CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN SCIENCE TEACHING

A formal teacher training program at UNM is being developed* and BSGP students may now accumulate credits toward a Certificate in Science Teaching. Teaching is an important part of most academic careers, and there is compelling evidence that trainees benefit from training programs that emphasize preparedness and competitiveness for jobs that require excellent communication skills as well as research credentials.

The Certificate Program will require completion of 15 credit hours by the time the Ph.D. is awarded. These credits will be distributed among required and optional coursework, participation in workshops, teaching experiences, and an individual project. Documentation of these activities, along with a statement of teaching philosophy, in a Teaching Portfolio is likely to enhance students’ competitiveness for careers that include teaching.

Interested students will be expected to keep track of activities they wish to apply toward earning a Certificate. Please consult with Dr. Sherry Rogers or Dr. Angela Wandinger-Ness about optional coursework, teaching opportunities, and topics for individual projects.

*A proposal submitted by Drs. Angela Wandinger-Ness, Sherry Rogers, and Matthew Nyman (Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences) is currently under review by the Office of Graduate Studies. Support for Rogers’ and Wandinger-Ness’s work on this proposal was provided by a grant from the Scholarship in Education Allocations Committee (SEAC) of the UNM School of Medicine.