Hello! i will be applying for colleges in the fall and am looking to pursue a major in education to teach high school chemistry. I found a school with a great program (LMU) but was advised to study chemistry as a regular bachelor’s degree and then pursing the education credentials in grad school just to maximize job opportunities. This gave me anxiety bc the more options i have, the more afraid i am of messing up my “fate.” I really want to study secondary education as a major and go against this advice, but idk if i’ll regret it. Tips?
What do the high school chemistry teachers you’ve spoke with recommend?
Who advised you to do this? Was it someone at the college or your high school? I think you should do Secondary Education (pretty sure those types of studies have concentrations in particular studies) if that’s what you wish. I mean, sure majoring in Chemistry and going onto grad school isn’t totally a terrible idea but I actually think that would MINIMIZE your job opportunities. If you have no plans of using a backup plan such as nursing, pharmacy, medicine, or anything like that, banking on the chemistry degree is useless.
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found a school with a great program (LMU) but was advised to study chemistry as a regular bachelor's degree and then pursing the education credentials in grad school just to maximize job opportunities.
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I don’t know what LMU offers, but at many univs, such a student majors in chemistry (not education), but does the “chemistry education” track. Education majors are usually for Elementary school. High school teachers often major in their subject but do the “education” track within that major.
Usually by doing the “education track” within the major, the harder classes aren’t req’d, but you’re still getting more than enough education to teach at the HS level.
I need to correct my post above…yes, some schools do have the HS education tracks within the college of education major. So, at some schools, you would major in education, but follow the Chemistry Education track.
You should research the requirements to teach chemistry in the state where you want to teach-they can vary widely by state. Talk to some of the chemistry teachers at your school and see what path they took-especially if any of them are fairly new. They may have had different options than someone who started teaching 15 or 20 years ago. There was a thread about education majors on the Parent Forum recently-for some locations, it does NOT make sense to get your Master’s first before looking for a job as you can “cost more” to the hiring district than a person with a bachelor’s. Also, some colleges even within the same state offer different credential paths-look into that too. My D is planning to teach, but at the elementary level. We’re both amazed at the variety in options even at schools right across the road from each other.
Are you in Calif? don’t you have to do the 5th year for credentialling then (one semester of coursework and one semester of student-teaching)?
Also…be sure to look over the costs of going to LMU. It’s a very fine school, but you won’t get paid more graduating from there. If a CSU or UC will cost you less, go there.
To teach HS science or math In CA, you need a BS or better in the subject. You are on the right track. Get the BS then a credential. The credential is will take 1-2 years. All of the accelerated programs I have seen are for a k-8 multi-subject credential.
Unless you’ve got a scholarship at LMU, I’d encourage you to look at a CSU.- Teachers don’t make much and the quality of instruction at most CSUs is good. Teacher grads from most are quickly hired in the surrounding community.
Don’t know your qualifications but, Sonoma and Chico are smaller and more residential than most of the others - probably worth a look.
Thanks!!
In CA, you need to major in a subject (there may be an “education track” or a “9-12”/“secondary ed” track within the major), then you need a graduate-level “specialized” degree that will teach you what you need to know in order to teach what you learned. Learning a subject is one thing, teaching is another, and this way you get a strong background in both.
Almost every high school will want someone who majored in chemistry or a similar major. It’s relatively easy to add teaching credentials onto a bachelor’s degree. With an education degree, you are very, very limited in what you can do.
Also, almost all of the best, most knowledgeable, most helpful high school teachers I know had one thing in common: they worked in their field a few years before teaching. And then they bring that knowledge and experience into the classroom. So there’s another reason why having the degree will be more beneficial to you. Relax. If teaching is your end goal, you will end up teaching.
thank you!