Physics with Teacher Preparation Option, BS/MAT

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the BS/MAT PhysicsTeacher Preparation Program must:

• Have taken at least 4 science lab courses
• Contact the physics 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 during 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 TP to the Registrar. Forms are available at the Registrar’s Office, the Undergraduate Physics advisor’s office in the Physics Department Office, and the Science Education Program Office in I-STEM, Life Sciences 092.

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.

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 Physics.

Sample Course BS/MAT Course Sequence

Student Teaching, Field Experience and Portfolio

Student Teaching

Prior to admission to student teaching, candidates will be interviewed by a committee to assess their ability to speak extemporaneously about both physics 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.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.Student teaching is divided into two placements of approximately equal duration, one in a middle school/junior high school and the other in a high school. 

Field Experience

Field Experience sites for all teacher candidates are arranged through SCI 449/549 and SCI 450/550. Assignments and details are distributed in SCI 410/510 and SCI 420/520. 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 449/549, SCI 450/550, 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 upon completion of the undergraduate physics major.

Professional Portfolio

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

Teacher Certification

In addition to the stated course and program requirements listed in this section, New York State also has workshop, fingerprinting and other requirements for certification, which can be found in this Bulletin.