CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) – Coastal Carolina University has its eyes on two new degrees it hopes will attract desperately needed science educators to the field.
CCU would be the first university in the state to adopt the programs, which allow students pursuing science degrees to also gain the experience they need to be teachers. Previously, students had to pursue a science degree, and then spend an additional 15 to 18 months on a Master of Arts in teaching degree.
“By taking those courses at the same time, it is really going to advantage the students that our students will be teaching in the future,” said Holley Tankersley, the dean of the CCU Spadoni College of Education and Social Sciences.
STEM teachers have always been in high demand and short supply. The South Carolina Department of Education includes biology, chemistry, earth and space science, middle-level science and physics on its list of teacher specialties in “critical need” for the 2022-23 academic year.
The South Carolina Annual Educator Supply and Demand Report from November 2021 found 85 openings for biology, chemistry and physics teachers for that year.
The CCU Board of Trustees approved the Bachelor of Science in biology education and Bachelor of Science in marine science education during its summer session earlier this month. The programs await approval from the South Carolina Higher Education Commission, the South Carolina Department of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Tankersley said the education department started looking last year for changes to help secondary education teachers. By sparing students those extra 15 months to get a master’s degree, the university is able to get them into the classroom faster – and with less debt.
Even if they don’t go on to teach in a school, Tankersley said the students will be ready to do conservation education for an agency or government entity.
She said most science students enter a program with a career path already in mind. While those can seem glamorous, teaching doesn’t have the same public shine and is seen as an afterthought. With the new programs available, teaching can be at the forefront and they can prepare to be teachers from the beginning. It will also allow high school students to get cutting-edge science information from a teacher who recently graduated with a biology or marine science degree.
Getting a science degree with a specialization in teaching, rather than the other way around, is unique, according to Chad Leverette, the dean of the CCU Gupta College of Science.
Leverette, a chemist who has spent 18 years in higher education in South Carolina, said the new program would create a streamlined approach.
“They are going to feel prepared,” he said.
Leverette said sometimes students graduate with an education degree, but doesn’t feel ready to teach an advanced-level STEM course. The new degree aims to help those educators know their material, and have those teaching skills.
He’s hopeful the new offering will drive people to the field.
“These are programs that I think will allow students to make a difference if they are interested in going on to teach high school science,” Leverette said.
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