Physics-Teacher Education Program (Grades 9-12), B.A.

Major Requirements

Credit Hours: 42+

In addition to completing the requirements for this major, students must also complete the degree requirements specified in the Academic Regulations section of this catalog.

Courses within this major may also satisfy general education requirements. Please consult the Liberal Arts and Sciences General Education Requirements for more information.

Physics Teacher Education Program (Grades 9-12)

Students interested in teacher licensure in physics must complete both the physics major and the Secondary Education Cognate, B.S. major requirements. See the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance section of this catalog for a listing of the required secondary education cognate major courses. Students should apply for acceptance to this program no later than the second semester of their sophomore year. Requirements for this include admission to and successful completion of the approved teacher education program. Students must successfully complete all requirements for licensure in secondary education.

When declaring teacher licensure in Physics through the Program of Study Management System (POSM), students must first select “Declare or Add a Major” and then “Secondary Education Cognate” from the major list. Once this selection is made, a second menu box will appear with a list of the associated majors. Select the physics major and follow the on-screen instructions.

You should apply for admission (this is NOT declaring your major) to the Teacher Education Program the semester you are enrolled in EDFS 201 Foundations of Education (3) . Requirements for admission:
- Minimum overall GPA of 2.750 and 60 earned credit hours.
- Passing score on the 3 components of the PRAXIS 1: Pre-Professional Skills Test (Reading, Writing, and Mathematics) as designated by the South Carolina Department of Education OR qualifying SAT or ACT scores.
- Completing the application process during EDFS 201 .
- If a student has transfer credit for a course that is equivalent to EDFS 201 , they must meet with the Teacher Education department chair and complete 1 hour of work.
- A grade of C or better in EDFS 201 Foundations of Education (3) .
Your admission process must be completed before taking EDFS 460 .
You must complete a major in the content area and the cognate major (see Secondary Education Cognate, B.S. ) to be forwarded to the State Department of Education for certification.
Minimum Physics GPA of 2.500.
Minimum education GPA of 3.000.

Required Courses

Notes:

Honors students can take the alternative sequence of HONS 157 /HONS 157L in lieu of PHYS 111 /PHYS 111L .
Honors students can take the alternative sequence of HONS 158 /HONS 158L in lieu of PHYS 112 /PHYS 112L .

Complete one of the following options:

Option 1 (3 credit hours)

PHYS 420 Senior Research (3)

Option 2 (6 credit hours)

Notes:

Credit may not be applied for both the Senior Seminar and the Bachelor’s Essay.

Complete 11 credit hours from the following electives with department approval:

Please note a maximum of 3 credit hours from each of the following groups are allowed (PHYS 381 , PHYS 390 , PHYS 399 ) and (PHYS 260 , PHYS 260L , PHYS 460L ).

Mathematics Requirement

Notes:

Honors students can take the alternative course of HONS 115 in lieu of MATH 120 .
Honors students can take the alternative course of HONS 215 in lieu of MATH 220 .

Notes:

With department approval, completion with grades of at least “B” in PHYS 101 /PHYS 101L and PHYS 102 /PHYS 102L , together with MATH 120 and MATH 220 may be substituted for PHYS 111 /PHYS 111L and PHYS 112 /PHYS 112L .
Suggested programs of study leading to graduate school in physics, astronomy, astrophysics, meteorology and engineering are available from the department.
No more than 3 credit hours from PHYS 260 , PHYS 260L , and PHYS 460L may be applied towards the program requirements.
No more than 10 credit hours from PHYS 298 may be applied towards the program requirements.
No more than 3 credit hours from PHYS 381 , PHYS 390 , and PHYS 399 may be applied towards the program requirements.
No more than 4 credit hours from PHYS 381 may be applied towards the program requirements.
No more than 6 credit hours from PHYS 390 may be applied towards the program requirements.
No more than 12 credit hours from PHYS 399 may be applied towards the program requirements.

Additional Coursework beyond the Content major (Physics, B.A.) for Physics Certification:

Notes:

Honors students can take the alternative sequence of HONS 151 /HONS 151L in lieu of BIOL 111 /BIOL 111L .

Coursework Meeting Major Requirements Excluded from the Major GPA Calculation

The following courses are excluded: BIOL 101 , BIOL 101L , BIOL 111 , BIOL 111L , HONS 115 , HONS 151 , HONS 151L , HONS 215 , MATH 120 , MATH 220 , MATH 221