Program Overview
College of Natural and Health Sciences
Contact: Cynthia S. Galovich, Ph.D., Department Chair
Location: Ross Hall 0232
Telephone: 970.351.2961
Website: www.unco.edu/nhs/physics-astronomy
Advising Information:
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
The program consists of three parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- Professional Teacher Education Program (PTEP) Credits
*For Educator licensure majors, PTEP coursework counts towards the minimum of nine upper-division UNC credits (300-400).
Program Description:
The program emphasizes the laws, principles and applications of physics and other sciences, along with the communication skills and teaching methods to effectively teach these concepts at the junior high and high school levels (grades 7-12). Graduates of this degree would help to combat a shortage of physical science teachers and help meet the nationwide goals of excellence in science preparation.
With additional physics and mathematics courses, students could qualify for graduate study in physics or for employment in industry or governmental research laboratories.
Program Admission Requirements:
Academic Good Standing
Program Requirements:
- A 2.0 GPA or better is required in PHYS prefix courses for graduation.
- In accordance with University Policies, coursework earned more than 10 years prior to the date of matriculation to UNC may not be used to satisfy any major or minor requirements. Any exception to this policy is at the discretion of the academic program.
PTEP Program Requirements:
Teacher candidates who complete an approved content degree and the UNC professional teacher education program, as well as pass the appropriate Colorado Department of Education designated PRAXIS exam (if applicable), will be eligible for recommendation from UNC for a Colorado Department of Education teaching license.
If you are seeking licensure in your program area, the following items are required to complete your program.
- Completion of Application for Initial Admission to PTEP – referred to as Checkpoint #1 (Enrollment in this checkpoint will result in a one-time program fee, assessed to student accounts to pay for assessment software. This checkpoint will also require an out-of-pocket payment - to the chosen approved vendor - to obtain a fingerprint background check, which is required by the Colorado Department of Education.)
- Completion of Full Admission to PTEP – referred to as Checkpoint #2
- Completion of Application for Student Teaching – referred to as Checkpoint #3
- Completion of content specific PRAXIS test prior to Student Teaching
- Candidates may not take extra courses with Student Teaching without prior approval from the Program Coordinator and the STE Director.
- All PTEP Field Experiences and methods courses need to be successfully completed prior to Student Teaching.
- Student Teaching outside the supervision of UNC Faculty may or may not be approved.
- Teacher Candidates will not be placed in a school where they were once students or where they have a close relative attending and/or working.
- Teacher education and educator preparation licensure programs do not accept Professional Teacher Education Program (PTEP) or field based courses that are more than ten years old. PLEASE NOTE: Teacher Candidates have the right to petition this policy at the discretion of the program coordinator.
Please work with your content advisor to determine when these requirements will be completed throughout your program.
Degree Requirements — 122 Credits
1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits
To complete the degree in 122 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the required major credits.
Any additional coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.
Written Communication — 6 credits
SCI 291 is recommended to fulfill the Intermediate Writing Course requirement but is not required for the major.
See Written Communication courses.
Mathematics — 3 credits
MATH 131 or MATH 132 are recommended to fulfill the Mathematics requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Mathematics courses
Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits
To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.
ECLD 260 is recommended to fulfill both the Liberal Arts Curriculum and major requirements. Select any courses to fulfill the remaining credits of this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses
Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits
BIO 110, BIO 111, CHEM 111, CHEM 111L, CHEM 281, CHEM 281L, GEOL 100, and PHYS 240 are recommended to fulfill the Physical & Natural Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Natural & Physical Sciences courses
See Liberal Arts Curriculum
2. Required Major — 66 credits
Take all of the following courses — 63 credits:
Choose 1 of the following courses — 3 credits:
| AST 301 | Classical Astronomy and the Solar System | 3 |
| AST 302 | Stars and the Milky Way | 3 |
3. Required PTEP — 38 credits
Phase I (5 credits taken concurrently).
| EDF 290 | Foundations of Education | 3 |
| STEP 161 | Observation and Analysis of Secondary Teaching I | 2 |
Phase II (8 credits taken concurrently)
| EDSE 360 | Adaptation, Modification, and Integration of Curriculum for the Secondary Exceptional Learner | 3 |
| PSY 349 | Educational Psychology for Secondary Teachers | 3 |
| STEP 262 | Observation and Analysis of Secondary Teaching II | 2 |
Phase III (11 credits taken concurrently)
| ET 449 | Integrating Technologies into Secondary Education Pedagogy | 3 |
| ECLD 341 | Content-Based Literacies for Equitable Access to PK-12 Instruction | 3 |
| SCED 441 | Methods of Teaching Secondary School Science | 3 |
| STEP 363 | Clinical Experience: Secondary | 2 |
ECLD 341 may be taken outside of Phase III.
Phase IV (14 credits)
4. University-Wide Credits — 0 credits*
*Note: Students must apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum requirements and the major requirements to complete this degree program in 122 credit hours. This degree does not require university wide electives and has received an exception from the CDHE to exceed the typical limit of 120 credit hours.
Four Year Plan
This four year plan is a recommended schedule to complete this bachelor's degree in 4 years. Courses are subject to availability. Students must consult with their major advisor to receive information on any additional graduation requirements and course sequence guidance. Because some of the major courses are offered every other year, two plans are provided; one for the student’s 3rd year commencing in an even year and one for commencing in an odd year.
Year 1 – 31 credits
Fall Semester
| MATH 131 | Calculus ILAX1 | 4 |
| PHYS 240 | General Physics ILAS1LASL | 5 |
| ENG 122 | College CompositionLAW1 | 3 |
| | LAC HistoryLAH1 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| BIO 110 | Biology: Atoms to CellsLAS1LASL | 4 |
| ECLD 260 | Language Acquisition in Multilingual SocietiesLAB3LAMS | 3 |
| MATH 132 | Calculus IILAX1 | 4 |
| PHYS 241 | General Physics II | 5 |
| Application for Initial Admission to PTEP | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
LAC U.S. Multicultural Studies and Social & Behavioral Sciences: ECLD 260 satisfies these requirements.
Year 2 – 32 credits
Fall Semester
| AST 301 | Classical Astronomy and the Solar System | 3 |
| CHEM 111 | Principles of Chemistry ILAS1 | 4 |
| CHEM 111L | Principles of Chemistry I LaboratoryLAS1LASL | 1 |
| EDF 290 | Foundations of Education | 3 |
| PHYS 320 | Mathematical Methods I | 3 |
| STEP 161 | Observation and Analysis of Secondary Teaching I | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
AST 301 may be replaced with AST 302 or moved if not taught in the fall of the student's second year.
STEP 161 and
EDF 290 are Phase I Teaching courses. The checkpoint course for Initial Admission to PTEP is a prerequisite.
Spring Semester
| BIO 111 | Biology: Organisms to EcosystemsLAS1LASL | 4 |
| PHYS 321 | Elementary Modern Physics | 3 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| | LAC Intermediate WritingLAW2 | 3 |
| | LAC Arts and Humanities, History, or Social and Behavioral SciencesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4LAB1LAB2LAB3LAH1 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
LAC Intermediate Writing:
SCI 291 is recommended.
LAC Arts and Humanities: Choose International Studies (IS) course.
For students beginning their 3rd year in odd years
Year 3 – 30 credits
Fall Semester
| CHEM 281 | Fundamentals of BiochemistryLAS1 | 3 |
| CHEM 281L | Fundamentals of Biochemistry LaboratoryLAS1LASL | 1 |
| PHYS 323 | Elementary Modern Physics Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYS 341 | Electricity and Magnetism I | 3 |
| PHYS 347 | Optics | 4 |
| | LAC Arts and Humanities, History, or Social and Behavioral SciencesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4LAB1LAB2LAB3LAH1 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| ECLD 341 | Content-Based Literacies for Equitable Access to PK-12 Instruction | 3 |
| EDSE 360 | Adaptation, Modification, and Integration of Curriculum for the Secondary Exceptional Learner | 3 |
| GEOL 100 | General GeologyLAS1LASL | 4 |
| PSY 349 | Educational Psychology for Secondary Teachers | 3 |
| STEP 262 | Observation and Analysis of Secondary Teaching II | 2 |
| Application for Full Admission to PTEP | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Year 4 – 29 credits
Fall Semester
| ET 449 | Integrating Technologies into Secondary Education Pedagogy | 3 |
| PHYS 340 | Mechanics | 4 |
| PHYS 345 | Quantum Mechanics I | 3 |
| SCED 441 | Methods of Teaching Secondary School Science | 3 |
| STEP 363 | Clinical Experience: Secondary | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
SCED 441 and STEP 363 are Phase III Teaching courses. The checkpoint course Full Admission to PTEP is a prerequisite.
Spring Semester
| STEP 464 | Secondary Student Teaching | 1-14 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 1-14 |
STEP 464: Take 14 credits
Student Teaching. The checkpoint course Student Teaching is a prerequisite and completion of a content specific. PRAXIS test is required prior to Student Teaching.
For students beginning their 3rd year in even years
Year 3 – 30 credits
Fall Semester
| CHEM 281 | Fundamentals of BiochemistryLAS1 | 3 |
| CHEM 281L | Fundamentals of Biochemistry LaboratoryLAS1LASL | 1 |
| PHYS 323 | Elementary Modern Physics Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYS 345 | Quantum Mechanics I | 3 |
| PHYS 340 | Mechanics | 4 |
| | LAC Arts and Humanities, History, or Social and Behavioral SciencesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4LAB1LAB2LAB3LAH1 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| ECLD 341 | Content-Based Literacies for Equitable Access to PK-12 Instruction | 3 |
| EDSE 360 | Adaptation, Modification, and Integration of Curriculum for the Secondary Exceptional Learner | 3 |
| GEOL 100 | General GeologyLAS1LASL | 4 |
| PSY 349 | Educational Psychology for Secondary Teachers | 3 |
| STEP 262 | Observation and Analysis of Secondary Teaching II | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Year 4 – 29 credits
Fall Semester
| ET 449 | Integrating Technologies into Secondary Education Pedagogy | 3 |
| PHYS 341 | Electricity and Magnetism I | 3 |
| PHYS 347 | Optics | 4 |
| SCED 441 | Methods of Teaching Secondary School Science | 3 |
| STEP 363 | Clinical Experience: Secondary | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
SCED 441 and STEP 363 are Phase III Teaching courses. The checkpoint course Application for Full Admission to PTEP is a prerequisite.
Spring Semester
| STEP 464 | Secondary Student Teaching | 1-14 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 1-14 |
STEP 464: Take 14 credits
Student Teaching. The checkpoint course Student Teaching Application is a prerequisite and completion of a content specific. PRAXIS test is required prior to Student Teaching.
Advising Notes –
- Students who need further preparation in mathematics may need to start in MATH 124 or MATH 127. Please consult your major advisor.