New STEM Minor Allows A&M-Galveston to Grow Galveston By Training Teachers    

Texas A&M University at Galveston not only teaches students, the university now offers a minor leading to science teaching certification allowing students to become teachers. 

The Science, Technology, Education & Mathematics (STEM) Certification is an 18-hour undergraduate-level program designed for secondary 8-12 STEM teacher-practitioners. Students successfully completing the program will gain the necessary knowledge and skills toward designing learning experiences specifically focused on integrating STEM content with teaching.

Similarly, and also through Texas A&M University's College of Education and Human Development, the STEM minor allows students to earn the credits to become a certified secondary science teacher and works alongside their major as a traditional minor program. 

“There is a science teacher shortage in the state of Texas and we have seen so many of our former students go into teaching careers after graduating that we decided to make a clearer pathway and to support the Galveston community at the same time,” explained Associate Vice President for Academic Operations Dr. Donna Lang. 

Currently, Instructional Professor and Department of Foundational Sciences Head Dr. Melanie Moser is working with two students, Kayla Costigan ’21 and Madison Miley ’21. Both students are majoring in marine biology in addition to being enrolled in STEM minor teacher certification program.

The program is a unique and collaborative partnership between Texas A&M-Galveston, the Galveston Island School District (GISD), and Galveston’s Odyssey Academy. 

Students will be placed in classrooms at GISD and Odyssey in order to shadow and even act as student teachers in pertinent STEM-related classes. While at Odyssey, GISD Chief Human Resources, Student Services & Communications Officer Dyann Polzin will supervise the students’ placement and progress. After they switch places in the spring semester, Superintendent of Odyssey Academy Dr. Jennifer Goodman will oversee their progress within GISD. This oversight flip-flop is due to a caveat that an administrator cannot oversee a student under their own administrative unit.

Texas A&M-Galveston has worked to remodel many degree programs over the past five years to offer as many opportunities in trending college major and career programs as possible. 

In June of last year, TAMU was awarded a federal grant for more than $1 million toward these programs to address the ongoing shortage of elementary and middle school teachers in STEM fields in Texas by the National Science Foundation.

For more academic and program information regarding these offerings, please contact Dr. Melanie Moser at moserm@tamug.edu. 

For information regarding advising and these programs, please contact the Seibel Learning Center at SLC@tamug.edu.