Online degrees in science education

Even at middle schools and secondary schools, the hard sciences are divided into their disciplines. At most institutions, students seeking a science education degree specialize in one branch of the sciences, dividing their coursework between classes in education and study of the material they hope to teach. Students can choose to specialize in one of five main areas of science education:

1. Biology
2. Chemistry
3. Physics
4. Earth science
5. Physical science

Naturally, there is likely to be some overlap between the disciplines. Future biology teachers will often find themselves learning organic chemistry. Earth sciences teachers, who aspire to disciplines such as geography and geology, will often take a few chemistry or physics courses to help round out their knowledge. Physical science teachers have to know a little bit of everything.

In many states, graduates can enter the education workforce with nothing more than a Bachelor of Science degree in education and a teaching certificate. Students typically focus on a specific level of education--elementary education, for instance, or high school--and tailor their coursework to suit that type of instruction.

Online degrees in science education can help teachers focus their knowledge in a particular area of science or move into science as a specialty. For first-time teachers, a student-teaching or internship component will likely be required at a local school; teachers who are already licensed should be able to complete the bulk of their work online.

For those who wish to teach at the college level, a graduate degree is required. While students may find the occasional university teaching job with a master's degree in education or in their chosen discipline, candidates who have earned Doctor of Philosophy degrees tend to fare best in the market for these positions.

Many universities offer online master's degrees in education, which might help teachers advance in the school system or qualify for higher pay. Education in the virtual classroom allows students to remain responsible to their work or family commitments while enhancing their knowledge and skill and working toward their academic goals.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a shortage of qualified teachers in the sciences--particularly chemistry and physics--should result in particularly good job prospects for science teachers. Overall, the BLS predicts job growth for teachers at all levels between 2008 and 2018. Take a look at these job growth percentages by educational level:

1. Elementary school teachers: 16 percent
2. Middle school teachers: 15 percent
3. Post-secondary (university) teachers: 15 percent
4. Secondary (high school) teachers: 9 percent

At the high school level, teachers earned a mean annual wage of $55,990 in 2010, the BLS reports. At the collegiate level, science teachers can earn significantly more. Consider the following 2010 salaries by specialty for science professors:

1. Physics teachers, post-secondary: $86,560
2. Chemistry teachers, post-secondary: $80,070
3. Biological science teachers, post-secondary: $86,570
4. Environmental science teachers, post-secondary: $78,490
5. Atmospheric, earth, marine, and space sciences teachers, post-secondary: $90,660

Online degrees in science education can give students the specialized knowledge necessary to help meet the need for qualified science teachers, ready to train the next generation of innovators, experimenters and researchers.

• Careers: Degree holders commonly go into: education fields
• Salary range: $54,000-$90,000 per year for common careers, according to the BLS
• Education: The minimum educational requirement is a bachelor's degree