Earth Science Teacher (7–12), M.A.T.

Matriculation Requirements

Each candidate will be evaluated individually. Based upon this evaluation and certification requirements of the New York State Education Department, courses in education or another department may be substituted for required courses with permission of the program head of middle school science education.

Applicants to Option A must have completed a minimum of 9 credits in earth science and six credits in cognate sciences including chemistry and physics. Students deficient in science credits may be accepted on condition that they complete additional coursework as recommended by the Program Coordinator of science education or the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences graduate advisor.

Applicants to Option B must have completed a minimum of 9 credits in earth science and six credits in cognate sciences including chemistry and physics. Students deficient in science credits may be accepted on condition that they complete additional coursework as recommended by the Program Coordinator of science education or the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences graduate advisor.

This program leads to a Master of Arts in teaching earth science, and a New York State Professional Teaching Certificate in adolescent science education with a specialization in earth science in grades 7–12.

Applicants must have a minimum undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.00. A minimum GPA of 3.00 in graduate courses is required to maintain matriculation.

International applicants for whom English is a second language are required to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 500 650 on the paper based test or 280 on the computer based test or 61 114 on the internet-based test to be considered for matriculation.

General matriculation and admission requirements of Graduate Studies are in the “Admission” section.

Program Requirements (30–37 Credits)

Thirty to thirty-seven credits are required for the degree depending on the applicants’ previous coursework, teaching experience and the certificates the applicant holds.

Student Learning Outcomes

Our Science Teacher Education programs prepare reflective professionals who integrate strong science content knowledge with culturally responsive pedagogy, inquiry-based instruction, and social-emotional learning. Candidates design community-connected science curriculum, conduct research in their own classrooms, and critically examine their teaching in alignment with NYSED Science Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The program prepares educators to support diverse learners and to continually improve their professional science teaching practice.

Learning Objectives

• Alignment with Standards for Content and Teaching Mastery: Develop and apply pedagogical content knowledge in science to support all students, including English Language Learners, students with special learning needs, and students from diverse racial, cultural, and gender identities, in alignment with the NYSED Science Learning Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
• Adolescent Development and Social-Emotional Learning: Apply knowledge of adolescent development and social-emotional learning (SEL) to support students’ engagement in science learning, including the development of identity, empathy, collaboration, responsible decision-making, and participation in inclusive and equitable science classrooms.
• Creating Instructional Plans: Apply knowledge of adolescent learners, learning theory, curriculum design, pedagogy, differentiation, and educational technologies while creating instructional plans that reflect research-informed, transformational pedagogy, with attention to NGSS-aligned science concepts, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts, including environmental science as a complex and multifaceted phenomenon encompassing human behavior, political and historical contexts, and natural systems. Instruction engages students in scientific practices and in the critical analysis of science and scientific methods, and approaches science education through developmentally appropriate, interdisciplinary experiences connected to real-world and community contexts, sustainability, and care.
• Supporting Diverse, Equitable, and Positive Learning Environments: Implement culturally responsive-sustaining science teaching informed by the NYSED Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework. Candidates foster positive learning environments, support student engagement with local and global scientific issues, and collaborate with families, colleagues, and communities to support science learning for all students.
• Classroom Research to Improve Student Learning: Become familiar with critical aspects of practitioner inquiry, including qualitative and quantitative approaches and the interpretive analysis of classroom practice, and engage in systematic inquiry into one’s own teaching practices and examine questions or challenges arising from the social, economic, cultural, and emotional dimensions of teaching and learning, informing ongoing reflection and improvement in practice.

Admissions Requirements

• Fall Application Deadline—May 15
• Spring Application Deadline—January 15. Applications after this date may be accepted on a rolling basis until all places are filled.

Supporting Documents for Matriculation

Submit the following documents to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

• Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Applicants who earned a bachelor’s degree outside the United States need to submit a course-by-course international transcript evaluation. See Graduate Admissions for more information.
• Two letters of recommendation
• Résumé
• Photocopy of New York State or other state teaching certificate

Interview with department.

This program accepts nondegree applicants.

Required Tests

• F-1 or J-1 international students must submit English Proficiency Exam. TOEFL—79, IELTS—6.5, PTE—58–63, Duolingo—105–160.

All students accepted to the School of Education are required to submit fingerprint verification before signing up for most education classes. Fingerprint verification is required for work in New York City Department of Education schools if you already have fingerprint records or not. Follow these instructions.

Refer to the instructions at Graduate Admissions.

Contact

Alexakos Konstantinos, Program Coordinator

2617 James Hall
E: alexakosk@brooklyn.cuny.edu
P: 718.951.5000 ext. 3869

Or contact:

Office of Graduate Admissions

222 West Quad Center
2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210
E: grads@brooklyn.cuny.edu
P: 718.951.4536

Office Hours

Mondays–Fridays, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Schedule an appointment with a graduate admissions counselor.