Online Master’s in Secondary Education: STEM Emphasis (Licensure)

Female STEM student working on board with female professor and male peer beside her
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Overview

Prepare for a Potential Career in Secondary Education Teaching STEM Classes

Grand Canyon University's Master of Education (MEd) in Secondary Education with an Emphasis in STEM can prepare you to seek licensure as a junior high or high school teacher who specializes in STEM for secondary education. STEM education involves a practical, interdisciplinary approach that combines theoretical knowledge with hands-on projects.1

STEM education is growing in importance every day with the world becoming increasingly technologically complex and reliant on a knowledge-based economy.1 In this program, you will be taught how to help middle and high school students (grades 6 through 12) apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics concepts and skills, including problem-solving and critical thinking.

Furthermore, you'll cultivate an understanding of how STEM shapes our daily lives and contributes to our nation's global competitiveness.

Why GCU

Benefits of Pursuing an MEd in Secondary Education: STEM Emphasis at GCU

As a future secondary STEM educator, you could make a positive impact on the lives of countless students. This online master’s in secondary education is ideally designed for aspiring educators who hold a non-teaching bachelor’s degree and are interested in pivoting their careers toward the education field.

Alternatively, if you already have a bachelor’s degree in education and teacher licensure or certification, you may opt to further your own education by concentrating on STEM graduate courses while studying for your non-licensure MEd in Secondary Education program. This degree program may allow you to combine your passion for STEM in secondary education classrooms.

Coursework

Coursework Covered in This STEM Emphasis

With emphases placed on technology and classroom diversity, you will examine how to combine grades 6–12 subjects, including a variety of modern teaching methods and strategies designed to improve student outcomes. You will be taught to introduce your students to STEM, prepare them for postsecondary STEM education, and encourage them to explore careers by developing a strong STEM foundation, hands-on curriculum and integrated instruction.

Graduate-level courses for STEM secondary education that lead to initial teacher licensure may prepare you to:

Support STEM Education

Help meet the need for STEM teachers and mentors.3

Shape STEM Careers

Instill an appreciation in students for engineering, biochemistry, computer science, robotics, cybersecurity and other STEM fields.

Inspire Future Innovators

Guide students toward STEM related professions and help students become tomorrow’s leaders and innovators, skilled in medicine, technology and science.

Create Engaging Lessons

Develop engaging lessons and projects related to science, technology, engineering and math.

Encourage Discovery

Cultivate an attitude of discovery, exploration and ingenuity in students.

Male STEM professor leaning against counter looking around classroom
Careers

Career Paths for STEM Emphasis Graduates

These STEM education courses are intended to enable professionals to develop strong competencies in teaching methodologies and strategies. With a foundation of STEM secondary education competencies, you may set yourself up to pursue state licensure or certification as a junior or high school STEM educator. Teacher licensure is a requirement for all aspiring public school teachers, and it may be preferred in private school settings as well. In addition, some states require practicing, licensed teachers to acquire a master’s degree in education after they have already begun working as educators.

Accreditation

GCU Proudly Offers Accredited Master of Education Programs

The MEd in Secondary Education with an Emphasis in STEM licensure program at GCU is accredited through the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). This accrediting organization is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), acknowledging programs that can prepare students to become effective educators.

GCU is pleased to be an institutionally accredited university. All graduate-level STEM education courses are directly aligned with standards from the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) and the International Society of Technology Educators (ISTE). Opportunities are provided to apply concepts, theories and research throughout the program, but particularly in secondary education field experiences that guide you through approximately 100 hours of observational and practice-based experiences.

Male STEM student working on board with male professor and female and male peers beside him
FAQ

Master’s in Secondary Education: STEM Emphasis FAQs

A career as an educator can be a meaningful one. However, it’s important to carefully weigh your options before determining your career path and degree choice. The following FAQs and answers can help you get started.

Female adult learner studying on laptop in library

Begin Shaping Youth Education

Prepare to inspire and encourage the next generation to pursue careers as a STEM secondary educator. Fill out the form on this page to learn more about earning your master’s in secondary education at GCU.

Apply Now

If you are seeking licensure/certification, please refer to the Accreditation and Compliance/State disclosures link for the specific program of interest’s website for your location and/or employment state licensure requirements, per 34 CFR 668.14(b)32 and 668.43(c).

1 National Science Teaching Association (n.d.). STEM Education Teaching and Learning. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2023.

2 Excluding observational and practice-based experiences, and student teaching.

3 U.S. Department of Education (2022, Dec. 7). U.S. Department of Education Launches New Initiative to Enhance STEM Education for All Students. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2023.

4 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023, Sept. 6). How To Become a High School Teacher. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2023.

5 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023, Sept. 6). How To Become a Postsecondary Teacher. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2023.

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