Overview

The Bachelor of Science in General Science with Teaching is part of Temple's innovative "TUteach" secondary education teacher-training program. The BS in General Science with Teaching provides broad training in general science and prepares students for a career in secondary school teaching or an entry level laboratory position. The education courses in this major include supervised teaching in school district classrooms and emphasize inquiry-based approaches to learning. Students in the BS in General Science with Teaching degree program become eligible for a Pennsylvania teacher certification when they complete all the requirements for the degree that include theoretical and practical courses in education specifically designed for science and mathematics majors. In order to be recommended for Pennsylvania teacher certification, students must graduate with:

1. a BS with Teaching degree and
2. meet GPA and testing requirements of the state of Pennsylvania.

Students will be scheduled once each semester to meet with the TUteach advisor to ensure that students have knowledge of academic programming, internships opportunities and testing options that include test preparation. The state of Pennsylvania has specific candidacy requirements. The TUteach advisor will also help the students complete and submit the candidacy documents. All students joining the program in their freshman year must complete the PAPA examination or acquire the PAPA waiver within their first 72 credits. Transfer students, from within Temple and those from other institutions, will build a tailored program with the academic and testing benchmarks structured for efficient degree completion with the TUteach advisor. Students are encouraged to complete the appropriate PRAXIS II examination prior to student teaching. Students are encouraged to take internship courses to expand their teaching portfolio or select elective courses that will extend their knowledge of science and teaching practice.

Campus Location: Main

Program Code: ST-GSTC-BS

Distinction in Major

To graduate with distinction in this major, a student must satisfy the following criteria:

• achieve a minimum 3.50 major GPA
• achieve a minimum 3.33 GPA in all the content area courses in the major
• successful completion of at least one internship or laboratory project based course
• achieve a minimum 3.90 GPA in the following courses:
  • ​MGSE 2189 or SCTC 3485
  • MGSE 4189 or SCTC 4485
  • EDUC 4802
  • EDUC 4388

Undergraduate Contact Information

Susan Varnum, Program Director and Professor of Chemistry
Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs and Science Education​
College of Science and Technology​
Gladfelter Hall, Room 629
215-204-6390 or 215-204-4073
susan.varnum@temple.edu

George Mehler, TUteach Faculty Advisor
College of Science and Technology
Gladfelter Hall, Room 644
215-204-4074
george.mehler@temple.edu

Kenneth Ruff, TUteach Faculty Advisor
College of Science and Technology
Gladfelter Hall, Room 656
215-204-3628
kruff@temple.edu

Learn more about the Bachelor of Science in General Science with Teaching.

These requirements are for students who matriculated in academic year 2025-2026. Students who matriculated prior to fall 2025 should refer to the Archives to view the requirements for their Bulletin year.

Bachelor of Science Requirements

Summary of Requirements for the Degree

1. University Requirements (124 total s.h.)
   • Students must complete all University requirements including those listed below.
   • All undergraduate students must complete at least two writing-intensive courses for a total of at least six credits at Temple as part of their major. The specific writing-intensive course options for this major are:

     Course List

     Code	Title	Credit Hours
     SCTC 2396	Writing for Science and Technology	3
     MGSE 3796	Differentiated Literacy Instruction in the Disciplines (grades 7-12)	3

     Alternative disciplinary writing-intensive course substitutions for SCTC 2396 may be approved by both the TUteach Program Director and CST faculty advisors in Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, or Physics. Following is a list of these alternative writing-intensive courses:

     Course List

     Code	Title	Credit Hours
     BIOL 2297	Research Techniques in Genetics 1	3
     BIOL 3396	Scientific Writing for Biology: The Art of Communicating	3
     BIOL 4396	Advanced Study in Biology	3
     CHEM 4196	Instrumental Analysis	5
     PHYS 2796	Introduction to Modern Physics	4
     PHYS 4796	Experimental Physics	3

   • Students must complete the General Education (GenEd) requirements.
     • See the General Education section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for the GenEd curriculum.
     • Students who complete TUteach majors receive a waiver for 1 Human Behavior (GB), 2 Science & Technology (GS) and 1 Quantitative Literacy (GQ) GenEd courses.
   • Students must satisfy general Temple University residency requirements.
2. College Requirements
   • A minimum of 90 total credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST), the College of Liberal Arts (CLA), and/or the College of Engineering (ENG).
     • A minimum of 45 of these credits must be upper-level (courses numbered 2000 and above).
   • Complete a one-credit first-year or transfer seminar.
     • SCTC 1001 CST First-Year Seminar for every entering first-year CST student.
     • SCTC 2001 CST Transfer Seminar for every entering transfer CST student.
3. Major Requirements for Bachelor of Science (85-93 s.h.)²
   At least 9 courses required for the major must be completed at Temple. At least 6 courses in CST and 3 courses in Education must be completed at Temple. In addition, 2 of the 4 concentration area courses must be completed at Temple. Though not required, students are strongly encouraged to increase training and field work experience by enrolling in SCTC 1385, SCTC 2385, or SCTC 2389. Students will also benefit from directed laboratory projects offered through SCTC 3185. These courses are offered every semester.

   Course List

   Code	Title	Credit Hours
   Biology 3
   Select one of the following:		4
   BIOL 1011	General Biology I (F)
   BIOL 1111	Introduction to Organismal Biology
   or BIOL 1911	Honors Introduction to Organismal Biology
   Select one of the following:		4
   BIOL 1012	General Biology II (S)
   BIOL 1112	Introduction to Biomolecules, Cells and Genomes
   or BIOL 1912	Honors Introduction to Biomolecules, Cells and Genomes
   BIOL 2112	Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology
   or BIOL 2912	Honors Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology
   Chemistry 4
   Select one of the following:		4
   CHEM 1021 & CHEM 1023	Introduction to Chemistry I and Introduction to Chemistry Laboratory I
   CHEM 1031 & CHEM 1033	General Chemistry I and General Chemistry Laboratory I
   CHEM 1951 & CHEM 1953	Honors General Chemical Science I and Honors Chemical Science Laboratory I (F)
   Select one of the following:		4
   CHEM 1022 & CHEM 1024	Introduction to Chemistry II and Introduction to Chemistry Laboratory II
   CHEM 1032 & CHEM 1034	General Chemistry II and General Chemistry Laboratory II
   CHEM 1952 & CHEM 1954	Honors General Chemical Science II and Honors Chemical Science Laboratory II (S)
   Earth & Environmental Science
   EES 1001	Introductory Geology	4
   or EES 2001	Physical Geology
   Mathematics
   Select one of the following:		4-8
   MATH 1031	Differential and Integral Calculus
   MATH 1041 & MATH 1042	Calculus I and Calculus II 5
   MATH 1041 & MATH 1044	Calculus I and Introduction to Probability and Statistics for the Life Sciences 5
   MATH 1941 & MATH 1942	Honors Calculus I and Honors Calculus II 5
   Physics
   PHYS 1004	Introduction to Astronomy (F)	3
   Select one of the following: 6		4
   PHYS 1021	Introduction to General Physics I
   PHYS 1061	Elementary Classical Physics I
   or PHYS 1961	Honors Elementary Classical Physics I
   PHYS 2021	General Physics I (F)
   or PHYS 2921	Honors General Physics I
   Select one of the following: 6		4
   PHYS 1022	Introduction to General Physics II
   PHYS 1062	Elementary Classical Physics II
   or PHYS 1962	Honors Elementary Classical Physics II
   PHYS 2022	General Physics II (S)
   or PHYS 2922	Honors General Physics II
   Science Concentration
   Four Upper-Level (numbered 2000 and above) Science Concentration Electives from the same department 7		12-16
   College of Science and Technology
   SCTC 1013	Elements of Data Science for the Physical and Life Sciences	3
   SCTC 1389	Step 1 and 2: Inquiry-Based Lesson Design in Science and Mathematics Modified for English Learners	2
   SCTC 2021	Quantitative Modeling and Problem Solving in STEM	1
   SCTC 2396	Writing for Science and Technology (WI)	3
   SCTC 3001	History of Science	3
   SCTC 3312	Coding STEM Lessons 8	1
   Education
   EDUC 2179	Knowing and Learning in Mathematics and Science	3
   EDUC 4388	TUteach Apprentice Teaching	4
   EDUC 4802	TUteach Apprentice Teaching Seminar	3
   MGSE 2189	Classroom Interactions (F)	3
   or SCTC 3485	Science and Mathematics in the Classroom
   MGSE 3796	Differentiated Literacy Instruction in the Disciplines (grades 7-12) (WI)	3
   MGSE 4189	Project-Based Instruction (S)	3
   or SCTC 4485	Integrating STEM Practice in Diverse Teaching Environments
   SPED 2231	Introduction to Special Education	3
   Research Methods
   Select one of the following: 9		3
   BIOL/CHEM/EES/PHYS 3091	Research Methods (S)
   Total Credit Hours		85-93

   Course List

   Code	Title	Credit Hours
   (F) - Fall only course
   (S) - Spring only course

   ¹

   This course has a co-requisite of BIOL 2207.

   ²

   The certification requirements need to meet Pennsylvania Department of Education standards and are subject to change. All students are strongly recommended to check with the TUteach Advisor in the College of Science and Technology, to affirm the requirements that pertain to their specific major. In addition, students should check the Undergraduate Bulletin web site for the most current information about these programs, or the TUteach web site. It is also recommended that all students meet with an advisor before enrolling in classes specific to these majors and leading to certification as a teacher. This is to assure that a candidate's intended program of study will be compatible with the new requirements.

   ³

   Students intending to take their science concentration electives through the Biology department should select BIOL 1111 (BIOL 1911) and BIOL 1112 (BIOL 1912) or BIOL 2112 (BIOL 2912). 

   ⁴

   Students intending to take their science concentration electives through the Chemistry department should select CHEM 1031 (CHEM 1951) & CHEM 1033 (CHEM 1953) and CHEM 1032 (CHEM 1952) & CHEM 1034 (CHEM 1954) as their chemistry sequence.

   ⁵

   These courses are not required if MATH 1031 is completed.

   ⁶

   Students intending to take their science concentration electives through the Physics department should select PHYS 1061 (PHYS 1961) & PHYS 1062 (PHYS 1962) or PHYS 2021 (PHYS 2921) & PHYS 2022 (PHYS 2922) as their Physics sequence.

   ⁷

   The departments from which you can choose electives are: Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, or Physics. In the circumstance where a laboratory course is the complement of a lecture course, both must be completed to fulfill the requirement for ONE science elective. All four courses must be taken within the same department.

   ⁸

   All students are required to take a minimum of one credit.

   ⁹

   The course must be selected from the same department as the four Science Concentration Courses.

Suggested Academic Plan

Bachelor of Science in General Science with Teaching

Suggested Plan for New Students Starting in the 2025-2026 Academic Year

¹

Students intending to take their science concentration electives through the Chemistry department should select CHEM 1031 (CHEM 1951) & CHEM 1033 (CHEM 1953) and CHEM 1032 (CHEM 1952) & CHEM 1034 (CHEM 1954) as their chemistry sequence.

²

Not required if MATH 1031 is completed.

³

Students intending to take their science concentration electives through the Biology department should select BIOL 1111 (BIOL 1911) & BIOL 1112 (BIOL 1912) or BIOL 2112 (BIOL 2912).

⁴

The departments from which you can choose electives are: Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, or Physics. In the circumstance where a laboratory course is the complement of a lecture course, both must be completed to fulfill the requirement for ONE science concentration elective. All four courses must be taken within the same department.

⁵

Students intending to take their science concentration electives through the Physics department should select PHYS 1061 (PHYS 1961) & PHYS 1062 (PHYS 1962) or PHYS 2021 (PHYS 2921) & PHYS 2022 (PHYS 2922).

⁶

All students are required to take a minimum of one credit. 

⁷

The course must be selected from the same department as the four Science Concentration courses.