Teaching: Chemistry

MAT Program Requirements

The degree program consists of 44 credits, distributed among the areas listed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is three credits. All degree requirements must be completed within five (5) years from the semester date of admission as a matriculated student.

Graduate Science Courses- 15 credits

Select 5 of the following with the approval of a departmental advisor. Courses not listed may be  selected with the approval of a departmental advisor.

• CHE 502 Mechanisms and Strategies in Organic Chemistry
• CHE 503 Synthetic Organic Chemistry
• CHE 504 Structure and Reactivity in Organic Chemistry
• CHE 511 Structural Inorganic Chemistry
• CHE 514 Transitional Metal Chemistry
• CHE 518 Materials Chemistry
• CHE 519 Electrochemistry
• CHE 534 Computing in Chemistry
• CHE 541 Biomolecular Structure and Analysis
• CHE 590 Master’s Term Paper (required)
• CHE 591 Chemistry in Society
• CHE 593 Demonstrations in Chemistry

Professional Studies in Education - 23 credits

• CEE 505 Education: Theory and Practice
• CEF 547 Principles and Practices of Special Education
• CEE 565 Human Development
• CEE 594 Language Acquisition and Literacy Development
• SCI 510 Introduction to Science Teaching (co-requisite SCI 549)
• SCI 520 Science Teaching Methods (prerequisite SCI 510; co-requisite SCI 550)
• SCI 549 Clinical Experience I (one-credit; co-requisite SCI 510)
• SCI 550 Clinical Experience II (one-credit; prerequisite SCI 549; co-requisite SCI 520)
• SCI 554 Student Teaching Seminar (prerequisites SCI 510, 520, 549, 550, CEE 505, CEE 565, and CEE 594, CEF 547, and all content courses required for completion of the degree; interview with and permission of Science Education Committee 631.632.9750 ; matriculation in degree [MAT CHE] program. Co-requisites SCI 551 and SCI 552.)

At the program director’s discretion, an undergraduate course from a registered and approved program may be approved as a substitution for any of the courses listed below. In all cases, the undergraduate course must have been completed with a B or higher and the student must then take a different graduate pedagogy course to fulfill the graduate credits required for the graduate degree.

• CEE 505: Education: Theory and Practice
• CEF 547: Principles and Practices of Special Education
• CEE 594  Language Acquisition and Literacy Development
• CEE 565 : Human Development
• Speak to your graduate program director for more information and approval.

Supervised Student Teaching - 6 credits

• SCI 551 Supervised Student Teaching High School Grades 10-12: Science (prerequisites SCI 510, 520, 549 and 550; co-requisite SCI 552 & SCI 554)
• SCI 552 Supervised Student Teaching Middle School Grades 7-9: Science (prerequisites SCI 510, 520, 549 and 550; co-requisites SCI 551 & SCI 554)

Written Project

Students will be required to complete a teaching project approved by the sponsoring department.

 

MAT Admissions

• Application essay.
• A bachelor’s degree with an academic major or its equivalent (or a minimum of 36 credits) in the content field. Transcript must reflect a 2.75 minimum cumulative GPA as well as a 3.0 minimum GPA in science courses.
• One year of college-level study of a foreign language (6 credits) with a grade of “C” or better (this may include American Sign Language)  NOTE: Satisfaction of SBU’s SBC LANG fulfills the foreign language requirement.
• Three letters of recommendation. Two of the three recommendations must be from faculty with whom you have completed a course of study at the college level. It would be preferable that these faculty be in the area of your major.
• In those cases where the departmental admissions committee deems it desirable, personal interviews with departmental representatives may be necessary.

The BS/MAT Chemistry teacher preparation program is based on completion of a combined BS in Chemistry and Master of Arts in Teaching in Chemistry. It is possible to complete both degrees in 5 years (instead of 5 ½ years) because of credit sharing between the programs. This program requires a combination of the courses that are required for each of the individual degree programs. A complete description follows below.

BS/MAT ADMISSION

Applicants to the BS/MAT Chemistry Teacher Preparation Program must:

• Have taken at least 4 science lab courses
• Contact the chemistry education advisor for a transcript review and to plan a course of study
• Achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.00 and a GPA of 3.00 in science courses
• Apply for the combined program by the end of the junior year
• Complete the BS/MAT application 

• • SPD Student Application/Information Sheet
  • Three (3) letters of recommendation
  • Official transcript from each college or university attended
  • Application Essay
  • Any additional items required by SPD

• Submit application prior to SPD deadline as posted on the SPD website (www.stonybrook.edu/spd)

Upon entry to the program, candidates must declare a Teacher Preparation option along with their Undergraduate major by submitting the “Declaration of Major/Minor Form” with ED/TP to the Registrar. Forms are available through the Registrar’s Office website andthe Undergraduate Biology advisor’s office in the Biology Learning Laboratories Building.

Number of Semesters of Full-Time Study Required for Program Completion at the Undergraduate and Graduate Levels

Students should apply to the combined BS/MAT program during their fifth or sixth semester of study. The first six semesters of the program are full-time study at the undergraduate level.

Semesters seven and eight will include a mix of undergraduate and graduate courses. Semesters nine and ten will consist of graduate courses only. Candidates will generally advance to Graduate status during their eighth semester, upon the completion of their 15th graduate credit.

Note: The two degrees are conferred only when the entire combined degree program has been completed. Both degrees are conferred together unless the student elects to exit the combined degree program and receive only a BS in Chemistry.

Chemistry BS/MAT Sample Course Sequence

The below listing of courses provides a sUndergraduategested sequence for coursework. There is a degree of flexibility in the order of courses, but any deviation from the above without permission of the program advisor may lead to a delay in completion of the program.

A student wishing to complete the five-year combined program is strongly encouraged to consult with the Biology advisor for individualized guidance in course selection.

• Sample Course Sequence

  Semester 1	Undergraduate	Graduate
  CHE 131 or 141	4
  CHE 133 or 143	1
  MAT 125	3
  SBU 101	1
  DEC/SBC	3
  DEC/SBC	3
  Semester 2	Undergraduate	Graduate
  CHE 132 or 142	4
  CHE 134 or 144	1
  MAT 126	3
  BIO or GEO	3
  DEC/SBC	3
  DEC/SBC	3
  Semester 3	Undergraduate	Graduate
  CHE 321	3
  CHE 383	2
  MAT 127	3
  GEO or BIO	3
  DEC/SBC	3
  DEC/SBC	3
  Semester 4	Undergraduate	Graduate
  CHE 322 or 326	3
  CHE 384	3
  CHE 385	1
  MAT 211 or AMS 210	3
  DEC/SBC	3
  DEC/SBC	3
  Semester 5	Undergraduate	Graduate
  CHE 301	4
  CHE 303	2
  PHY 131, 133	4
  PSY 327	3
  *Foreign Lang.	4
  Semester 6	Undergraduate	Graduate
  CHE 302	4
  CHE 304	2
  DEC/SBC	3
  PHY 132, 134	4
  SSE 350	3
  Semester 7	Undergraduate	Graduate
  CHE 375	3
  CHE 357	2
  CHE 310	3
  CHE 495	3
  DEC/SBC	3
  Grad 1		3
  Semester 8	Undergraduate	Graduate
  SCI 510		3
  SCI 549		1
  CEE 594		3
  CHE 496	3
  Grad 2		3
  DEC/SBC	3
  Semester 9	Undergraduate	Graduate
  SCI 520		3
  SCI 550		1
  Grad 3		3
  Grad 4		3
  CHE 590**		3
  CEF 547		3
  Semester 10	Undergraduate	Graduate
  SCI 551		3
  SCI 552		3
  SCI 554		3

  *Satisfaction of SBU’s DEC Entry Skill 3/SBC LANG fulfills the foreign language requirement.

  **A substantial paper on some aspect of chemical science, technology, or pedagogy is to be prepared under the aegis of CHE 590. The subject should be chosen in consultation with the faculty advisor, in whose section of CHE 590 the student will register. See your advisor about details about the expectations associated with CHE 590.

Student Teaching

Seventy-five days of student teaching are required. Depending on the semester and public school vacation schedules, student teaching may extend beyond the university semester calendar.

Prior to admission to student teaching, candidates will be interviewed by a committee to assess their ability to speak extemporaneously about both chemistry concepts and pedagogical issues.

Candidates who are not successful in this interview will be counseled in order to remedy deficiencies. Upon completion of the remediation another interview will be held. In the event that a candidate is unable to satisfy the interview component, the candidate will not advance to student teaching.

Field Experience

Field Experience sites for all teacher candidates are arranged through SCI 549 and SCI 550. Assignments and details are distributed in SCI 510 and SCI 520. New York State requires 100 hours of field experience in secondary schools prior to student teaching. Each teacher candidate is required to obtain 15 hours of field experience that includes a focus on understanding the needs of students with disabilities. These hours will be noted on the Field Experience Time Sheets from SCI 549, SCI 550, or a combination of both. While earning these field experience hours, teacher candidates will be encouraged to observe inclusion (integrated co-teaching) classes in their certification area and other special education classroom situations as available.

It is recommended that candidates take the EAS upon completion of PSY 327/CEE 565, CEF 347/547 and LIN 344/CEE 594, and take the CST towards the end of  SCI 520 .

Professional Portfolio

The Professional Portfolio is presented at the conclusion of student teaching. It includes many performance indicators of standards-based teaching competencies.

Additional Requirements for Certification

In addition to the stated course and program requirements listed in this Bulletin, New York State also has workshop, fingerprinting and other requirements for certification. Students are responsible for seeking out certification information as it relates to their programs. Consult your program director and the D-TALE website for guidance. 

Language Requirement

New York State certification requires at least one year (6 credits) of college-level study of a foreign language. Satisfaction of SBU’s SBC LANG fulfills the foreign language requirement.

General Science Certification

In order to qualify for the General Science (grade 7 – 12) certification, candidates must complete a minimum of 18 semester hours in two or more sciences other than chemistry.

Middle-Level Extension

Candidates who wish to qualify to teach grades 5 and 6 in a middle school setting may obtain an extension to their grades 7-12 certification by completing two additional courses, prior to graduation. The courses are: CEE 601 Early Adolescent Development and CEE 602 Middle Child Education-Instruction. Information about these courses can be found on the SPD website (www.stonybrook.edu/spd).