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Hi all. First off, please excuse my ignorance on this subject. I'm seeking advice on how to advise my high school Junior daughter who is very much interested in science, specifically neuroscience but is also very much interested in teaching. We were both wondering... do we seek colleges that specialize in STEM education degrees or get a neuroscience BS, then a masters in education? She feels she is not 100% sure about being a teacher and thought if she kept her options open about science, such as maybe she can do research and teach or just teach if she does not like research. At only 16yrs she is all over the place but we must start our college search and begin to choose a major. Do most get undergraduate degrees in education, then specialize in some Masters in a science related field or is it visa-vera? We have a lot to learn! Thanks.

Hi Gretchen.  I have two children who are both teachers.  One always wanted to be a teacher from the beginning and one wanted to be a veteranarian.  One took her Bachelor's Degree in Education and then followed up with a Master's in Education.  She is now a full time teacher in Florida.  The other took Animal Bioscience with the idea that it would help to get into Veteranarian School.  This was in the School of Agriculture.  In his Junior year, he decided he wanted to be a teacher.  On our advice, he finished his Animal Bioscience major and applied for a Master's Degree in Education, which included his certification courses and student teaching.  He ended up teaching Biology and one of his strengths was being able to teach anatomy and physiology from the Animal Bioscience course of study.  He then took an on-line second Master's Degree in Environmental Science, while working.  This is my long winded way of saying that my experience is that the kids should follow what they are interested in and see where they go. 

I guess my first feeling is that your daughter will never know for sure if she really likes neuroscience unless she gives it a try.  I feel pretty confident that if she changes her mind and goes into teaching, the neuroscience courses would be an asset, anyway, to her teaching.  Any more, I see a lot of new teachers who complete their Master's Degree prior to starting their career, any way, so if she gets both degrees behind her she will still be on track.

If she is thinking of research or university teaching, she can always pick up on the neuroscience track.

Best of luck!  A lot of college is exploring and finding out what you really want to do.  Perhaps scheduling some visits to colleges she is thinking about attending and talking to some professors would be a good approach.

jj

Hello! One thing I would encourage is to look for schools that do education as a certificate instead of a major. For example, I hold a B.S. in Chemistry, as well as my teaching certificate. I do not have a masters degree. I completed the B.S. and teaching courses at the same time, and graduated in 4.5 years. There are many schools that allow you to take this route, instead of majoring in Chemistry Education, for example. James' advice is very good - talk to the schools, they will be able to tell you more about the potential routes to teacher certification they provide, as well as the hard science degrees offered.

I know someone who majored in math from Colorado School of Mines, and then went and got her teaching certificate from another school.  I also recommend talking to the schools to see what programs they have to offer. Just know that many of the science/math schools, like Mines do not offer teaching certificates.