Accelerated Pathway: Physics (BS) to Adolescence Education in Physics with Students with Disabilities Certification (MSEd)

Description

This program starts you on the path to becoming an effective physics teacher. You will build a strong content foundation by earning your BS Physics degree while completing four graduate-level education courses at the undergraduate tuition rate. Acceptance into this program enables you to then complete a Master of Science in Education in Adolescence Education in Physics with Students with Disabilities Certification

 at SUNY Brockport in 18 months rather than 24 months.

Physics majors take a wide variety of courses that cover essential concepts and develop the practical skills of problem-solving, using instrumentation, data analysis, teamwork and communicating results. By continuing on to complete the MS in Education, you will develop effective teaching methods that engage your students in active learning, and your background in physics will provide a solid scientific foundation as you train to teach the physics and engineering students of tomorrow.

Physics majors take a wide variety of courses that develop technical and essential skills, including problem-solving, instrumentation, data analysis, teamwork and communicating results. By continuing on to complete the MS in Education, you will develop effective teaching methods that engage your students in active learning, and your background in physics will provide a solid scientific foundation as you train to teach the physics and engineering students of tomorrow.

Teaching is a challenging but rewarding profession. The faculty and staff of the Department of Physics and the Department of Education and Human Development are dedicated to helping you grow and succeed. 

Admission to the Program

Undergraduate Physics majors with a minimum 3.00 overall GPA qualify for admission to the MSEd Accelerated Pathway. Applications are managed by the Center for Graduate Study.

Program Requirements

Students in the Physics major pursue a Bachelor of Science degree, and must complete the corresponding degree’s requirements.

General Education Requirements (25-31 credits)

• GEP 100 Academic Planning Seminar (1 credit)
• The Arts elective (gen ed code F) (3 credits)
• Diversity: Equity, Inclusion, & Social Justice elective (D) (3 credits)
• ENG 112 College Composition (Q) (3 credits)
• Humanities elective (H) (3 credits)
• Mathematics (M)
  • Satisfied by MTH 201 in the Physics program
• Natural Science and Scientific Reasoning with Laboratory (L)
  • Satisfied by PHS 235 in the Physics program
• Social Science elective (S) (3 credits)
• U.S. History and Civic Engagement elective (V) (3 credits)
• World History and Global Awareness (O) elective (3 credits)
• World Language elective (R) (3 credits)
• Local requirements (0-6 credits, may be paired with above categories):
  • Contemporary Issues elective (I)
  • Gender Perspectives (W)

B. S. Physics

Required Courses (33 credits)

• PHS 235 Physics I (4 credits)
• PHS 240 Physics II (4 credits)
• PHS 307 Physics III (3 credits)
• PHS 308 Electronics Laboratory (1 credit)
• PHS 328 Modern Physics (3 credits)
• PHS 329 Modern Physics & Optics Laboratory (1 credit)
• PHS 332 Intermediate Mechanics & Math Methods (3 credits)
• PHS 345 Advanced Physics Laboratory (3 credits)
• PHS 350 Instrumentation Laboratory (1 credit)
• PHS 403 Physics Seminar I (1 credit)
• Three of the following Core courses:
  • PHS 411 Quantum Mechanics (3 credits)
  • PHS 415 Thermal Physics (3 credits)
  • PHS 419 Electricity & Magnetism (3 credits)
  • PHS 423 Advanced Mechanics (3 credits)

Physics Elective Courses (6 credits)

Two Physics courses selected from

• PHS 361 Special Topics (3 credits)
• PHS 362 Solid State Physics (3 credits)
• PHS 363 Astrophysics (3 credits)
• PHS 364 Semiconductor Device Physics (3 credits)
• PHS 365 Optics (3 credits)
• PHS 366 Cosmology (3 credits)

An upper division (300-400 level) course from BIO, CHM, CSC, ESC, GEL, MET, or MTH may be substituted for one of these courses with departmental approval.

Cognate or Additional Requirements (31 credits)

• MTH 201 Calculus I (4 credits)
• MTH 202 Calculus II (4 credits)
• MTH 203 Calculus III (4 credits)
• MTH 255 Differential Equations (3 credits)
• CHM 205 College Chemistry I (4 credits)
• CHM 206 College Chemistry II (4 credits)
• CSC 120 Introduction to Computing (4 credits)
• CSC 203 Problem Solving with Objects (4 credits)

Total Number of Credits: 70

Prerequisites (0-4 credits)

• ENG 112 is a pre-requisite for PHS 308 and PHS 329.
• MTH 122 (4 cr.) may be required depending on student’s high school record.

Education coursework (12 credits)

• EDI 513 Introduction to Special Education
• EDI 530 Education & Society
• EDI 531 Teaching Literacy in Middle & High School Content Areas I (B)
• EDI 532 Teaching Literacy in Mid/High School Content Area II (B)

Electives (7-13 credits)

Total Credits (120 credits)

Additional Degree Requirements

1. Physics majors are required to pass both PHS 332 and MTH 255 with a minimum grade of “C.”
2. A minimum overall GPA of 2.0 in all required major courses (Major Departmental Requirements).
3. Completion of all university-wide degree requirements, including Academic Planning Seminar (0-3 credits)

Remaining Requirements for Completing the Master of Science in Education

The Master of Science in Education in Adolescence Education in Physics with Students with Disabilities Certification are overseen by the Department of Education and Human Development. Consult with your advisors in Physics and Education to plan ahead for MSEd degree completion.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completing the undergraduate physics curriculum at SUNY Brockport, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate competency in applying the basic laws of physics.
   1. Core topics (classical and quantum mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics)
   2. Applications (solid state physics, semiconductor physics, optics, astrophysics, etc.)
   3. Fundamental themes (conservation laws, particle nature of matter, waves, etc.)
2. Demonstrate instrumentation competency.
   1. Students will collect data with software tools such as LabVIEW and Arduino programing.
   2. Students can safely and properly use hardware tools such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, and other experimental tools.
3. Demonstrate software competency.
   1. Students will use industry-standard software and coding tools such as Excel, Mathematica, Python or C++ for design, modeling, or analysis in the course of solving problems.
4. Demonstrate data analytics competency.
   1. Students will analyze data, including statistics and uncertainty analysis, and prepare tables and charts to support conclusions.
5. Communicate scientific concepts and the results of scientific research both orally and in writing.
6. Demonstrate familiarity with workplace concepts and professional skills
   1. Concepts and skills such as: project management, adapting to unforeseen problems, completing work in a timely manner, working collegially in teams, best-practices with respect to safety, and properly assessing one’s skills as related to a specific project.