I am currently an undergrad majoring in Physics, but with a concentration on teaching.
During an appointment with my advisor when my major was still just Physics (BA), I mentioned that with Physics I may want to teach. I wasn’t 100% sure about it, but I never liked the idea of being an engineer and/or working in labs/with my hands. I’m more of a person who likes to study/share the ideas/theories and see everything on a chalkboard. He suggested I switch to my current major, but I refused at first because it sounded as if it would stop me from doing anything other than teaching (in case I decided I didn’t want to teach). I didn’t and still don’t like the idea of being limited.
What made me switch was the fact that I had switched from Political Science (yeah I know) in my final year and I honestly want to save time and money- a regular Physics BA is a year more than Physics Education (we’ll call it that). I have a year to go but my question remains the same and I just want to hear your thoughts/comments/opinions/experiences…
Am I limited to just being a teacher/professor with this degree? If not, what else could I do with my Physics Education degree? (Grad school is definite- going for the MA & hopefully PhD, but depending on my answers I’ll either go for just Physics or continue with Physics Education.) Again, the thought of being limited kind of scares me. I don’t know what my options are.
Some of what you say sounds a little confusing, but I basically agree with your thinking.
First: isn’t it a BS for physics, not a BA? Unless somehow your current teaching track switches it to a BA.
Second: how are you able to complete a physics degree switching from political science in your last year? Unless, one presumes, you already had a good amount of the physics pre-requisites completed, which is certainly possible.
You don’t have to name your institution, but what type is it? Is the physics program you are enrolled in, or would like to complete, accredited?
Third: yes, I feel your fears may be justified, in the sense that for your future, obtaining a rigorous BS in physics may position you better in the future for a physics-oriented career. If you end up teaching high school physics, you will need to attain the proper H.S. teaching credential in your respective teaching state anyway. So if the physics-teaching track somehow “waters down” your physics education – in the sense you may not be eligible for graduate study in physics with it, or if it is indeed looked upon as a lesser physics education – you may be better off doing the full bachelor of science sequence. That way, I believe you’ll have more choices available to you for the future.
Whoops, I’m sorry. It’s hard putting this into words I guess (good thing I’m not a writer).
Nope, it’s a BA. We also have a regular BA in physics and a regular BS in physics. Then some other concentrations too. My school (University at Buffalo) offers different types of BA and BS degrees for physics. I think you can get a BA or BS with other science majors too like Biology and Chemistry. A BA is a more well-rounded education whereas a BS is more focused on just science and math. So for a BA you would need some classes like art and a language.
You can switch your major at any time you like, even your last semester. All of my general education courses were already completed for political science, and they happened to be the same for physics. I think all the gen-ed classes are the same regardless of your major. There aren’t any pre-reqs for the major, unless you mean core classes (which honestly SHOULD have pre-reqs because the cores themselves are difficult).
I know I’m eligible for graduate study (I’m definitely going for it) but I’m just not sure if I would be qualified for other physics jobs. My advisor told me “You’ll basically have a degree in physics, it’s almost the same thing,” but I wasn’t sure if I believed him. I got the idea he was persuading me to do teaching which I didn’t like too much. But you’re right, I would be better off getting the full/plain physics degree anyway. I’m considering sticking with my teaching degree for now and doing just physics alone in grad school (with my teaching certificate of course) so I’ll probably have more options when I’m out. Thank you so much for your comment/advice, I appreciate it.
SUNY Buffalo has solid physics. If you want to pursue physics in a reputable graduate program, my personal advice would be to complete the full Bachelor of Science degree. Or at least the full B.A. in physics, as you describe per Buffalo’s curriculum; but, given what you also say re: grad school, you’d better be sure you fulfill all requirements for graduate physics admissions [more below].
I don’t feel comfortable displacing an advisor’s recommendation – who does sound, based on your description, selfish and not considering your actual needs and potential life goals – on a forum like this. Therefore, I’ll phrase it in reference to myself: if I were in your position, I would get myself a new advisor, and preferably one who has a successful track record getting students accepted into natural science PhD programs. Feel free to disregard my advice if you wish; I don’t know the other programs at Buffalo, but this B.A. in a natural science idea sounds limiting to me, especially as you describe three years of political science beforehand.
At the minimum, you might consider speaking to several graduate students and professors in the physics department – not the language arts/teaching/B.A. program – and ask them candidly: what does it take for a physics student to be accepted and excel in a solid PhD program? (If you just seek an M.S. in physics somewhere, beware that you will probably have to pay for it; PhD programs for the promising candidates in natural sciences usually involve some sort of funding). How would you even do well on a physics GRE exam, or have the requisite course / labwork to be accepted to one of these graduate physics programs?
Finally, now’s the time to double- and triple-check that your career preparation / diploma credential is on track for what you may want out of life. Not after you graduate.
I know it’s hard… you feel as though you’re being told to pick, right now, what you’ll be doing the rest of your life. In reality, it’s hard sometimes to pick what you feel like having for dinner.
But I’m going to answer as a teacher, and as a mom. To be honest, I want my kids to have a teacher who has learned how to teach. Who has done all the necessary observations, taken the Adolescent Psych classes, who knows Common Core and the changes in policy. I want someone who knows he/she wants to teach my child, not someone who fell into the job by default when nothing else panned out after graduation.
As a teacher, believe me, I know the importance of knowing your material. But that’s just a tiny bit of my job. Admittedly, it’s hugely important, but it’s not the whole job. (In fact, at this point in my career, its the easiest part.) Knowing HOW to teach is a lot more difficult to learn than the actual subject matter.
So I’m going to agree with your advisor. If you want to teach, get certified and learn how to do it well.
If, on the other hand, you don’t want to teach, then switch majors. Today.
Wouldn’t the OP need to be certified for teaching in her respective state after she obtains her bachelor’s? And wouldn’t it be prudent to be prepared for a future of graduate school in the sciences if she chooses that track, as she has mentioned she’s been pondering?
I’m all for high quality teaching. But if she completes the degree path recommended by her current advisor, she may be locked out of some other future options, and that’s precisely why she posted in the first place. So, the logic behind the teaching B.A. has some deficiencies, unless she is 100% sure she will be doing that for her career. In that latter case, I agree with both the above post and the current advisor. If not, I’d think about some of the other issues already mentioned.
I just remembered as well: the best science teacher I ever had in high school was in fact a physics teacher, who was also completing his dissertation in physics at a major research university. He was outstanding, caring, enthusiastic and dedicated.
This teacher experience is totally subjective and personal, but I give it to counter the notion that only a teacher who has completed a teaching track solely (to the exclusion of other higher education in their respective field) is the only kind of high school teacher that will be dedicated, committed and knows how to teach. YMMV.
@elicue I know how you feel. It is very difficult to foresee the future and although we would like to teach, it seems that that shouldn’t be the only reason why we earn a degree. Once, a teacher told me that you cannot teach properly when you do not know the subject well and I guess a “pure” degree can do that better than a “education” degree. But at the same time, I agree with bjkmom. Some of the best teachers are those who know how to teach, but in my opinion that sometimes is better getting actual experience than learning about it. Ugh, very tough decision; but in short, try talking to your professors, and professionals in that field they might help answer these questions. Best
Thank you all for your posts, I really appreciate you sharing your opinions and your advice. You do raise some really good points.
@bjkmom, that is precisely why I switched to Physics with a concentration on teaching. I don’t want to just know my stuff-- I also want to know how to teach it. Teaching certainly is difficult and takes skill too. The last thing I want to do is be a bad teacher, because I want my future students to enjoy learning. My university is big on physics and engineering, but as I’ve heard and noticed in a physics class I took last semester, many science professors here only have a degree on that subject. They did not take communication and teaching classes, which is what makes understanding the material so difficult.
@anhydrite, It’s a little late now to switch to a Bachelor of Science. So now I’m sticking with a Bachelor of Arts. Getting a solid physics degree would take another full year (and I have one year now, so in sum it would be two more years). So the question really is about what I’m doing in grad school- studying just physics or continuing in education. Unfortunately there is only one advisor for physics, but I could meet with my professor and discuss it with him. But you do make a good point about getting into a graduate physics program- I wouldn’t have the lab work or experience required. This is why I wasn’t too happy with my advisor’s recommendation- when I told him about my concern with the degree he told me it was basically the same as a physics degree, but there seems to be a huge gap between the two for reasons like these. It’s not the same.
I just want to feel that yes, even though I’m teaching, my degree is still PHYSICS. The concentration helps because it looks good for grad school and is kind of like a jumpstart so of course I’ll take it, but I do still want to be able to I don’t know, participate somehow on projects during my free time (like during summer breaks). I don’t want to not fit in with the rest of the physics majors if that makes sense. Because, what’s being a good teacher if you’re not getting exposure and doing fieldwork too? I know I’d love teaching, but I won’t feel complete if I’m not involved in/with other physics jobs too.
