36 hours

Students must have obtained a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and have cumulative grade point average for all previous undergraduate courses of 2.6 or above on a 4-point scale. Students in the program are normally expected to already hold Clear Renewable T-4 (“full” initial) teacher certification in the state of Georgia, either in a Secondary Science field (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth/Space Sciences, “Broad Field” Secondary Science) or in Middle Grades Education with a specialization in science. Students with other backgrounds and interests (e.g., science teaching at the elementary or college level, in a corporate or military setting, or at an informal science education institution) may be accepted, but should realize that the primary focus of courses in Science Education is on classroom teaching in Grades 6-12.

The Graduate School website contains important details about the application process, orientation, and many other useful links to guide you through the process of attending UGA at the graduate level (https://grad.uga.edu/admissions/apply-now/). This program does not require a separate department supplemental program application. Required documents for this program include: transcripts, 3 letters of recommendation, resume, and statement of purpose. All documents should be uploaded to the application portal.

Science Education (18 hours)

ESCI 6230E

Environmental Science Education

3

ESCI 6240E

Integration of Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in Science Teaching

3

ESCI 6250E

Socio-Scientific Issues in Science Education

3

ESCI 6990E

Research Seminar in Science Education

3

ESCI 7040E

Strategies for Middle and Secondary School Science Teachers

3

ESCI 7080E

Curriculum Planning in Science Education

3

Educational Psychology (3 hours)

Choose 1 course(s) from the following:

EPSY 6010E

Foundations of Human Development for Education

3

EPSY 6060E

Foundations of Motivation for Education

3

EPSY 6800E

Foundations of Cognition for Education

3

Electives (15 hours)

Choose 15 credit hour(s) from the following:

Elective courses at the 6000-level or higher These may include courses in other fields/departments in MFECOE (with the most common areas for electives being EDIT, EDMG, LLED, and ETAP), or graduate-level courses in science content fields.

Endorsements - Optional

Students may choose to use some of these electives to pursue all or part of the coursework leading to an In-field Endorsement in either English for Speakers of Other Languages or Gifted Education. English for Speakers of Other Languages (https://coe.uga.edu/academics/non-degree/esol-endorsement)

LLED 5040E/7040E

Language and Culture in the Classroom

3

LLED 5630E/7630E

ESOL, Grades P-12

3

LLED 5730E/7730E

First and Second Language Acquisition and Development

3

Application to the endorsement program is required one semester in advance. Gifted Education (https://coe.uga.edu/academics/non-degree/gifted-field-endorsement/)

EPSY 5110E/7110E

Characteristics of Gifted Children and Youth

3

EPSY 7060E

Assessment of Gifted Children and Youth

3

EPSY 7230E

Strategies and Materials for the Gifted

3

EPSY 7250E

Program and Curriculum Development for the Gifted

3

Registration requires semester-by-semester permission of department.

Capstone Webinar Project

Each student will design and record a webinar that serves as a formal Comprehensive Examination for the degree. The specific topic may be drawn from any of those included in the courses in the program, the intended target audience is peers at the teacher's school or other educational institution, and the expected length is a minimum of approximately one-half hour. The project is normally submitted during the semester in which the student plans to graduate and is due three weeks before the Graduate School’s deadline for reporting the results of Comprehensive Examinations.

Select additional courses, as needed, in consultation with an advisor to meet the minimum number of required credit hours for this program.

Graduates of this program who hold a clear renewable T-4 teacher certification in a science field (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, and/or “Broad Field” Secondary Science) or in Middle Grades Education with a specialization in science will qualify for upgrade to T-5 certification upon graduation. Teachers with certification in Early Childhood Education and/or working at an elementary school (with a special interest in science) should check with the relevant certification agency (e.g., the Georgia Professional Standards Commission) about specific conditions for upgrade eligibility.