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Option V: Teaching

The BS Geological Sciences, Option V: Teaching is designed to fulfill the course requirements for composite science teacher certification for middle school or secondary with geological sciences as the primary teaching field.

Additional Requirements Specific to the BS Geological Sciences, Option V:  Teaching

Students must meet the following requirements to graduate and be recommended for certification.

  • University grade point average of at least 2.50.
  • Successful completion of secondary teacher certification and identified discipline specific content courses.
  • Successful passing of final teaching portfolio review, conducted by the UTeach-Natural Sciences program. Information about the portfolio review and additional certification requirements is available from the UTeach-Natural Sciences academic adviser.

Composite certification requires 24 semester hours of coursework in the primary field, 12 hours in a second field, and six hours each in two additional fields.

Degree requirements are divided into three categories: University-wide undergraduate degree requirements (the University core curriculum) and flag requirements, prescribed work for the degree, and major requirements. In addition, the student must fulfill the University’s general requirements and the requirements of the Jackson School of Geosciences.

Prescribed Work

  1. Biology 337 (Topic 2:  Research Methods:  UTeach), Chemistry 368 (Topic 1:  Research Methods:  UTeach), or Physics 341 (Topic 7:  Research Methods:  UTeach)
  2. History 329U or Philosophy 329U
  3. 18 semester hours of professional development coursework, consisting of:
    1. Curriculum and Instruction 651S;
    2. UTeach-Natural Sciences 101, 110, 350, 355, 360, and 170
  4. For students seeking middle school certification, the following coursework is required:
    1. Educational Psychology 350G, or Psychology 301 or 304
    2. Curriculum and Instruction 339E

Major Requirements

  1. Mathematics 408C. This course also meets the mathematics requirement of the core curriculum. Algebra courses at the level of Mathematics 301 or the equivalent may not be counted toward the total number of semester hours required for the degree.
     
  2. To meet the requirements of composite certification, the student must complete the following courses. In meeting this requirement, the student also fulfills parts I and II of the science and technology requirement of the core curriculum. 
    1. Biology 311C and 311D
    2. Chemistry 301 and 302
    3. Physics 302K, 102M, 302L, and 102N; or 301, 101L, 316, and 116L; or an equivalent sequence
    4. Enough additional approved coursework in biology, chemistry, or physics to provide the required 12 semester hours in a second field
  3. Astronomy 303, 307, or 367M; and Marine Science 307.
  4. Geological Sciences 401 or 303, 405, 416K, 416M, 420K or 320L, and 335.
  5. Enough additional upper-division coursework to total at least 28 semester hours in geological sciences.
  6. Enough additional coursework to total 128 semester hours including core, prescribed and major work.

Suggested Arrangement of Courses

BS Geological Sciences, Option V:  Teaching

First Year
First TermHoursSecond TermHours
GEO 401 or 3033GEO 4054
M 408C4CH 3023
CH 3013UTS 1101
UTS 1011BIO 311C3
UGS 302 or 3033RHE 3063
 14 14
Total credit hours: 28
Second Year
First TermHoursSecond TermHours
GEO 416K4GEO 420K or 320L4
GEO 416M4HIS 329U or PHL 329U3
BIO 311D3PHY 303K
PHY 103M
4
EDC 365C or UTS 3503Social Science3
EDP 350G, PSY 301, or PSY 3043EDC 365D or UTS 3553
 17 17
Total credit hours: 34
Second Year
Summer TermHours
GOV 310L3
E 316L, 316M, 316N, or 316P3
 6
Total credit hours: 6
Third Year
First TermHoursSecond TermHours
GEO Upper-division Elective4GEO Upper-division Elective3
GOV 312L3MNS 3073
PHY 303L
PHY 103N
4Upper-division Elective (Science)3
Elective (Science)3GEO 3353
BIO 3373History3
 17 15
Total credit hours: 32
Fourth Year
First TermHoursSecond TermHours
GEO Upper-division Elective3EDC 651S6
EDC 365E3UTS 1701
EDC 339E (or replace with second three-hour history course)3History3
AST 303, 307, or 367M3GEO Upper-division Elective3
Visual/Performing Art3 
 15 13
Total credit hours: 28

Total Credit Hours:  128