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Gwinnett Center

National Science Teachers Association
(Student Chapter)

Science Education

Master’s Programs

• Master of Education (M.Ed.)
  
• Master of Arts (M.A.)
  
• Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.)
• Initial teacher certification on a non-degree basis

• Certification Options
• Financial Aid
• Application Links
  

• Good News: The Noyce Fellowship Program can provide generous grants for initial certification of Science or Mathematics teachers committed to teaching in high-need school districts.

• Bad News: Georgia's HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan Program has been suspended for the 2010-2011 academic year and is currently not available.
  

• Frequently Asked Questions about master’s programs and secondary science teacher certification at the graduate level

General Information about Master’s Programs

The Science Education Program offers three paths to a master’s degree, depending on the student’s prior background and career interests:

• Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Science Education: For experienced teachers already holding T-4 certification, the M.Ed. is a professional degree designed primarily to enhance the student’s knowledge and skills in both science content and science teaching. It consists of 36 semester hours (normally 12 courses) of graduate credit, plus a capstone requirement of a Professional Portfolio designed to demonstrate the student’s advanced-level mastery of the standards established by the National Science Teachers Association. Although the program may be pursued on a full-time basis, all required courses are scheduled during weekday evening hours during the academic year or weekday hours during the summer, in order to accommodate the schedule of the great majority of students who pursue this degree part-time while continuing to hold a full-time teaching job. Detailed M.Ed. Requirements

• Master of Arts (M.A.) in Science Education: The M.A. is a research-oriented degree that may be pursued by any student interested in studying issues in science education at the graduate level, whether or not holding or gaining teacher certification. It consists of a minimum of 30 semester hours (normally 10 courses) of graduate credit, including a thesis. Detailed M.A. requirements

• Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) in Science Education: For students with a background in the sciences or closely related fields but not yet holding T-4 teacher certification, coursework leading to certification in a Secondary Science field (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Earth/Space Science, grades 6-12) can be pursued at the graduate level as the initial stage of this master’s degree option. This degree program consists of 36 semester hours of graduate coursework, plus fieldwork and related enrollments usually totaling another 17 hours (this can be achieved in a variety of contexts). Detailed M.A.T. requirements
  

• The M.A.T. program presumes an undergraduate major in a core science area (e.g., Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology) or a nearly equivalent coursework background. Those with degrees in other science-related fields (e.g., Agricultural Sciences, Forestry, Exercise Science, Allied Health Sciences) may need to do additional core science coursework at the advanced undergraduate level before beginning Science Education courses. Please see the specific guidelines for science coursework background
  

• Upon completing initial certification requirements, students most often will gain full-time employment as secondary science teachers in the Athens-Atlanta area and complete remaining M.A.T. requirements on a part-time basis through summer and evening courses in Athens. Remaining degree requirements may be completed on a full-time basis if preferred, however.
  

• Initial certification may also be pursued on a non-degree basis, without regard to master’s degree requirements. This is the usual option for students already holding a master's or docstoral degree in a science field.

For M.A.T. or non-degree students, we offer two distinct certification programs, centered at two different locations and designed for students with different current career and life situations:

• At the UGA main campus in Athens (and nearby schools), certification requirements are fulfilled through two academic year semesters of full-time study, including coursework and initial field experiences during the school day in the first semester and a full-time student teaching placement for most of the second semester.

• The Program for Alternative Certification in Secondary Science (PACSS), centered at UGA’s Gwinnett Campus in northeastern metropolitan Atlanta, includes formal courses scheduled in summer, evenings during the academic year, and online, and is designed for the “career change” student who either:

  • has already secured a full-time, paid teaching position under Georgia’s Non-renewable Certification (formerly known as Provisional Certification) provision and wants to get credit for guided and supervised on-the-job experience in lieu of traditional student teaching,

    or

  • wants to pursue certification on a part-time basis, including a half-time field placement throughout the academic year, perhaps while holding another job that leaves a significant part of the school day free.

Financial Aid

For those applicants to the M.A.T. or non-degree certification programs who are particularly interested in teaching in "high need" school districts, our department recently received a Federal grant to provide cash stipends to the most highly qualified students preparing to be either Science or Mathematics teachers. Noyce Fellowship Program support is expected to be used largely for tuition costs, but may also be used for living expenses. Students receiving this support must commit to teaching in a high need school district for a period of at least two years after certification/graduation. Awards are made through a competitive application process, and are available only to U.S. Citizens, but eligibility for this program does not require Georgia residency status, nor must the qualifying high need school district be in Georgia. Most awards are made for study beginning in Summer or Fall Semester, and initial review of applications begins on April 1, with later applications accepted and reviewed if all available fellowships have not yet been awarded. Applications are not considered until applicants are admitted to the Graduate School and to the program. A limited number of Noyce Fellowships may be available for students wishing to start in Spring Semester. Some preference is given to M.A.T. degree applicants in awarding Noyce Fellowships, but non-degree certification students are also eligible to apply, and have received some of these awards in the past.

In the recent past, a very common and readily available source of financial aid for all kinds of graduate degree students in Science Education was Georgia's HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan Program, through which Lottery-generated funds paid a majority of tuition costs in exchange for teaching science in a Georgia public school for several years after completion of the degree. This program has been suspended for the 2010-2011 academic year and is currently not available.

A limited number of unusually highly qualified students who are residents of other states may be nominated by the Graduate Coordinator for a Regents Out-of-State Tuition Waiver (ROOSTW) award, through which the Graduate School subsidizes the very substantial difference between in-state and out-ot-state tuition rates for any of our graduate programs. ROOSTW awards usually must begin in Fall Semester. Nominations are usually made late in Spring Semester and are only accepted for applicants already admitted to the Graduate School and the program. Part-time students are eligible.

In rare circumstances, full-time M.Ed. or M.A. students in Science Education may be eligible for a Graduate Assistantship appointment, especially if they have a substantial record of full-time science teaching experience, although in nearly all years budget constraints make these positions open only to full-time doctoral students. A very limited number of unusually highly qualified applicants who intend to be full-time students may be nominated by the Graduate Coordinator for competitive special assistantships funded directly by the Graduate School. Either form of Graduate Assistantship includes both a cash stipend and a full tuition waiver. A relatively small amount of miscellaneous fees must still be paid each semester by students with an assistantship appointment.

Application links

• Incoming Graduate Student Questionnaire for Science Education

• Apply online to the UGA Graduate School

M.Ed. Program

Admission requirements:

• Admission to the Graduate School

• Completion of a bachelors degree from an accredited institution

• Minimum undergraduate (or combined undergraduate and graduate) Grade point average (GPA) of 2.6

• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) combined score (verbal + quantitative) of 850 or above, including verbal score of 400 or above (Board of Regents policy) or a minimum score of 400 on the Miller Analogies Test

• Clear Renewable T-4 certification, most commonly in a Secondary Science field, although Elementary and Middle Grades certified teachers particularly interested in science are encouraged to apply.
  

Course work:

Note: All courses must be taken at the graduate level (UGA course numbers 6000 or above)

Program of Study worksheet for the M.Ed. degree

M.A. Program

Admission requirements:

• Admission to the Graduate School

• Completion of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution

• Minimum undergraduate (or combined undergraduate and graduate) GPA of 3.0

• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) combined score (verbal + quantitative) of 850 or above or a minimum scaled score of 400 on the Miller Analogies Test

Course work:

Note: All courses must be taken at the graduate level (course numbers 6000 or above)

Program of Study worksheet for the M.A. degree

M.A.T. Program

Admission requirements:

• Admission to the Graduate School

• Completion of a bachelors degree from an accredited institution

• Minimum undergraduate (or combined undergraduate and graduate) GPA of 2.6

• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) combined score (verbal + quantitative) of 850 or above, including verbal score of 400 or above (Board of Regents policy) or a minimum score of 400 on the Miller Analogies Test

• Appropriate content preparation in one of the initial Secondary Science teacher certification fields (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Earth/Space Science) is not a requirement for admission but is required before enrolling in ESCI 6450 and 6460. Guidelines for science coursework background

Course work:

Note: All courses contributing to degree requirements must be taken at the graduate level (course numbers 6000 or above)

* If undergraduate level courses are taken to fulfill the certification requirements in the areas of Educational Psychology and/or Special Education, the number of electives needed for degree requirements increases accordingly.

Program of Study worksheet for the M.A.T. degree

Mathematics & Science Education • 212 Aderhold Hall • The University of Georgia • Athens, GA 30602
Phone: (706) 542-4194 • Fax: (706) 542-4551 • mse@uga.edu • Web Feedback

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