Technical Writing | ||
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Physics Elective 100/200 Level 2 | 3 | |
| MA 242 | Calculus III | 4 |
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity 2 | 4 |
| Earth and Environmental Science Elective 2 | 3 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| EMS 205 | Introduction to Teaching Science 3 | 2 |
| ED 204 | Introduction to Teaching in Today's Schools 1 | 2 |
| EDP 304 | Educational Psychology 1 | 3 |
| MA 341 | Applied Differential Equations I | 3 |
| BIO 183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology 2 | 4 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| EMS 373 | Instructional Materials in Science 1 | 3 |
| ELP 344 | School and Society 1 | 3 |
| History and Philosophy of Science Education Elective | 3 | |
| Physics Elective 300/400 Level | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| EMS 375 | Methods of Teaching Science I 3 | 3 |
| ED 311 & ED 312 | Classroom Assessment Principles and Practices and Classroom Assessment Principles and Practices Professional Learning Lab 1 | 3 |
| Physics Elective 300/400 Level 2 | 3 | |
| Earth and Environmental Science Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Advised Science Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| EMS 475 | Methods of Teaching Science II 3 | 3 |
| ECI 416 | Teaching Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms 1 | 3 |
| Physics Elective 300/400 Level 2 | 3 | |
| Advised Science Elective 2 | 3 | |
| GEP Additional Breadth (Humanities/Social Sciences/Visual and Performing Arts) | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| EMS 476 | Student Teaching in Science 1 | 10 |
| EMS 495 | Senior Seminar in Mathematics and Science Education 1 | 2 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- 1
A grade of C or better is required.
- 2
A grade of C or better is required, up to two courses with a grade below a C is permitted.
- 3
A grade of B- or better is required.
Career Opportunities
Career Titles
- Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary
- Biology Professor
- Chemistry Professor
- Elementary School Teacher
- Environmental Science Professor
- High School Teacher
- Middle School Teacher
- Physics Professor
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