Science Education

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Cutting-Edge Curriculum

Develop the skills you need to make your mark on Science Education.

Apply today!

Cutting-Edge Curriculum

Develop the skills you need to make your mark on Science Education.

Apply today!

Welcome to the Science Education program

The Science Education program prepares leaders for science education roles in secondary and higher education. We believe that professional science educators should be thoroughly educated in their content discipline and bring modern theories of learning and education to bear on their scholarship as professional teachers and in their research for the doctoral degree. Our graduates have been appointed in major universities as science and/or science education professors. Many of our alumni are major leaders in school leadership and educational reform.

Our work in reforming urban science education and broadening the scope of the theoretical base for teaching and learning in science has become more sharply focused in recent years to include neurocognitive, multicultural, and learning theory based innovations in guiding teaching and research.

Choose Your Degree

The M.A. Pre-Service program in Science Education provides students with opportunities to study science education theory, the discipline of science (including its histories, philosophies, and epistemologies), and professional education. It also provides students with opportunities to merge these studies with intensive field experiences through field-based assignments, courses, and student teaching experiences. Upon its completion students earn both an M.A. degree and a New York State initial license to teach Chemistry or Biology or Physics or Earth Science in grades seven through twelve.

Teachers College also offers a Teaching Resident's program for Science Education. 

The M.A. degree in Supervision/Teacher of Science Education serves students whose professional interests are centered in the enhancement of science teaching and learning including teacher professional development, curriculum improvement, personal professional development and preparation for more advanced studies leading to advanced master’s degrees in science teacher supervision.

  • M.S. degree (60-credits) — is recommended for science educators who want a professional degree with intensive preparation in science subject matter. This degree is especially appropriate for prospective community college instructors who do not intend to pursue a doctorate immediately.
  • Ed.M. degree (60-credits) — is recommended for science educators who want a professional degree with intensive preparation in science education.
  • Ed.D. degree (90-credits) — places emphasis on breadth of professional coursework with a focus on educational practice. All candidates are required to be competent in both quantitative and qualitative research methodology and to have knowledge of the epistemology of science and of psychology sufficient to be an informed scholar-practitioner.
  • Ph.D. degree (75-credits) — is designed to prepare students for leadership in science education. The program includes advanced preparation in science to develop both breadth and depth in science subject matter background. Preparation in research methods in science education, as well as study of recent developments in the broad field of professional education, is included in the program. 

M.A. in Science and Dental Education is offered in conjunction with the College of Oral and Dental Medicine of Columbia University. Students in the College of Oral and Dental Medicine at Columbia University who are planning to enter teaching of dental medicine are eligible to enroll for this degree. The curriculum includes content courses in dental medical science, basic courses in adult learning, teaching of science-related disciplines, and culminating research studies on current medical educational theory and practice. Candidates are prepared for a life-long commitment to scholarly reflection and practice as professors of oral and dental medicine.

Inquiries should be sent to Professor O. Roger Anderson, ora@ldeo.columbia.edu.

 

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Contact Us

Program Director: Dr. Felicia Mensah
M.A. Advisors: Dr. Jessica Riccio & Dr. Denise Mahfood

Box: 210-S

Teachers College, Columbia University
412 Zankel Building

Phone: (212) 678-8174 Fax: (212) 678-8145

Email: tcscience@tc.edu

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