Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in
College Science Teaching & Learning (CST&L)

The post-baccalaureate certificate in CST&L may be completed by students pursuing Ph.D. degrees in the sciences who are interested in developing competencies as scholars in science education. Students who complete the CST&L certificate will:

  • become familiar with recent research in science education,
  • interpret, discuss, and demonstrate a familiarity with research literature related to college level science teaching and learning, and
  • demonstrate potential to conduct scholarly work related to college level science education.

Requirements of the Certificate:

  1. concurrent enrollment in a Ph.D. program in the sciences.
  2. completion of 12 credits of course requirements (see below)
  3. completion and defense of a small scale or dissertation level science education research project

Courses
(Total Minimum Required Credits: 12)

Term
Offered

Credits

Grades to be
Awarded

One of the following:
    ED L 504 – Disciplined Inquiry in Education
    ED P 560 – Introduction to Education Research


F, Sp, Su
F, Sp


3
3


A,B,C,D,E,I
A,B,C,D,E,I

One of the following:
    ED L 601 – Qualitative Methods in Education
    ED P 541 – Statistical Methods in Education
    LRC 605 – Qualitative Methods in Education


F, Sp
F, Sp, Su
F, Sp, Su


3
4
3


A,B,C,D,E,I
A,B,C,D,E,I
A,B,C,D,E,I

MCB 520 – College Science Teaching & Learning

F (odd years)

3

A,B,C,D,E,I

STCH 595B – Science Education Colloquium

F, Sp

1 (repeat
for 2 credits)

S,P,E,I

STCH 695A – Science Education Research

F, Sp

1

S,P,E,I

Students should register for the STCH 695A credit during the semester when his/her research project results are to be presented (although data may have been collected and/or analyzed in earlier semesters).  The presentation will be scheduled during the STCH 595B meeting time late in the semester. Students are encouraged to talk with their CST&L advisors about the format of the research presentation. An evaluation form is to be completed by CST&L faculty members after the student’s presentation of the project results. Only upon successful completion of the capstone STCH 695A requirement will the Graduate College be notified of the student’s completion of the CST&L.

Enrolling in the CST&L:

By the end of the second semester of enrollment in the required courses, the student should contact Marilyn Kramer (mjkramer@email.arizona.edu) in the Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology to request a CST&L Plan of Study form, complete it, and sign. Then Marilyn will route the form to appropriate advisors and department heads for signatures and submit it to the Graduate College.  

Advising in the CST&L: 

The following CST&L faculty members are currently available to serve as advisors for students in the program: Lisa Elfring (Biochemistry),  Bruce Johnson (TTE), Ingrid Novodvorsky (Physics), Tim Slater (Astronomy), Vicente Talanquer (Chemistry), and Debra Tomanek (MCB).  The faculty member will be responsible for advising the student on the selection, planning, and implementation of the research.


College of Science
Teacher Preparation Program
University of Arizona
Life Sciences South 248
P.O. Box 210106
Tucson, AZ 85721-0106
Phone: (520) 621-1519
FAX: (520) 621-3709
Question or comments? Contact: mjkramer@email.arizona.edu