Department of Secondary Education and K12 Health and Physical Education

The B.S.Ed. in Biology is a program designed to prepare the student for a career in teaching in secondary schools. Professional certification in biology is awarded to the student who completes the program satisfactorily. Students are strongly advised to seek certification in a related area to enhance their employment potential. Such related areas include general science, health, education, athletic training, and environmental education.

The B.S.Ed. in Chemistry prepares students for a career in teaching chemistry in secondary schools. The program gives students experience in the major branches of chemistry so that, with proper selection of electives, graduate work in either pure chemistry, chemistry education, or education can be pursued. Sufficient flexibility is provided so that students also may become certified in general science.

The B.S.Ed. in Earth and Space Sciences is a professional degree program designed to prepare certified secondary school teachers with an overall science exposure and specialization in the Earth and space sciences. The program meets all guidelines established by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), and the National Science Teachers' Association (NSTA) for Earth and space science certification.

The B.S.Ed. in English prepares students to teach in the secondary schools in Pennsylvania under an Instructional I Certificate. These students will in large part satisfy the requirements for a B.A. in English, deriving extensive benefits from participation in a carefully constructed program that emphasizes literature and writing as cultural products and students as active learners. Before receiving permission to student teach, students in this program must satisfy the prerequisites for student teaching.

The B.S.Ed. in Mathematics provides students with the mathematical content, pedagogical content knowledge, and professional education preparation required for certification to teach mathematics at the middle school, junior high school, or senior high school levels.

The B.S.Ed. in Physics provides a solid background in physics, mathematics, and related sciences for a teaching career at the secondary level and leads to certification to teach physics in the public schools of Pennsylvania.

The B.S. in Health and Physical Education - Teacher Certification. The Health and Physical Education (HPE) program prepares students to teach K-12 health and physical education in public schools.

See the Educator Preparation Programs section of this catalog for an explanation of related requirements pertaining to these programs.

Majors