Coordinator: Rebecca Jordan; Waller Hall, Room 209, 732-932-9164 (rcjordan@rci.rutgers.edu)
The education program is available to students in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) as a minor course of study. This SEBS minor is a prerequisite or "gateway" to a fifth year of study in the university's Graduate School of Education, which culminates in a master's degree with New Jersey certification as a teacher of science or agriculture.
Students in the science teacher education minor are eligible to apply to the Graduate School of Education during the spring semester of the junior year. If accepted, graduate-level study begins the summer after graduation, with program completion, including student teaching, projected to occur by the following May. At the undergraduate level, a minimum of 30 credits is required in life science (e.g., biology, animal, plant, etc.), physical science (e.g., physics, chemistry), or agricultural science. The professional education courses (listed below) are treated as unspecified elective credits in the student's major program. If a student is seeking to earn New Jersey Teacher Certification, they are encouraged to contact the Program in Science Learning (http://sciencelearning.rutgers.edu) or the Graduate School of Education as soon as possible because there are certain course and plan of study requirements that must be fulfilled before entry into the five-year graduate program.*
The science teacher education minor is also appropriate for students who may not wish to pursue a master's degree or teacher certification, but who wish to explore courses and other types of careers in education including environmental/outdoor education and agricultural/extension education.
Required courses (15)
05:300:200 Introduction to Teaching (3)
05:300:306 Educational Psychology: Principles of Classroom Learning (3)
05:300:401 Individual and Cultural Diversity in the Classroom (3)**
05:300:462 Demonstration and Technology in Science Education (3)
11:300:416 Environmental Education in the School Curriculum (3)
Two additional courses in one of the following strands:
1. Life Science Strand (6)
11:300:450 Biology and Society (3)
11:300:453 Teaching Life Science (3)
2. Physical Science Strand (6)
05:256:551 Development of Ideas in Physical Science (3)
05:256:552 Teaching Physical Science (3)
3. Agricultural Science Strand (6)
11:300:425 Development of Ideas in Teaching Agriculture (3)
11:300:426 Teaching Agriculture (3)
*Note to students who are taking the minor as a gateway to a fifth year of study in the Graduate School of Education. Certain general education courses required for New Jersey teacher certification and admittance to the Graduate School of Education's program must be completed in addition to the courses in this minor. A list of these courses is available in the Program in Science Learning Office of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Chosen carefully, these courses may also satisfy some of the school's core curriculum requirements. Upon spring graduation, students accepted into the Graduate School of Education's program will take 5 credits in the summer, 13 credits in the fall (including student teaching), and 12 credits in the spring to complete the program. Please consult with the teacher education coordinator of the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Dr. Rebecca Jordan (rcjordan@rci.rutgers.edu), for additional details.
