SCIENCE FOR EDUCATORS COURSES

Courses & Catalog

Graduate Catalog

Download the most recent graduate catalog.

Curriculum

The student will work with their advisor to develop course work that is consistent with the interests and expertise of the student. To complete the Specialization in Science for Educators, a minimum of nine hours should be selected from the core courses plus a minimum of three credit hours for a Master of Applied Science Project. The project is developed in consultation between the student and the advisor.

Core Courses

COURSECREDIT HOURS
ENTO 810 Insects as Educational Tools for the Classroom 3 credit hours
Prereqs: Introductory entomology course.
Offered fall semester of even-numbered calendar years on the Internet via the World Wide Web (WWW). Overview of insects. Insect diversity, insect structure and function, insect ecology and behavior, and the beneficial and detrimental roles insects play. Integrating the study of insects into the classroom to enhance science education.
 
NRES 822 Laboratory Earth: Earth’s Changing Systems (or another Laboratory Earth Course) 3 credit hours
Fundamental concepts related to understanding Earth's changing natural systems in the past, present, and the future. The cycling of matter and energy; the relationship between human activity and environmental change; and the consequence of these relationships.
 
AGRO 821 Learning Biotechnology 3 credit hours
Crosslisted as HORT 821.
Investigate biotechnology and its application in solving problems and connect biotechnology to basic science concepts in biology and chemistry. Integrate individually-designed biotechnology lessons into learning standards.
 
AGRO 832 Learning Plant Science 3 credit hours
Crosslisted as HORT 832.
The biology of plants grown for food, fiber, fuel and fun. Connect applied plant science to basic science concepts in biology and chemistry. Integrate individually-designed plant science lessons into learning standards.
 
SCIL 400/800 Experiential Learning in Food, Energy, and Water Systems II 3 credit hours
Prereqs: 15 hours of coursework towards the Food, Energy, and Water in Society Minor including SCIL 300 (at the 400 level) or 12 hours of graduate coursework (at the 800 level).
A multifaceted experience that serves as a culminating academic and intellectual experience for students. Students will complete an internship or a research project in an approved professional or academic setting that will provide them with a challenging and engaging experience. As part of this experience, students will cater knowledge and skills from the minor as appropriate for a professional career, begin to build a network for support and future employment, and clarify individual professional goals and strategies for career development. The experience will culminate in the development of a creative product that illustrates the students’ knowledge and skills relevant to food, energy, and/or water systems.
 
NRES/AGRI 897 Master of Applied Science Project 3 credit hours
Crosslisted as AGRI 897, HORT 897, NRES 897.
Prereqs: Admission to Master of Applied Science degree program.
Project activity for the Master of Applied Science degree. Design, develop and complete a project that requires synthesis of the course topics covered in the primary area of emphasis.
 

Other relevant courses that can be taken to meet the 18 credit hours for the specialization include:

COURSECREDIT HOURS
FDST 801 Teaching Applications of Food Science 3 credit hours
Prereqs: BIOS 101 and CHEM 109FDST 401/801 will not count toward a FDST major or minor.
Overview of the science of food and how food can be used in the classroom to enhance science education.
 
ENTO 806 Insect Ecology 3 credit hours
Crosslisted as BIOS 406/806.
Prereqs: BIOS/NRES 220 and 222.
Biotic and abiotic factors as they influence insect development, behavior, distribution, and abundance.
 
NRES 809 Laboratory Earth: Earth and Its Systems 3 credit hours
The earth as a system and the "real world" applications of fundamental physical science processes in this system. Interaction of energy and matter in the geosphere, in the hydrosphere, and in the atmosphere. The earth's relationships to the sun, moon, and other astronomical objects in the solar system.
 
NRES 814 Laboratory Earth: Earth’s Natural Resource Systems 3 credit hours
Fundamental concepts in the Earth and physical sciences in the understanding of Earth's natural resource systems. Rock and mineral, water, soil, and energy resources. Social factors, human dependence, and the impact of these on natural resource systems.
 
NRES 830 Laboratory Earth: Climate Change Research Applications 3 credit hours
Designed for science educators. *NRES 830 is offered fall semesters. Climate-change issues serve as a context to develop research questions and design a discrete, locally oriented research project through which they define a problem, analyze data, and develop conclusions to potentially impact decision-making in their community.
 
NRES 832 Laboratory Earth: Human Dimensions of Climate Change 3 credit hours
Designed for science educators. *NRES 832 is offered spring semesters. Examine science behind global climate change. Use primary data sets to understand the implications for climate change at global and regional/local scales. Focus on potential impacts on human systems including drought, sea level rise, severe weather and populations most likely to be impacted by climate change.
 
Other courses may be included with the permission of the student’s committee.