Science Education major
Science Education: courses, careers, and where to study
Science Education prepares future teachers to teach science in K-12 schools, blending content in biology, chemistry, physics, or earth science with the pedagogy and licensure to teach it.
Science Education, classified federally as Science Teacher Education, prepares people to teach the sciences in schools. Where a Biology, Chemistry, or Physics major centers on research and advanced study within one discipline, this field aims science knowledge at the classroom: designing investigations and labs, teaching the practices of science alongside its concepts, and helping students reason from evidence. It is also more subject-focused than a general Secondary Education major, pairing science content across one or more disciplines with methods courses on teaching science and running a safe, hands-on lab. Candidates build enough science to teach it accurately, then learn how to make inquiry, modeling, and experimentation work for a room of learners.
Most science-teaching positions are entered with a bachelor's degree that combines science coursework with an education sequence and a culminating student-teaching placement under a mentor teacher. Graduates teach science in elementary, middle, and high schools, and qualified science teachers are widely reported to be in short supply in many districts, which can broaden where graduates find positions. Some later add graduate study for specialist, coordinator, or leadership roles. Because public-school teaching is regulated, candidates should confirm the certification subjects, grade bands, and exams required where they intend to work.
In federal data for the closely related occupation of secondary school teachers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $64,580 and projects employment to decline about 1.6% from 2024 to 2034; a bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Science Education maps to CIP 13.1316, Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education, within the EDUCATION family. The official definition:
A program that prepares individuals to teach general science programs, or a combination of the biological and physical science subject matter areas, at various educational levels.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Science Education is awarded as
Of the 1,015 Science Education credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate2%23
- Associate<1%4
- Bachelor's31%311
- Graduate67%677
CampusPin does not have enough states reporting this field to say whether the mix changes from state to state. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Foundational science across biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science
- Laboratory technique and safety
- Science methods and pedagogy
- Designing investigations and inquiry-based lessons
- How students learn science and reason from evidence
- Assessment of scientific understanding
- Classroom and laboratory management
- Standards-based curriculum and sequencing
- Supervised student-teaching practicum in schools
Typical careers
- Middle School Science Teacher
- High School Biology, Chemistry, or Physics Teacher
- Elementary Teacher with a Science Focus
- STEM Coordinator
- Science Curriculum Specialist
- Museum or Informal Science Educator
Typical salary range: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 secondary school teachers median $64,580).Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Science Education, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $64,580 | 66,200 | -1.6% | Bachelor's degree |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $62,970 | 40,500 | -2% | Bachelor's degree |
| Education Teachers, Postsecondary | $72,090 | 5,600 | +2.1% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $83,460 | 5,400 | +7.3% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary | $86,220 | 1,900 | +2.2% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Physics Teachers, Postsecondary | $97,360 | 1,300 | +2.5% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | $101,390 | 1,000 | +2.6% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Agricultural Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | $86,350 | 800 | +4.1% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $87,710 | 700 | +2.9% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $100,830 | 100 | +4% | Doctoral or professional degree |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 10 of these 10 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Science Education does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Science Education major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Science Education program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Science Education department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Science Education program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Science Education credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Western Governors UniversityUT · 232
- Montana State UniversityMT · 36
- East Carolina UniversityNC · 26
- University of GeorgiaGA · 24
- Hamline UniversityMN · 23
- Central Michigan UniversityMI · 21
- St Catherine UniversityMN · 20
- California State University-NorthridgeCA · 18
- Northeastern State UniversityOK · 16
- University of IowaIA · 14
- CUNY Queens CollegeNY · 13
- Teachers College at Columbia UniversityNY · 13
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Science Education credentials were awarded
4 states have a distinct enough set of Science Education colleges to be worth its own page.
Search Science Education schools by state
- Science Education in California
- Science Education in Florida
- Science Education in Georgia
- Science Education in Illinois
- Science Education in Maryland
- Science Education in Massachusetts
- Science Education in New York
- Science Education in North Carolina
- Science Education in Pennsylvania
- Science Education in Texas
Related majors
Biology
Biology is the foundational pre-health major, covering molecular, cellular, organismal, and ecological levels of living systems.
Chemistry
Chemistry studies matter and its transformations, preparing graduates for pharmaceutical, materials, energy, environmental, and biotech careers, plus medical and graduate school.
Physics
Physics studies the fundamental laws of matter, energy, and motion, a foundational major for engineering, computing, finance, and graduate research.
Secondary Education
Secondary Education prepares you to teach a subject to middle- and high-school students, blending content mastery with classroom instruction methods, and suits people who want to teach teens rather than young children.
Education
Education prepares graduates for state-licensed teaching careers in public and private K–12 schools, combining content-area study with pedagogy and supervised student-teaching.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Science Education degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Education & Library careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Science Education degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Science Education path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.