Program Overview

---

Education & Human Sciences Secondary Education: Physics

The College of Education and Human Sciences offers a program in Secondary Education with a focus on Physics. This program is designed for students who wish to teach physics at the secondary level (grades 7-12).

Description

Students who complete this secondary education option and are professionally admitted are eligible to be endorsed to teach any physics course in grades 7 through 12.

General Information

The College of Education and Human Sciences has a proven track record of enhancing the lives of individuals, families, schools, and communities. The college offers undergraduate programs leading to a Bachelor of Science in Education and Human Sciences degree in various fields, including teaching areas that qualify students for a teaching certificate.

Admission to a Teacher Education Program (TEP)

Admission to the College of Education and Human Sciences does not guarantee admission into a teacher education program. To be eligible for admission, students must satisfy the following requirements:

1. A minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA.
2. Must have earned a minimum of 42 credit hours of college credit.
3. Completion and submission of the Teacher Education Program Application Form.
4. Completion of TEAC 331 School and Society and EDPS 251 Fundamentals of Adolescent Development for Education or an approved transfer course, with a 2.50 cumulative average in the two classes and no grade lower than C.
5. Faculty recommendations.
6. Completion of a formal criminal history review for CEHS by the vendor approved by CEHS (fee required).
7. Specific programs may have particular learning outcomes that students must address as part of the application process.

College Requirements

College Admission

Students accepted by the University must have an ACT of 20 or SAT of 950, a 3.0 cumulative high school grade point average, or rank in the upper half of their high school graduating class and have the following high school preparation to be eligible for guaranteed admission to the College of Education and Human Sciences:

• Four years of English that include intensive reading and writing experience.
• Two years of one foreign language.
• Four years of mathematics that include Algebra I, II, geometry, and one year that builds on a knowledge of algebra.
• Three years of natural sciences that include at least two years selected from biology, physics, chemistry, and earth science and one year of laboratory instruction.
• Three years of social studies that include at least one year of American and/or world history and one year of history, American government, and/or geography.

Transfer and Readmitted Students

Transfer students from universities or colleges outside of the University of NebraskaLincoln and readmitted students seeking admission to the College of Education and Human Sciences must have an accumulated average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale or above and no high school deficiencies.

College Degree Requirements

Grade Rules

• Minimum Grade Requirements: Grade requirements vary from major to major.
• Pass/No Pass Option: CEHS students are allowed to take up to 12 hours of Pass/No Pass (P/N) credit.

Transfer Credit Rules

• Acceptance of Transfer Grades: The college will accept no more than 9 credit hours of grades less than a C from any program outside the University of Nebraska system.
• Maximum Number of Hours for Transfer: Sixty (60) is the maximum number of hours that will be accepted on transfer from a two-year college. Ninety (90) is the maximum number of hours that will be accepted on transfer from accredited four-year colleges and universities.

Residency Rules

Students must earn a minimum of 120 credit hours to earn a degree. All students are expected to complete at least 30 of their final 36 hours of credit at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska Omaha, or University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Degree Application Process

• Graduation Requirements: Students are expected to develop a clear understanding of degree requirements and to plan their course of study with a College advisor.
• Application for Graduation: Each student with MyRED access must submit an online Application for Graduation via MyRED for each degree to be received by the fourth Friday in January for May graduation, the second Friday in June for August graduation, or the second Friday in September for December graduation.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of secondary education/physics will be able to:

1. Make science content accessible to grades 7-12 students, demonstrating their subject matter knowledge of major scientific concepts, principles, theories, laws, and their interrelationships.
2. Create, implement, and assess inquiry-based curriculum opportunities in which grades 7-12 students use scientific practices to develop and communicate concepts and understand scientific processes, relationships, and natural patterns from empirical experiences.
3. Construct curriculum that is consistent with the goals and recommendations of state and/or national science education standards, including the nature of science, inquiry, and the social context of science.
4. Collect, organize, analyze, and reflect upon diagnostic, formative, and summative evidence of learning; develop and use effective assessment strategies that are fair and equitable to measure student learning.
5. Create and maintain a safe, respectful, and productive learning environment that reflects a scientific classroom discourse community.
6. Use a variety of inquiry approaches with appropriate use of technology that enhances learning.
7. Deliver cognitively challenging and appropriate instruction that respects diverse students needs.

Major Requirements

The program requires a minimum of 120 credit hours, including ACE requirements, pre-professional education requirements, physics option requirements, ancillary sciences requirements, professional education requirements, and electives.

• ACE Requirements: All UNL students will be required to complete a minimum of 3 hours of approved coursework in each of the 10 designated Achievement-Centered Education (ACE) student learning outcome areas.
• Pre-Professional Education Requirements: Includes courses such as EDPS 251 Fundamentals of Adolescent Development for Education, TEAC 161 Teaching Matters, and TEAC 259 Instructional Technology.
• Physics Option Requirements: Includes courses such as ASTR 204 Introduction to Astronomy and Astrophysics, MATH 106 Calculus I, and PHYS 211 General Physics I.
• Ancillary Sciences Requirements: Includes courses such as CHEM 109A General Chemistry I, GEOL 101 Dynamic Earth, and LIFE 120 Fundamentals of Biology I.
• Professional Education Requirements: Includes courses such as SPED 201 Introduction to Special Education, TEAC 397V Professional Practicum Experience III Secondary Science, and TEAC 403B Secondary Student Teaching Seminar.
• Electives: Students must select 6 hours of electives.

Additional Major/Option Requirements

• Grade Requirements in Education Programs: Requirements for completion of an undergraduate degree in a teacher preparation program include a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.75.
• Transfer Grades: Up to 9 hours of transfer credit with grades below C from any program outside of the University of Nebraska system may be applied to the General Education requirements and elective classes in programs leading to the undergraduate degree in teacher preparation.