Graduate Programs

The CSULB Master of Science in Science Education program is designed for educators with some experience who wish to improve their understanding of science learning, effective teaching, and current issues that impact our educational systems across TK-12 and Informal learning environments.

Our M.S. students develop deeper understanding of science and how people learn in ways that support their current practices both in and beyond the classroom.

VIDEO: CSULB Masters in Science Education Program

The M.S. in Science Education program is designed for science educators. Classes are offered in-person because our students find it valuable to learn together and build lasting connections with their peers and faculty. Because nearly all of our students are full-time educators, classes are offered in the evenings.

Through coursework and other program opportunities, you will deepen your understanding of:

  • Approaches for equitable and effective science teaching.
  • How science learning works .
  • Current issues that impact our educational systems.
  • Higher-level scientific content in biology, chemistry, physics, earth science and more.
  • Science as a discipline.

Degree Options

We offer two degree options: 

Students completing the TK-12 Science Education option will be prepared to assume positions of greater science leadership at their schools or districts, or go on to further graduate study in Science Education.

The option in Informal Science Education is designed for museum, aquaria, outdoor, and environmental educators who want to further their educational studies with a focus on learning and teaching science in non-classroom settings.

Application Process and Deadlines

Applicants should visit Cal State Apply to complete their application.

You will need to upload these required documents:

  1. Science Education M.S. Program Application (Required): Download the Department of Science Education MS Program Application (not yet available). Complete the fillable PDF and upload to Cal State Apply.
  2. Essay (Required): Educational Philosophy Statement (500-750 words). Please write an essay that describes your philosophy of science education and how you enact it in your own practice. More details can be found on the Cal State Apply Documents section.
  3. Teaching Credential (Optional): If you hold a valid teaching credential or certificate, you may upload it.
  4. Unofficial transcripts (Optional): Please upload your unofficial transcripts for all other institutions where courses relevant to science education were taken.
  5. International Applicants: Please upload the unofficial transcript from the institution where you earned your degree.
  6. Two (2) Letters of Recommendation are due on or before the deadline:
    1. At least one of the letters must be from an administrator or supervisor at a school or other education-related workplace (e.g., museum, aquarium) where you are or were employed.
    2. Once you have saved an electronic recommendation via Cal State Apply, an email request will automatically be sent to the recommender on your behalf. Please advise your recommender to look for this email in their inbox, as well as their spam or junk-mail folder, as emails do occasionally get filtered out.

We will begin reviewing candidates and making acceptance decisions after May 1. We will accept applications until June 1, assuming there's space. There is a non-refundable fee for admission to the university. Remember that the departmental application is separate from the university application. You must be accepted by both the university and the Science Education Department before being eligible as a Classified Graduate Student.

University Requirements for Admission into CSULB can be found under "Graduate Degree Information" in the University Catalog.

International students must additionally apply through the University’s Center for International Education - please consult their webpage for criteria and assistance. 

Department Requirements

In addition to the University requirements for admission as a graduate student, the department requires:

  • A California Multiple Subject credential, Single Subject Science Teaching credential, or other instructional experience deemed equivalent by the Graduate Studies Committee. In the case of informal science educators, this must be evidenced by letters from employers provided on institutional letterhead.
  • A GPA of at least 3.0 for the last 60 units of study completed.

Students missing any admission criteria may only be admitted after receiving the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee.

Review by the Graduate Studies Committee

The Graduate Studies Committee will review all completed applications and recommend either accepting you as a Classified or Conditionally Classified graduate student, or denying admission. If you are accepted you should contact the Departmental Graduate Advisor before your first semester for advisement and orientation.

The Science Education Department will recommend you for admission as a Classified graduate student if you have met all prerequisites and also been accepted by the Graduate Studies Committee.

If you fail to meet the criteria for Classified admission to the department you may be considered by the Graduate Studies Committee for admission as a Conditionally Classified graduate student. The Graduate Studies Committee will determine what deficiencies each applicant has and specify what you must do to make up those deficiencies. You must make up all such deficiencies before attaining Classified status.

Departmental Application

As a prospective graduate student you must formally apply for admission to CSULB (described previously). You have to do this even if you are a CSULB graduate. You must also apply directly to the Science Education department. Here is what you must submit to the department:

  1. A completed Departmental Application (see Program Forms section, below)
  2. A personal statement.
  3. Two confidential recommendation letters, sent under separate cover. At least one of the letters must be from an administrator or supervisor at a school where you are (or were) employed.

Applications should be emailed to Sara.Dozier@csulb.edu.

You must also receive a positive recommendation following an interview with graduate faculty.

Program of Study, Thesis, and Thesis Committee

The Program of Study includes successful completion of:

  • Science Education Core Courses: SCED 550, 551, 552, 553 (SCED 553 required for informal option only), 560.
  • Science courses:
    • The Informal Science Education Option requires 6 units of SCED 500, 501, or 502.
    • The TK-12 Science Education Option requires 9 units of graduate science coursework. In consultation with their advisor, students choose form SCED 500, 501, 502, and courses in a discipline (e.g., BIOL, CHEM, ERTH, PHYS).
  • 3 units of elective coursework chosen in consultation with advisor.
  • Thesis/Project: SCED 697/698.

A Thesis Committee consisting of three members will oversee your progress toward completing a thesis or project. At least two of the committee members must be full time faculty from the Science Education Department. The third member must be approved by your advisor and the Graduate Studies Committee. Each member of your Thesis Committee must ultimately deem the work satisfactory before you can be awarded the M.S. degree.

The thesis or project process includes completing the written work, and presenting it publicly.

Advancement to Candidacy

In addition to the general University requirements stated under Post-Baccalaureate and Graduate Degrees in the Catalog, you must be a Classified Graduate Student in the Science Education Department and selected a thesis advisor before receiving Candidate status. The process begins with candidates filling out the appropriate form found under "Program Forms."

Upon evidence of satisfactory academic progress, including a minimum GPA of 3.00, the Thesis Committee will recommend you for advancement to candidacy by forwarding its recommendation to the Department Graduate Advisor. Upon approval by the Associate Dean, you will be advanced to candidacy.

Please note: Always follow the current CSULB University Catalog if you find any discrepancies.

The Master's degree program offered by the Science Education Department is designed for the practicing professionals, with options for elementary and secondary teachers and educators from informal science learning centers. Students graduating from our program will have:

  • deepened their science content knowledge.
  • increased their confidence in their content knowledge and teaching abilities.
  • synthesized, evaluated, and applied key ideas in the discipline and practice of science education.
  • critically read and applied scholarly literature in science education.
  • designed and carried out education research.
  • developed science education professional leadership skills.

Advancement to Candidacy

For students admitted starting in Fall 2023, use these forms:

  • TK-12 Option- Advancement to Candidacy (not yet available)
  • Informal Option- Advancement to Candidacy (not yet available)

For students admitted prior to Fall 2023, use these forms:

Research Instruments

Assessment Tools in Informal Science has a variety of surveys/assessment instruments that are useful for both formal and informal settings. This site allows you to search for instruments by age (select what age level you are working with), domain (type of instrument), assessment type. You can also do custom searches where you control for multiple characteristics.

Statistics Resources

If you are doing quantitative studies, esp. ones where they're using SPSS, you might find Statistics Help for Students handy. It includes detailed directions about how to enter the numbers and analyze the data in SPSS, how to interpret the results, and how to report them when they write them up.

If you are doing simple stats you may want to use GraphPad QuickCalcs. This site allows you to enter data and run various tests. It allows students to test categorical data, continuous data, distributions, random numbers and chemical/radiochemical data. It's simple to use - you can enter raw data or various group data (means, SD, etc.).

Frequently Asked Questions

That depends on you! Like all master's programs, our M.S. is 30-33 units. Any prerequisite courses you need to take are above and beyond the program's 30 units (this also is standard). If you take one course (3 units) per semester, it will take you about ten semesters to complete the program. Most people choose to take 2 courses (4-6 units) per semester and complete the program in about 3 years.

Tuition costs change frequently and the best place to check is with the university financial information. However, one helpful piece of information is that the university charges one fee for graduate students taking 0-6 units in a semester (regardless of the number of units), and a different fee for students taking more than 6 units (regardless of the number of units).

We recommend people working full time while enrolled in the program not take more than 6 units at a time. Full time students could take 9 or more units per semester.

Yes, we have designed the program with full time teachers in mind. Most courses will be offered in the late afternoon or early evenings.

You must meet University and Department admissions requirements.

Generally, no--this was designed to be an on-campus program. In theory, you could complete much of your thesis/project from off campus, if you kept in close contact with your advisor (and it was OK with them). Occasionally, a course may be offered as a hybrid or have off-campus meetings. However, the majority of the program is completed on campus.

We limit enrollment to no more than 15 students per year. We want to be sure the student to faculty ratio does not become too large for us to provide you with quality advising, and that the program is small enough that you feel you're a member of a cohort.

No, we are not currently requiring students to have taken the GRE. We do require a teaching credential (or something a Science Education department committee deems equivalent), as well as various other requirements discussed on the previous web page. The application includes a writing sample.

SCED 550 is a good place to start. This class introduces things like how to make use of the library's research databases and how to read a research paper. If SCED 550 is not being offered the semester you begin the program, good alternates include one of your science courses or one of the courses from the College of Education.

Yes. You need to apply (and be accepted by) both the University and Department. However, you will not need to provide the university with a new set of transcripts. In addition, the university will calculate your GPA in a manner that includes the most recent courses you have taken at the university.

If a graduate student is not ready to graduate, then they are required to change the expected graduation date with Enrollment Services. You should submit a Request to Change Graduation Term form found on Forms - Enrollment Services.

Recent Changes to Program

Beginning in Fall 2023, the Master of Science in Science Education program will be making a minor change to two of the degree options. The options in Elementary and Middle School Science Education and Secondary Science Education will be combined to form the Option in TK-12 Science Education.

This is a small change that streamlines the program and expands course choices for graduate students, compared to the current options in elementary/middle and secondary science education. The Option in Informal Science Education remains unchanged.