B.S. in Physics & Secondary Education Certifications

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Combined Program Distinctives

• Rigorous education from a Christ-centered perspective.
• Accessible faculty mentors – Highly experienced and accomplished Christian faculty in Physics and Education who serve as guides and mentors in and out of the classroom and laboratory. Our 13-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio keeps classes small and conducive to greater collaboration and mentorship than you’ll find at most large universities.
• Two degree options – Each combines physics coursework with high-quality preparation to teach at the secondary level. 
  • B.S in Physics & Secondary Education Certification – This path includes a full Physics major curriculum with added educational courses. It requires 140 – 142 total credit hours.
  • B.S. in Physics & General Science Secondary Education Certification – This path requires fewer physics and technical classes but still provides you with a good overview of the discipline, while providing the necessary coursework for teacher certification.
• Practical field experiences – Gain valuable exposure to actual classrooms as early as freshman year, with field experiences incorporated into every education course.
  • In both middle and high school settings, you will learn firsthand about classroom management, student motivation, best practices in pedagogy and assessment, and inclusive teaching strategies.
• Student teaching – Spend either the fall or spring semester of your senior year immersed in a classroom, with mentoring from a faculty advisor and professional partners in the field, as well as opportunities to work as a teaching assistant or lab technician on campus.
• Education Career Services – Take advantage of exceptional career development and networking opportunities offered to you as both a student and alumnus of Grove City College. The ECS fosters relationships with private, public, charter, and international schools, as well as other education employers.
• Research opportunities – Launch into research as early as freshman year to get hands-on experience from the ground up, strengthen your teamwork and communication skills, and find your passion.
  • Our students routinely present their research across the country at conferences and poster sessions, often pursuing publication in leading science and education journals.
  • As you conduct research, you will benefit from our extensive facilities (including two astronomical observatories) and cutting-edge equipment including a Tescan Vega II scanning electron microscope with X-ray spectrometer, Micromanipulator 4600 probe station, Glow Research Optiglow oxygen plasma cleaner, Instec computer-controlled heating/cooling plate, Denton Desk II sputtering system, RF sputter coater, EMS 3100 Critical point dryer, Nanoscience atomic force microscope, scanning tunneling microscope, quartz tube furnace, neutron howitzer, and much more.  
• Licensure assistance – Benefit from our highly developed certification services, through which we help students and alumni fulfill state certification requirements, meet testing requirements, and pursue additional certifications as desired.
• Educational leadership opportunities – Grow in leadership with national and international partners in areas such as urban education, gifted education, youth theater programs, ESL programs, and more.
• Professional development opportunities – Gain additional insight and experience by attending education conferences and events such as Ed Camp and various high school outreach programs.
• Hamilton Curriculum Library – Utilize this wealth of education-specific resources including school curricular materials, adolescent and young adult literacy materials, and educational technology tools.   
• Major-related student groups – Join extracurricular groups such as our award-winning chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (an international education honorary), as well as the Secondary Education Society, Council for Exceptional Children, and Grove City College Physics Club.
• Vocation-enriching humanities core courses – Deepen your critical thinking, writing, and other communication skills while cultivating empathy and a well-rounded worldview.

Career Opportunities & Outcomes

• Career paths: With an education degree from Grove City, you will be thoroughly equipped to work in a wide variety of school settings — from public to private, domestic to international — or with global education organizations and other companies and nonprofits in related fields.  
  • Our education majors become certified and licensed teachers around the country and all over the world, typically recruited well ahead of graduation.
  • Many of our graduates pursue ongoing professional development throughout their careers via graduate-level education.
• Outstanding career outcomes – Like 96% of Grove City graduates, you will be prepared to compete for top teaching positions and launch into your career or graduate school within six months of graduation.
• Excellent career preparation – Stand out as a competent physicist and inspiring teacher who can spark students’ curiosity as they learn the laws of physics and explore the wonders of the universe.

Program Specifics

• Curriculum requirements – See below for specific requirements for each education degree option. For detailed course descriptions, refer to the College Catalog.
  • B.S in Physics & Secondary Education Certification
    • Physics and technical requirements and electives include General Physics I and II — Engineering, Electronics, Modern Physics, Mechanics I and II, Electricity and Magnetism, Radiation Laboratory, Quantum Mechanics, Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, & Cosmology, Chemistry for Engineering, Calculus I, II, and II, Computer Programming I, and Differential Equations, among others.
    • Professional education requirements include Introduction to the Teaching Profession, Technologies of Instruction, Educational Psychology, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, and Secondary Math/Science Curriculum & Instruction, among other courses.
  • B.S. in Physics & General Science Secondary Education Certification
    • Physics and technical requirements and electives include Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, & Cosmology, General Physics I and II — Engineering, Electronics, Modern Physics, Radiation Laboratory, Chemistry for Engineers, Computer Programming I, Calculus I, II, and III, General Biology I, Environmental Geology, Astronomy, and Physics Education Seminar.
    • Professional education requirements include Introduction to the Teaching Profession, Technologies of Instruction, Educational Psychology, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, and Secondary Math/Science Curriculum & Instruction, among other courses.

Physics Graduates in High Demand

According to the Statistical Research Center of the American Institute of Physics, physics graduates are in high demand across a variety of fields nationwide.

To learn more about physics and astronomy-related career opportunities, take advantage of the following resources.

• American Association of Physics Teachers: check out information and resources specifically for physics teachers.
  
• State-by-state listing: browse lists of the many employers who have recently hired physics graduates to fill science and engineering positions.
• Latest employment data: explore the variety of work settings and positions in which physicists at different degree levels are employed.
• Statistical Research Center: find current data on education and employment in physics, astronomy, and allied fields, including interactive resources, full reports, and individual graphs and tables.
• SPS Jobs: check out helpful job search resources through the Society of Physics Students.
• Physicist profiles: learn about the diverse range of career possibilities for physics graduates.

Student & Alumni Stories

Jake Jefferis '05
B.A. in Physics-Secondary Education

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