| Person-in-Charge | Amy Voss Farris |
|---|---|
| Program Code | STEMED |
| Campus(es) | University Park |
The STEM Education Graduate Credit Certificate program is designed for K-12 educators to advance their enactment of integrative pedagogies for science, advance technologies, engineering, and mathematics in their own professional contexts.
The four courses in the 12-hour graduate certificate series are designed to support teachers to adopt an ambitious vision of student learning in STEM disciplines and to create more equitable learning environments for all students. The learning objectives include (1) Develop and demonstrate an understanding of theoretical perspectives on learning and the nature of knowledge/knowing in STEM disciplines; (2) Design a learning experience or technology that contributes to a more equitable, inclusive, or justice-oriented vision of STEM education; (3) Demonstrate ability to plan learning experiences that elicit, assess, and productively build upon learners’ diverse cognitive and cultural resources in STEM domains; and (4) Demonstrate ability to discuss STEM education research literature, policy, and standards related to teaching and learning in STEM disciplines and integrated STEM Education.
Effective Semester: Summer 2026
Expiration Semester: Summer 2031
Admission Requirements
Applicants apply for admission to the program via the Graduate School application for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-300 Admissions Policies. International applicants may be required to satisfy an English proficiency requirement; see GCAC-305 Admission Requirements for International Students for more information.
Completion of an undergraduate program in education or a closely related field is required before the beginning of enrollment.
Certificate Requirements
Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements listed in Graduate Council policy GCAC-212 Postbaccalaureate Credit Certificate Programs.
Required courses are as follows. The courses can be completed in any order. No course substitutions are allowed.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MTHED 430 | Students' Mathematical Thinking | 3 |
| SCIED/MTHED 460 | Trends and Issues in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education | 3 |
| SCIED 552 | Science Teaching and Learning | 3 |
| SCIED 855 | Precollege Engineering Education | 3 |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Courses
Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 699 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.
Learning Outcomes
- Learning Theories and STEM Epistemologies: Develop and demonstrate an understanding of theoretical perspectives on learning and the nature of knowledge/knowing in STEM disciplines. [Scholarly and professional goal: Knowledge]
- Equity and Justice: Design a learning experience or technology that contributes to a more equitable, inclusive, or justice-oriented vision of STEM education. [Scholarly and professional goal: Cultural competence]
- STEM Teaching Pedagogy: Demonstrate ability to plan learning experiences that elicit, assess, and productively build upon learners’ diverse cognitive and cultural resources in STEM domains. [Scholarly and professional goal: Application]
- Research, Policy and Standards: Demonstrate ability to discuss STEM education research literature, policy, and standards related to teaching and learning in STEM disciplines and integrated STEM Education. Scholarly and professional goal: Professional]