Overview of the B. S. Ed. In Science Education

Undergraduate programs phased out

The University of Georgia no longer has undergraduate programs in
Gwinnett. The new Georgia Gwinnett College is now located at the
former Gwinnett University Center location at Highway 316 and Collins
Hill Rd. If you are interested in pursuing a Science Education degree at our Athens campus,
please visit the web site at http://www.coe.uga.edu/mse/ for specific requirements.

Program for Alternative Certification in Secondary Science (PACSS)

The University of Georgia Program for Alternative Certification in Secondary Science (PACSS) is designed to allow those who already have a bachelors or graduate degree in a science or a related field to obtain their clear and renewable teacher certification. Many students in the program have already secured full-time employment as beginning high school or middle school science teachers, either on the basis of non-renewable (formerly "provisional") certification or in private schools. Others are placed by the program in a part-time, full-year internship in lieu of the traditional semester of full-time student teaching.Coursework for the program can be taken through the University of Georgia at the Gwinnett University Center. Clear and renewable certification can be completed through field experiences plus evening and summer classes over a 12- or 15-month period. The PACSS program can be pursued alone as a non-degree graduate student, or can serve as the beginning of an M.Ed. program to be finished, also on a summer and evening schedule, primarily at the Athens campus.Qualified candidates will be certified to teach in grades 6-12 in one of the following subject areas: Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, or Physics. In accordance with relatively new procedures outlined by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, initial certification in Broad Field Secondary Science is not available directly through our program but can be added to any of these subject-specific certification by means of additional standardized science content tests.The program may be started in either Summer or Fall Semester. Due to the typically unpredictable and often short-notice time schedule of the hiring of teachers working on the basis of non-renewable certification, we accept applications on a rolling basis with no fixed deadline. Please contact Dr. David Jackson, Graduate Coordinator, djackson@uga.edu, for initial inquiries and admissions information, or Dr. Paul Baldwin, PACSS Program Director, pbaldwin@uga.edu.

Why UGA at Gwinnett?

The University of Georgia is one of the nation's top 20 public
research universities. The newly relocated Gwinnett University Center
campus was opened in 2008 and offers a high-tech facility which
houses state of the art technology for teaching and learning.
Multiple computer labs and a library are available for students.

The campus is conveniently located at 2530 Sever Road in
Lawrenceville, just off I-85 at the Old Peachtree Road exit. Students
in the metropolitan Atlanta area can pursue science teacher
certification and take a limited number of courses toward a UGA
master's degree without a lengthy commute or relocation. Academic
year courses are offered in the evening to accommodate those students
who would like to continue working while earning their certification.