UCLA to offer science education minor to help students prepare for a teaching credential

A new science education minor will be available to students starting fall quarter.

The minor, which was recently approved by the UCLA Undergraduate Council, is designed to prepare students for a teaching credential program in an area of science after graduation, said Arlene Russell, co-chair and creator of the minor.

The program could also serve as preparation for graduate school, where teaching is generally a requirement, Russell added.

The minor was proposed, developed and approved with the hope that more UCLA students would be aware of the option to become K-12 teachers.

There are more jobs for K-12 science teachers than there are science teachers available, Russell said.

“There’s a desperately increasing need for a knowledgeable workforce who understands science,” said Russell, who has been developing the minor for four years.

To enter the minor, students must show progress toward completing a major in the sciences and have a GPA of 2.0 or better.

The minor is meant to supplement and not take the place of a science major, Russell said.

One problem the minor attempts to address is that many science teachers are not credentialed or do not have a knowledgeable background in the subject they teach, said Matt Fox, academic coordinator for UCLA California Teach and adviser for the new minor.

UCLA California Teach provides advising and hands-on teaching opportunities to students who want to become math or science teachers.

The minor may help increase the number of UCLA students who consider teaching K-12 students, said Judith Smith, vice provost and dean for undergraduate education, who has helped Russell implement the new minor.

“Students who come (to UCLA) get a lot of support for doing things like research and industry, so I think teaching hasn’t been a focus,” Smith said. “(Teaching) should be an avenue that our students both see as possible, but also one that we feel is important.”

Russell consulted with multiple departments and administrators at UCLA such as Smith, the education minor program and the UCLA Center X program, which provides graduate programs for students to earn their teaching credentials.

The minor will provide students with field experience in teaching middle and high school students at schools near UCLA.

The middle school field experience will come from a course previously listed under the UCLA California Teach program and will be renamed under the new minor.

Russell conducted a survey among UCLA California Teach students to gauge interest in the new minor, whom Russell expects will particularly be interested in the program.

More than 50 percent of the survey’s respondents said they would consider taking the minor.

The minor will also instruct students about methods specific to teaching science, such as how to organize labs.

Proposed minors must be approved by the Undergraduate Council before being established, said Undergraduate Council chair Richard Weiss.

When considering approving a new program, the council considers the appropriateness of the curriculum, student interest, feasibility that students will be able to complete the minor and long-term viability, Weiss said.

All but one of the minor’s courses are either already existing in other departments or have been renamed under the minor, which will help keep costs for the new minor relatively low, Weiss said.

The sole new course, Science Education 100, will be co-taught by professors who agreed to take on additional teaching duties, such as physics professor and minor co-chair Troy Carter.

In addition, Smith, in her capacity as the vice provost, and the deans of physical and life sciences have agreed to pick up any extra costs for the minor should the need arise.

“This is kind of how these minors get started,” Carter said. “Usually it’s by people who are passionate about a subject, and they’re willing to take on extra duties.”