Physical Science Education

Types of Degrees Physical Science Education Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many science education graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	706
Bachelor’s Degree	339
Graduate Certificate	49
Doctor’s Degree	26
Basic Certificate	7
Associate Degree	4
Undergraduate Certificate	2

What Physical Science Education Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, physical science education majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Physical Science Education Majors

Physical Science Education majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Skills for Physical Science Education Majors

When studying physical science education, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Abilities for Physical Science Education Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a physical science education student include the following:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Physical Science Education Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with physical science education:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Agricultural Sciences Professors	7.9%	$84,640
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Professors	9.9%	$90,860
Biological Science Professors	15.1%	$82,550
Chemistry Professors	9.9%	$79,550
Education Professors	10.3%	$64,780
Environmental Science Professors	10.1%	$79,910
Forestry & Conservation Science Professors	4.5%	$86,900
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$58,600
Physics Postsecondary Professors	10.2%	$90,800
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Science Education?

This major is dominated by women with about 63% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of physical science education majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	11
Black or African American	8
Hispanic or Latino	37
White	254
International Students	3
Other Races/Ethnicities	26

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Physical Science Education. About 0.9% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Physical Science Education

Some degrees associated with physical science education may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to physical science education have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.2%
Some College Courses	0.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	12.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	4.0%
Master’s Degree	20.3%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.1%
Doctoral Degree	41.3%
Post-Doctoral Training	20.4%

Online Physical Science Education Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	6	1
Bachelor’s Degree	44	10
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	114	15
Post-Master’s	14	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	16	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Physical Science Education

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to physical science education.

Major	Number of Grads
Physical Education Teaching & Coaching	6,901
Reading Teacher Education	5,922
Music Education	4,649
Mathematics Education	3,159
English & Language Arts Education	3,104
Other Teacher Education & Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	2,398
Social Studies Education	1,955
Art Education	1,711
Health Education	1,536
Agricultural Teacher Education	1,132
History Education	834
Trade & Industrial Teacher Education	778
Biology Education	773
Social Science Teacher Education	503
Technology Education	464
School Librarian/School Library Media Specialist	401
Spanish Education	373
Modern Language Education	349
Technical Teacher Education	307
Computer Teacher Education	291
Family & Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education	253
Chemistry Education	225
Drama & Dance Education	223
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education	153
Earth Science Teacher Education	114
Physics Education	113
Environmental Education	96
Health Occupations Teacher Education	74
Speech Teacher Education	65
Driver & Safety Teacher Education	49
French Language Teacher Education	25
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education	9
German Language Teacher Education	8
Distributive Education	7
Latin Teacher Education	6
Psychology Teacher Education	6
Geography Teacher Education	2

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Aparajita Datta under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.