Physics Education

  • Major

Students who choose the physics education major will combine science courses with education courses to prepare for teaching middle school and high school students. You'll work closely with the physics department and College of Education and Learning Design advisers from the beginning to ensure completion of the right combination of courses to earn the teaching license. Along the way, you'll have access to St. Cloud State's advanced research labs, planetarium and faculty research. You'll learn how to design curriculum and lab work that will engage your students and build their interest in science careers.

University Catalog Program Requirements Grades 5-12 University Catalog Program Requirements Grades 9-12 Department Department of Physics & Astronomy Scholarships Physics and Astronomy Scholarships

Program Highlights

  • Research labs in optics, materials, observational astronomy and computational physics.
  • Faculty-student research collaboration encouraged
  • State-of-the-art lasers available for curriculum and research.
  • A full-sized planetarium in remodeled Robert H. Wick Science building.
  • Rooftop observatory with 6-, 8- and 11-inch telescopes and attachments for viewing solar flares and sunspots, photometric studies and astrophotography.
  • Faculty research programs in theoretical nuclear physics, theoretical quantum mechanics, laser spectroscopy, materials development and testing, planetary science, extragalactic astronomy and stellar astronomy.

Program Distinctions

  • All teaching licensure programs approved by the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB).
  • Membership in Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP).
  • New laboratories in the 100,000-square-foot Integrated Science and Engineering Laboratory Facility (ISELF).
  • NASA sent a device designed by physics professor John Harlander into orbit as part of a 2017 Explorer satellite mission.

Student Organizations

Popular Careers

  • Physics Teacher
  • Science Teacher
  • Researcher

Related Programs

University Facts & Stats

  • 100 teacher prep institutions learn co-teaching through the Teacher Quality Enhancement Center

  • 2013 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization

  • 45,000 middle and high school students served by Science Express, a mobile science lab

  • $106 million in scholarships loans and grants

  • A 2021 Military Friendly® Top 10 School designation

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