Physics vs Education vs Undergraduate vs Graduate?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around the benefits and drawbacks of three educational paths related to teaching physics. The first option is to double major in Physics and Education Studies, leading to a teaching licensure for secondary education. This choice is seen as potentially enhancing job security and providing a comprehensive understanding of both the subject matter and pedagogy. The second option is to major solely in Physics and pursue a master's in Secondary Education, which is increasingly viewed as a requirement for teaching at the high school level. This route is favored for its balance of subject expertise and educational training. The third option involves majoring only in Physics and obtaining a teaching licensure without a master's degree, which may limit future opportunities in academia. Concerns are raised about the feasibility of a double major due to credit limitations and the desire to explore other subjects, such as philosophy. Overall, the conversation highlights the importance of aligning educational choices with career goals and personal interests while considering the evolving requirements for teaching positions.

Which choice do you agree with, more?

  • Choice One

    Votes: 4 50.0%
  • Choice Two

    Votes: 2 25.0%
  • Choice Three

    Votes: 1 12.5%
  • Other.... (please explain)

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • Total voters
    8
grendle7
Messages
15
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0
I would like to know which choice is more beneficial, efficient, worth it, et cetera:

Choice One--

Double Major in Both Physics and Education Studies, with a teacher licensure to be able to teach chemistry, physics, and/or mathematics at the secondary level.

Choice Two--

Major just in Physics, to then attain my masters in Secondary Education with a licensure...

Choice Three--

Major just in Physics, to then just attain my teaching licensure...

**Please assume that cost of the education is free, to say, and that the institution which I attend is adequate. I mostly want your responses to be about the pros/cons off of the choices and the sort.
 
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Hi grendel, are you from Spain by any chance? If that's the case, I think option 2 is the path you need to take. I believe the masters has now officially become requirement for teaching at high schools(bachiller) and middle schools (secundaria).
 
From a US perspective, we could strongly benefit from teachers who major in the subject they teach AND get the education pedagogy as well. In fact, that would also be a benefit if you opt for a graduate degree and teaching at a university. I don't know if it will be too much to handle the double major, but worth it if you can handle it.
 
Lavabug said:
Hi grendel, are you from Spain by any chance? If that's the case, I think option 2 is the path you need to take. I believe the masters has now officially become requirement for teaching at high schools(bachiller) and middle schools (secundaria).

Nah, I'm residing in the U.S. of A., but I do fluently dominate Spanish because I'm nationally Mexican. Then again, I don't see myself in Europe, nevertheless Spain, post my alma-mater...
 
I don't think I'd be able to cope with being a high school teacher :(

Lavabug said:
Hi grendel, are you from Spain by any chance? If that's the case, I think option 2 is the path you need to take. I believe the masters has now officially become requirement for teaching at high schools(bachiller) and middle schools (secundaria).

Damn.. I had no idea high school teachers had to have more than half of a bachelors.
 
Moonbear said:
From a US perspective, we could strongly benefit from teachers who major in the subject they teach AND get the education pedagogy as well. In fact, that would also be a benefit if you opt for a graduate degree and teaching at a university. I don't know if it will be too much to handle the double major, but worth it if you can handle it.

Having both in my bag of tricks would heighten my job security a bit. And, double-majoring wouldn't be a problem with rigorousness, but more with length and credit availability. I'd love to double major, but that means I won't be able to take certain subjects which I've been wanting to take.

This limit is something of which I'm not totally aware of yet, though. I am mostly hoping to gain acceptance to Berea College, where you are only allowed to take a certain number of credits until graduation, because tuition is completely free. So, if I was to double major, I would be happy in taking all of the topics to get me my majors in Physics and Teaching/Curriculum with a teaching licensure, but then I wouldn't be able take as many philosophy classes, which I adore...

But, I could always just read philosophy on my free time...
 
Bit Britain-specific but I was wondering, what's the best path to take for A-Levels out of the following (I know Y10 seems a bit early to be thinking about A-levels, but my choice will impact what I do this year/ in y11) I (almost) definitely want to do physics at University - so keep that in mind... The subjects that I'm almost definitely going to take are Maths, Further Maths and Physics, and I'm taking a fast track programme which means that I'll be taking AS computer science at the end...
After a year of thought, I decided to adjust my ratio for applying the US/EU(+UK) schools. I mostly focused on the US schools before, but things are getting complex and I found out that Europe is also a good place to study. I found some institutes that have professors with similar interests. But gaining the information is much harder than US schools (like you have to contact professors in advance etc). For your information, I have B.S. in engineering (low GPA: 3.2/4.0) in Asia - one SCI...
I graduated with a BSc in Physics in 2020. Since there were limited opportunities in my country (mostly teaching), I decided to improve my programming skills and began working in IT, first as a software engineer and later as a quality assurance engineer, where I’ve now spent about 3 years. While this career path has provided financial stability, I’ve realized that my excitement and passion aren’t really there, unlike what I felt when studying or doing research in physics. Working in IT...

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