Program Overview
Program Overview
The FSU-Teach program in Environmental Sciences is an innovative approach to teacher education, involving collaboration between scientists, mathematicians, and education faculty at Florida State University. This program is designed for students who want to develop environmental science knowledge and the skills needed to be an effective science teacher.
Program Description
The FSU-Teach program is a double-major program, where students are first admitted into their primary, discipline-specific major (Environmental Science) and must meet the state-wide common program prerequisites for that major. Later, students apply for admission into a secondary major within the College of Education, called Secondary Science or Mathematics Teaching. Upon graduation, students are awarded the B.S. degree with majors in Environmental Science/FSU-Teach and Secondary Science or Mathematics Teaching.
Admission Requirements
To be admitted into the FSU-Teach program, students must complete the prerequisite coursework, which includes:
- MACx311: Calculus I
- BSC x010, x010L: Biological Science I, Lab
- CHM x045, x045L: General Chemistry 1, Lab
- PHY x048C: General Physics A with Lab
- BSC x011, x011L: Biological Science II, Lab
- CHM x046, x046L: General Chemistry II, Lab
- GLY x010C: Physical Geology with Lab
- SMT 1043: Inquiry Approaches to Teaching (Step 1) - 1 credit-hour
- SMT 1053: Inquiry Based Lesson Design (Step 2) - 1 credit-hour
Program Requirements
The program requires a minimum of 120 hours, including:
- General Education: 36 hours
- Prerequisites: all prerequisite coursework is included in major/collateral totals
- BS Major Coursework: 54-56 hours
- BS Collateral prerequisites: 31-32 hours
- Minor Coursework: 0 hours beyond other requirements
- Foreign Language: 12 hours (depending on placement)
- Elective hours to bring total hours to 120
- Digital Literacy: 0 hours beyond major (included in science and education coursework)
- Oral Communication Competency: 0 hours beyond major (included in education coursework)
Environmental Science Core Coursework
The Environmental Science core coursework includes:
- MET 1010: Introductory Meteorology or MET 3231: Intro to Thermo and Dynamics
- OCE 4008: Principles of Oceanography
- OCE 4017: Current Issues in Environmental Science or GLY 3039: Energy, Resources and Environment
- GLY 4751c: Intro. to Remote Sensing or (if GLY4751 is not available) may substitute GIS 4043 and GIS 4043L: Geographic Information Processing & Systems, Lab
- ESC3100c: History of Earth Systems
- AST 1002: Planets, Stars, and Galaxies
- EVR 4922: Senior Capstone meets Upper-level writing requirement
Collateral Courses
The collateral courses include:
- MAC x311: Calculus I
- BSC x010, BSC x010L: Biological Science I, Lab
- CHM x045, CHM x045L: General Chemistry I, Lab
- PHY x048c: General Physics A with Lab or PHY2053c
- BSC x011, BSC x011L: Biological Science II, Lab
- CHM x046, x046L: General Chemistry II, Lab
- ISC 3523c: Research Methods
- GLY 2010C: Physical Geology
Education Major Requirements
The education major requirements include:
- SMT 1043: Inquiry Approaches to Teaching
- SMT 1053: Inquiry Based Lesson Design
- SMT 3100: Knowing and Learning in Science and Mathematics
- SMT 4301: Classroom Interactions
- ISC 3402: Historical, Social, and Critical Perspectives of Disciplinary Engagement in STEM
- ISC 3523C: Research Methods
- SMT 4664: Project Based Instruction
- RED 4335: Teaching Reading in the Content Area
- TSL 4324: ESOL in the Content Area
- SMT 4945: Apprentice Teaching (student teaching internship)
- SMT 4930: Seminar - variable credit
Employment Information
Representative job titles related to this major include:
- High school or middle school science teacher
- Environmental technician
- Geoscientist
- Environmental scientist
- Hydrologist
- General physical scientist
- Oceanographer Some positions may require additional education or training. Representative employers include federal, state, and local governments, NGOs, and private employers.