Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry Education (Secondary Certification)

Take your scientific curiosity to the next level with a degree in chemistry—specifically one with a certification for secondary education. You’ll work closely with highly trained and experienced faculty members who are invested in your success. And, with our small class sizes and ease of access to top-notch equipment in state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories, you can feel secure that you’ll be a step ahead of the competition when using your chemistry education to pursue chemistry teacher positions in public or private school settings.

During your time in the chemistry teaching degree program, you’ll also complete a research project in an area of special interest to you during your senior year. In fact, in recent years, many of our chemistry student projects have been selected for summer programs at research institutions, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Clemson University, Notre Dame, Brown University, and the Natural History Museum in London, England.

Plus, you’ll have the option of joining the Alchemist Club, an affiliate of the American Chemical Society, with field trips and special events, including guest speakers. They also sponsor the annual Chemistry Symposium at UC, a day of competitive events for high school students designed to excite young people about the possibilities of science careers.

• What is a Chemistry Education Degree?
• What Can You Do with a Chemistry Education Degree?
• How to Become a Chemistry Teacher
• Curriculum and Degree Requirements
• Tuition
• Admission Requirements
• Accreditation
• Faculty

What is a Chemistry Education Degree?

A chemistry education degree gives educators the training they need to earn certifications that qualify them for teaching careers in public and private high school settings. College coursework for an accredited bachelor’s degree program helps students gain a solid fundamental understanding of all sciences with a special emphasis in chemistry—from general chemistry to organic chemistry to analytical chemistry. Education students should also gain a comprehensive education in age-appropriate lesson planning, evaluating student progress, personalizing instruction to learning types, and more. 

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What Can You Do with a Chemistry Education Degree?

Your chemistry program, with coursework for secondary education certification, will prepare you to move directly into a teaching career. You can pursue chemistry teacher jobs in high schools, where teachers earned a median average annual salary of $61,660 as of 2019, or in middle schools where the average annual salary for teachers came in at $59,660 that same year. Specific job opportunities can include:

• Chemistry teacher (9-12)
• Natural sciences manager
• Chemist
• Chemical researcher

Or should you decide to continue your education in graduate study, you can prepare for a career in a number of fields, including those in medicine or government. Additional career opportunities could include:

• Physician
• Physician’s assistant
• Dentist
• Veterinarian
• Public policy writer
• Environmental scientist
• Forensic scientist

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How to Become a Chemistry Teacher

Those who aspire to become chemistry teachers will first need to check with the certifying board in the state they wish to teach. Every state may have different qualifications or certifications that they require. Some steps toward becoming a high school chemistry teacher, however, are almost universal.

As with any STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) educator, aspiring teachers should begin by earning a relevant bachelor’s degree. This college degree program must explore scientific principles and understandings of chemistry. And it must offer coursework designed to help graduates better understand what it takes to successfully encourage learning and growth in younger people. There will usually be a student-teaching component, a requirement for certification in most, if not all, states.

From there, new educators will likely need to pass a state test, apply for teaching certification, and then start applying for open chemistry teacher positions. 

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Curriculum and Degree Requirements

Bachelor of Science with a Major in Chemistry

36 semester hours as described below. This option is for students majoring in Chemistry and pursuing secondary education certification 

• CHEM 132     General College Chemistry I 
• CHEM 111     General Chemistry Laboratory I 
• CHEM 232     General College Chemistry II 
• CHEM 211     General Chemistry Laboratory II 
• CHEM 331     Organic Chemistry I 
• CHEM 321     Organic Chemistry Laboratory I 
• CHEM 332     Organic Chemistry II 
• CHEM 322     Organic Chemistry Laboratory II 
• CHEM 336     Analytical Chemistry 
• CHEM 328     Analytical Chemistry Laboratory 
• CHEM 441     Physical Chemistry I & Physical Chemistry Lab I 
• CHEM 413     Teaching Practicum in Chemistry 
• CHEM 434     Inorganic Chemistry 
• CHEM 490     Senior Research Project, Capstone in Chemistry (2 hours required) 
• CHEM 491     Selected Topics or BIOL 346  Biochemistry (3 hours required if CHEM 345 is chosen above) 

NOTE: MATH 140, MATH 240, PHYS 241, and PHYS 242 are prerequisites for some upper-level chemistry courses. 
In addition to these course requirements, 42 hours of professional education courses are required as defined by the Education Department. 

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Tuition

Costs for programs of study at University of the Cumberlands are competitive and affordable. Click here to view tuition rates and fees.

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Admission Requirements

In order to be considered for admission to this program, click here to view the undergraduate, on-campus admissions information. 

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Accreditation

Click here to view University of the Cumberlands' accreditation information. 

In addition to the overall institutional accreditation statement above, the specialized accrediting bodies related to this degree are listed below. 

KDE/EPSB – State Accreditation
University of the Cumberlands' School of Education is further accredited through Kentucky's Educational Professional Standards Board (EPSB), 100 Airport Road, 3rd Floor, Frankfort, KY 40601. (502) 564-4606. Fax: (502) 564-7080.

CAEP – National Accreditation
The School of Education at University of the Cumberlands (UC) is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) at the initial-licensure level and advanced-level.  CAEP promotes excellence in educator preparation through quality assurance and continuous improvement.  UC’s School of Education has earned national accreditation by demonstrating excellence in the areas of content and pedagogy, clinical experiences, selectivity, program impact, and capacity for continuous improvement.
 
CAEP Address: 1140 19th St NW #400, Washington, DC 20036
CAEP Phone Number: (202) 223-0077

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Faculty

Click here to view a list of the chemistry faculty. 

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