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The University of Delaware offers students interested in teaching high school science the choice of undergraduate degree programs: the Bachelor of Arts in Biology Education, Chemistry Education, Earth Science education or Physics education. All programs are accredited by NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education).

Students complete the requirements for a Liberal Arts degree, a major in their content and area and the professional education courses. Students can also enroll in Honors sections of several lecture and laboratory courses offered each semester. On completing the program requirements, students will receive the University of Delaware’s endorsement for teaching certification.

Students must have an overall GPA of 2.5 and a 2.75 in their major to qualify for student teaching. In addition, students must pass PRAXIS I and take PRAXIS II before enrolling in student teaching. The Secondary Science Education Program is housed in the College of Arts and Sciences and Earth Science Education is housed in the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment. The University of Delaware has a strong tradition of recognizing the importance of preparing high school teachers with a strong liberal arts and content backgrounds. Candidates are majors in the science department and complete Professional Studies coursework in the School of Education. The Professional Studies provides students with a foundation in education theory and psychology and field experiences before a science teaching methods course.

The objective of the University of Delaware’s four secondary science education certification programs is to prepare teachers who:

1) Have a broad education in the sciences, arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and foreign language

2) Have a deep understanding of their scientific discipline and the relationship among the disciplines;

3) Understand the historical and current role of schooling in American society;

4) Understand adolescent psychology and learning theory

5) Understand the behavior and needs of exceptional children;

6) Are able to plan an appropriate course of instruction for students that demonstrates the teacher’s knowledge, content, learning theory, curriculum design, and evaluation;

7) Posses the managerial and instruction skill required to implement their instructional plans effectively in the classroom;

8) Are motivated to participate throughout their professional lives in activities that increase their knowledge of content, improve their teaching skills, and involve them in policy issues concerned in a democratic multicultural society.

Students have three field experiences during their sophomore, junior and senior years. The field experiences culminate with a fifteen-week student teaching practicum (in the spring of the senior year). Two of the early field experiences occur in completion of students’ requirements for the educational psychology courses. The third field experience is part of the course that focuses on methods for teaching science in secondary school. Program faculty and staff supervise field experiences and student teaching. The student teaching practicum, includes a weekly seminar in which the student teachers relate their experiences to the educational theories and practices they have studied in prior courses.