TEACHING CAREERS IN PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, AND FOUNDATIONAL LEVEL GENERAL SCIENCE

Current Single Subject Adviser: Dr. Phoebe Roeder proeder@mail.sdsu.edu

How do I know if teaching high school or middle school is the right career for me?

    Do you find yourself explaining science to your study group partners? Do you enjoy working with young people as part of a job or as a volunteer? If so, how can you discover if teaching middle or high school science is the right career?
  1. During spring semester, take Teacher Education 211B, Field Experience in Science (1 unit).

  2. Consider working 2 to 10 hours per week at a daytime or after school program. Or, look for a job at a high school working as an AVID tutor.

  3. Talk to the single subject adviser listed above.

How do I become a teacher in California?

    To teach in California, you need to satisfy subject matter requirements for the discipline you wish to teach, earn a bachelor’s degree, and complete a fifth-year credential program. The subject matter requirements can be satisfied either by completing one of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing approved preparation programs or by passing the California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET) in the appropriate subject area.
  1. If you decide early (at latest the end of your junior year), SDSU offers approved programs in physics and chemistry, which are designed to best prepare individuals for teaching. See the Physical Science major and the Chemistry Major (Single Subject Teaching) in the SDSU General Catalog. Click this link to select the official course sequence chart. These programs include the breadth as well as depth of courses needed by teachers, plus the field experience course (TE 211B: Field Experience in Science–mentioned above), a special activity course in geology (GEOL 412: Process and Inquiry in Earth Science), and an integrative course (PHYS 499: History of Science and Technology).

  2. If you decide later, the alternative is to complete the regular BA or BS and ATTEMPT to pass the California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET) for science (subtests 118 and 119 for general science and 121 for chemistry or 123 for physics). See www.ctcexams.nesinc.com. You will be advised to take one or two extra courses as time allows. Study guides and a summer review course are also available; however, completing one of the approved programs, if at all possible, is clearly the preferable route.

  3. If you love science but decide the full physical science or chemistry (Single Subject Teaching) major is not your best plan, the Foundational Level General Science program approved in 2011 provides a pathway to teaching middle school science. You would major in Liberal Studies with an Emphasis in Science.

How can I get more information?

    Talk to the single subject science adviser listed above about opportunities and the programs offered. The adviser will enroll you in a Blackboard site that provides detailed information on the SDSU programs, including advising sheets, sequence charts, alternative pathways for those who already completed most of the regular physics or chemistry BA or BS, and how to prepare early for entering a fifth year single subject credential program.