Physical Science - B.S.E. Download to print

The adolescent/adult education (ADED) Physical Science program is a four-year degree that prepares candidates for licensure in physics and chemistry, grades 7-12. Students take a broad range of science-content courses from the biology and geology departments and specialize in physics and chemistry content. Physical Science majors complete most of their content coursework during their first three years and then begin their methods coursework during the spring of their third year. During the final year of the program, candidates complete remaining content courses, science teaching methods courses, and a year-long placement in a local school district, which concludes with 13 weeks of student teaching in the spring.

Physical Science students are encouraged to meet with their faculty advisor early in their program because many courses must be sequenced carefully.

Of the 1.2 million secondary schools teachers in the U.S., about 109,500 are science teachers in public and private schools. Currently, many school districts have difficulty hiring qualified teachers in some subject areas; most often mathematics, science (especially chemistry and physics), bilingual education and foreign languages. Accordingly, job prospects for ADED science majors are promising, especially in urban or rural school districts.

For admissions, the College of Education, Health and Human Services considers a student to have established a Kent State University GPA after the student has successfully completed a minimum of 12 Kent State University credit hours. Undergraduate students who have not completed a minimum of 12 Kent State University credit hours will be evaluated for admission into programs, Advanced Study, and the Professional Phase based on their high school GPA for new freshmen, or transfer GPA for transfer students. Once a student has successfully completed a minimum of 12 Kent State University credit hours, only the student’s Kent State overall GPA will be considered for admission into a program, Advanced Study, and Professional Phase.

Admission to the college does not guarantee admission to a major and/or admission to professional coursework for a selective admission program. To be admitted directly into a teacher education program, it is required that new freshmen have a 2.750 high school GPA. Students who do not meet the GPA requirements of their intended major may enroll as into EHHS General until which time they have established a Kent State GPA of 2.750.

Students seeking admission to this program must meet all professional requirements for admission to advanced study. To be admitted to the program, students must display evidence of adequate communication skills; sound content area knowledge (language arts, mathematics, science or social studies); a basic understanding of the teaching profession; a basic understanding of adolescents; and dispositions aligned with the conceptual framework of the College of Education, Health, and Human Services, including being open-minded, flexible, caring and responsible. Faculty will select the most qualified applicants based on an interview; letters of recommendation; GPA; Praxis Core scores; and performance in English and communication studies coursework. Applicants to the ADED program must have experience working with young adults in a supervisory capacity, such as tutoring, camp counseling, volunteer work or related experience. Students should contact the College of Education, Health, and Human Services’ Vacca Office of Student Services, 304 White Hall, during the first year of study to inquire about the procedures and criteria associated with admission to the adolescence/young adult education program.

For more information about admission criteria for transfer, transitioning and former students, please visit the admissions website.

Minimum 132 credit hours. Minimum 2.750 overall and 2.600 major GPA. Students must earn a minimum grade of C (2.000) in all major coursework.

Students seeking to declare an additional teacher education major in the B.S.E. degree (double major), or in a different degree (dual degree) may have the double major/ dual degree approved as long as the following requirements are met:

1. Approval is received from the academic unit administrating each major. A program of study for those interested in pursuing a double major must be approved in writing by faculty from each major area prior to admission to advanced study.
2. All required content courses are completed for each major
3. All required methods courses are completed for each major.
4. Separate practicum and inquiry courses are completed for each major as listed below:
   1. ADED 42292 Field Work Practicum (or the equivalent required by the major outside the college)
   2. ADED 49525 Inquiry into Professional Practice (or the equivalent required by the major outside the college)
5. Students who have two majors from among the following only need to take one ADED 42357 Secondary Student Teaching course, consisting of a 16-week classroom experience involving both subject areas: Life Sciences, Earth Science, Physical Sciences, Integrated Science, Integrated Mathematics, Life Science/Chemistry, Integrated Social Studies and/or Integrated Language Arts.
6. Students who have a second major not included in the list above (#5) will have their student teaching requirements determined by faculty from both program areas at the time the program of study is developed, with a minimum 16 weeks spent in the classroom.

Licensure Requirement (not required for graduation):
Candidates seeking Ohio licensure are required to pass specific assessments in order to apply for licensure. See Ohio Department of Education-Educator Preparation website for more information on assessments specific to licensure type. Taking and passing the licensure tests prior to graduation is encouraged but not required.

Students must apply for State of Ohio Licensure (defined by completion of all licensure program requirements) within 12 months of program completion. After 12 months, applicants must meet State approved program/licensure requirements that are in effect at the time of application. This means that students who apply after the 12 month deadline may have to take additional coursework if the content, methods courses, program requirements, or licensure requirements have changed from the catalog in force.

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Interrelate and interpret important concepts, ideas, and applications in their fields of licensure and can conduct scientific investigations.  
2. Engage students effectively in studies of the history, philosophy, and practice of science.  They will be able to enable students to distinguish science from nonscience, understand the evolution and practice of science as a human endeavor, and critically analyze assertions made in the name of science.  
3. Engage students both in studies of various methods of scientific inquiry and in active learning through scientific inquiry.  They will be able to encourage students, individually and collaboratively, to observe, ask questions, design inquiries, and collect and interpret data in order to develop concepts and relationships from empirical experiences.
4. Recognize that informed citizens must be prepared to make decisions and take action on contemporary science- and technology-related issues of interest to the general society.  They will be able to require students to conduct inquiries into the factual basis of such issues and to assess possible actions and outcomes based upon their goals and values.
5. Create a community of diverse learners who construct meaning from their science experiences and possess a disposition for further exploration and learning.  They will be able to use, and can justify, a variety of classroom arrangements, groupings, actions, strategies, and methodologies.
6. Plan and implement an active, coherent, and effective curriculum that is consistent with the goals and recommendations of the National Science Education Standards.  They will be able to begin with the end in mind and effectively incorporate contemporary practices and resources into their planning and teaching.
7. Relate their discipline to their local and regional communities, involving stakeholders and using the individual, institutional, and natural resources of the community in their teaching.  They will be able to actively engage students in science-related studies or activities related to locally important issues.  
8. Construct and use effective assessment strategies to determine the backgrounds and achievements of learners and facilitate their intellectual, social, and personal development.  They will be able to assess students fairly and equitably, and require that students engage in ongoing self-assessment.  
9. Organize safe and effective learning environments that promote the success of students and the welfare of all living things.  They will be able to require and promote knowledge and respect for safety, and oversee the welfare of all living things used in the classroom or found in the field.
10. Strive continuously to grow and change, personally and professionally, to meet the diverse needs of their students, school, community, and profession.  They will have a desire and disposition for growth and betterment.

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education