General Information
This program is designed to serve individuals who do not have initial or provisional certification in the teaching of science.

Admissions Requirements (Matriculation)
Matriculation is open to graduates of accredited institutions acceptable to Hunter College who hold baccalaureate degrees and have a grade point average of 2.8 or better in both their science courses and their overall undergraduate work. Matriculation in this program also requires the following:

1. A major of at least 30 credits in arts or sciences.*
2. At least 21 credits in geology, physical geography, earth science, or environmental science, including geographic techniques.*
3. A general liberal arts and sciences core that minimally includes the following: 6 credits in English, 6 credits in Math, 6 credits in social studies, 6 credits in the arts, and 6 credits in a language other than English.*

* Students may be admitted conditionally with up to 12 credits of deficiencies and must fulfill specified deficiencies within their first three semesters. No student who is missing more than one course (3-4 credits) in the required sciences will be admitted to the program. Courses taken to fulfill conditions do not count toward the master's degree.

Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance to the program, which is based, by necessity, on the limitations of space and resources.

Applicants who have an overall GPA between 2.5 and 2.79 and meet all other requirements for matriculation may be considered for admission to nonmatriculant status. Only students who demonstrate strong verbal skills in addition to other indices of ability to do graduate work will be admitted as nonmatriculants. Applicants will be required to provide an on-site writing sample (essay) and participate in a face-to-face interview. Academically relevant data, including scores on the General Aptitude Test of the Graduate Record Examination or on the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test of the NYS Teacher Certification Examination, should also be submitted in support of admission.

Application Deadline
For Fall Semester: April 1 (February 1 for international students)
For Spring Semester: November 1 (September 1 for international students)

Requirements for the Degree
The Earth Science MA in Adolescent Education consists of a minimum of 16-17 credits in earth science and 22-23 credits in pedagogy.

Earth Science Course of Study (minimum of 16-17 credits)

• PGEO 705.63 Earth Science Today (3 cr)
• GTEC 710 Introduction to GIS (3 cr)
• PGEO 630 Science and Society (3 cr)
• PGEO 660 Challenging Concepts in Earth Science (4 cr)
• One elective chosen from 600- and 700-level courses with a PGEO or GTEC prefix (3-4 credits). Students who do not have a significant background in geology or earth science may be required to take a specific course upon the recommendation of the graduate adviser to fulfill this requirement.

Courses Part of the MA Teacher Education Program in Earth Sciences

• PGEO 630 Science and Society
• PGEO 660 Challenging Concepts in Earth Science: Using Research to Identify Common Misconceptions and Assess Student Learning
• PGEO 705.63 Earth Science Today
• PGEO 705.64 Introducing Earth Science at the Museum of Natural History
• GTEC 710 Introduction to GIS

Culminating Project in Earth Science students will be expected either to prepare a research proposal or to conduct a research project while enrolled in PGEO 660, which serves as the capstone course in earth science.

In addition to the Earth Science course work, there are 22-23 credits of coursework and student teaching in pedagogy. See the School of Education section of the Graduate Catalog for further information on admission, progress and exit standards, as well as pedagogical sequence and the culminating experience of pedagogy.