The University's science programs and the College of Education work together to coordinate course work in the major with the teacher certification requirements.

For the full sequence of teacher certification courses, see the Teacher Education Program's web page.

More information on science majors:

• Biological and environmental  sciences
• Physical and mathematical sciences

Graduation requirements

See the WSU Catalog for degree requirements and talk with your academic advisor about planning and scheduling your courses. All students must meet requirements as outlined in the catalog in order to graduate.

A variety of state, federal, and university-sponsored programs are available to help students with educational costs.

For all students at WSU

Washington State University awards millions of dollars in financial aid and scholarships to students every year based on financial need, academic merit, or a combination of the two.

To get all the financial help WSU can provide, start by doing these two things:

• Complete the University's general scholarship application so you can be eligible for scholarship consideration.
• Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) so WSU can consider you for aid (scholarships, grants, loans, etc.) based on financial need.

Click here for more info about WSU scholarships and financial aid

For students in teaching programs

The College of Education distributes funds from 13 endowed scholarships to approximately 100 teacher education students every semester.

Some of the scholarships with multiple recipients include the College of Education Alumni Association Scholarship, the Louise H. Meyer Scholarship, the Don and Julia Lee Scholarship, and the Claude Simpson and Peggy Simpson Yates Scholarship.

You can visit the college website for more information about College of Education scholarships, call the college at 509-335-7843, or send an e-mail to beateacher@wsu.edu.

For students in science programs

The College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, and the College of Veterinary Medicine offer scholarships for students majoring in their areas. See each college's website for more about their programs and the scholarships they offer.

There are many student clubs and activities you can be part of at WSU. For example:

• The Chemistry Club—sponsored by the American Chemical Society—provides student mentoring, sponsors social events, and develops programs for high school and junior high school students. To learn more about chemistry, visit the American Chemical Society (ACS) website.
• The Physics Club brings students together to watch films, visit laboratories, and do experiments. It also organizes the annual Pumpkin Drop, an event that brings the community together to learn about science and experience the fun of seeing what happens when gourds reach pavement after a 12-story fall.
• The Educators Club, Kappa Delta Pi, and the Alhadeff Future Teachers of Color are pre-professional organizations run by education students for education students. All future teachers are invited to join and participate. More about education student organizations

Teaching could be a good career match if you:

• Care about children and enjoy working with young people
• Want to make a positive difference in the world
• Have good organization skills or are willing to develop them
• Have good communication skills or are willing to develop them

Preparation

Take two years of a foreign language in high school if possible. This will be beneficial in many ways, and will help you meet a WSU graduation requirement.

Take four years of English in high school. Even if you won't be teaching writing yourself, you'll need a good command of written English to communicate with students, administrators, and parents.

If you can, take more than the required amount of math and science courses.

Volunteer in classrooms and educational settings if you can. This will help you get a look at the day-to-day responsibilities of teaching and make sure it's right for you.

Science teachers may teach in public or private schools worldwide. Further study opens up possibilities as a coach, counselor, principal, or other administrative positions in schools.

During the 2014–2015 school year, the standard starting annual salary for a nine-month school year was $34,048 for Washington state teachers, according to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Salaries can rise significantly with experience and additional education.