Distinctions & Opportunities
Academic Opportunities
Five-Year Programs for B.S. Science Degrees from the College and M.S. Degrees from the School of Education
In conjunction with the School of Education, the College offers five-year programs in which students can earn a B.S. in Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science (administered by SPEA), Geological Sciences, Mathematics, or Physics—and an M.S. in Secondary Education. In these five-year programs, students also complete all of the requirements for State licensure in Secondary Education. This initiative is a response to state-wide efforts to increase the number of high school science teachers and to ensure that they are well-trained in the fields they teach.
Students in these programs complete a minimum of 90 credit hours in the College of Arts and Sciences, satisfying the Foundations, Intensive Writing, Foreign Language, Breadth of Inquiry, Critical Approaches, Public Oral Communication, and major concentration requirements for these B.S. majors. They then begin to take courses in the School of Education and can apply up to 30 of these credit hours toward College electives. The requirements for these B.S. College majors must be completed before student teaching begins in the final spring semester of the five-year program. The two degrees (B.S. in specific College majors and M.S. in Secondary Education) are awarded simultaneously.
Students considering this program should seek advising from both the relevant College department and the School of Education. Also, students are advised to check on the effect that the transition to graduate status may have on existing undergraduate funding.