Teaching Broadfield Science

Individuals interested in teaching in K-12 schools must complete a degree in the content area they want to teach plus the teacher preparation program through the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Individuals must complete the teaching major/teaching track within that degree program, which may contain different course requirements than the academic major since the sequence of courses is designed to meet state standards. Upon completion of the degree program with the teaching track and the secondary licensure program, one will be eligible for a standard Montana teaching license in this content area.

Bachelor of Arts - Physics; Teaching Broadfield Science Option

College Humanities & Sciences

Catalog Year: 2016-2017

Degree Specific Credits: 79

Required Cumulative GPA: 2.0

Note: Students must be formally admitted to the Teacher Education Program and complete all of the professional education licensure requirements. See the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the College of Education and Human Sciences for more information. A major GPA of 2.75 is required to be eligible for student teaching.


Physics Requirements

Rule: Must complete all of the following subcategories

Minimum Required Grade: C-
24 Total Credits Required

Required Physics Courses

Rule: All courses are required

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description PHSX 215N - Fund of Physics w/Calc I
Offered autumn. Prereq. or coreq., PHSX 216N and M 171 or equiv. This course satisfies the lecture portion of medical and technical school requirements in general physics. Mechanics, fluids, waves and sound. Credit not allowed for both PHSX 215N-216N-217N-218N and 205N-206N-207N-208N.
4 Credits
Show Description PHSX 216N - Physics Laboratory I w/Calc
Offered autumn. Coreq., PHSX 215N. This course satisfies the laboratory portion of medical and technical school requirements in general physics. Mechanics, fluids, waves, and sound. Credit not allowed for both PHSX 215N-216N-217N-218N and 205N-206N-207N-208N.
1 Credits
Show Description PHSX 217N - Fund of Physics w/Calc II
Offered spring. Prereq., PHSX 215N, and prereq. or coreq. PHSX 218, and prereq. or coreq., M 172 or equivalent. This course satisfies the lecture portion of medical and technical school requirements in general physics. Heat, electricity, magnetism, and light. Credit not allowed for both PHSX 215N-216N-217N-218N and 205N-206N-207N-208N.
4 Credits
Show Description PHSX 218N - Physics Laboratory II w/Calc
Offered spring. Prereq., PHSX 215N, coreq., PHSX 217N. This course satisfies the laboratory portion of medical and technical school requirements in general physics. Heat, electricity, magnetism, and light. Credit not allowed for both PHSX 215N-216N-217N-218N and 205N-206N-207N-208N.
1 Credits
Show Description PHSX 301 - Intro Theoretical Physics
Offered spring. Prereq., M 273; coreq., PHSX 217N-218N. Selected topics from applied linear algebra, ordinary and partial differential equations, vector analysis, complex variables, and Fourier series. Applications to classical mechanics, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics.
3 Credits
Show Description PHSX 311 - Oscillations and Waves
Offered autumn. Prereq., PHSX 217N-218N or 207N-208N; Prereq. or coreq. M 273. Detailed study of oscillations and waves at the intermediate level, to develop physical intuition and mathematical skills needed for analyzing a wide range of periodic phenomena encountered in physics.
2 Credits
Show Description PHSX 330 - Communicating Physics
Offered spring even-numbered years. Prereq., PHSX 217N-218N or PHSX 207N-208N. Oral and written communication skills in physics, to include teaching high school and college physics, presenting seminars, and writing technical and non-technical physics articles.
3 Credits
Show Description PHSX 343 - Modern Physics
Offered autumn. Prereq., one year of college physics; coreq., M 273. Includes historical background for development of modern physics and an introduction to quantum mechanics, atomic and nuclear physics. Credit not allowed for graduate degree in physics.
3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 21 Total Credits Required

Physics Elective

Rule: Must complete 1 additional upper division Physics course


Math Requirements

Rule: All courses are required

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description M 171 - Calculus I
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., M 122 or 151 or ALEKS placement >= 5.  Differential calculus, including limits, continuous functions, Intermediate Value Theorem, tangents, linear approximation, inverse functions, implicit differentiation, extreme values and the Mean Value Theorem.  Integral Calculus including antiderivatives, definite integrals, and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
4 Credits
Show Description M 172 - Calculus II
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., M 171 or 181. Techniques of Integration. Area computations. Improper integrals. Infinite series and various convergence tests. Power series. Taylor's Formula. Polar coordinates. Parametric curves.
4 Credits
Show Description M 273 - Multivariable Calculus
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., M 172 or 182. Calculus of functions of several variables; differentiation and elementary integration. Vectors in the plane and space.
4 Credits
Show Description M 311 - Ordinary Diff Equations/System
Offered autumn. Prereq., M 273. Ordinary differential equations. Systems of linear differential equations from a matrix viewpoint.  Series solutions. Existence and uniqueness for initial value problems.  Numerical methods. Stability and selected topics. M 317 computer lab recommended.
3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 15 Total Credits Required

Statistics Requirements

Rule: Must complete 1 of the following courses

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description STAT 216 - Introduction to Statistics
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., M 115 (preferred), or one of M 121, 132, 151, 162 or 171, or ALEKS placement >= 4. Introduction to major ideas of statistical inference. Emphasis is on statistical reasoning and uses of statistics.
4 Credits
Show Description STAT 341 - Intro to Probability and Stat
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., one of M 162, 172 or 182. Probability, probability models and simulation, random variables, density functions, special distributions, and a brief survey of estimation and hypothesis testing. Computer use integrated throughout.
3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3-4 Total Credits Required

Astronomy Requirements

Rule: All courses are required

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description ASTR 131N - Elementary Astronomy I
Offered autumn. Prereq., high school algebra and geometry. An introduction to observational, historical, and planetary astronomy. Students will have a chance to visit UM's state-of-the-art planetarium and observe with our 0.4 meter telescope.
3 Credits
Show Description ASTR 134N - Elementary Astronomy Lab I
Offered autumn. Prereq. or coreq., ASTR 131N Laboratory exercises in observational and planetary astronomy. Students will have a chance to visit UM's state-of-the-art planetarium and observe with our 0.4 meter telescope.
1 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 4 Total Credits Required

Geology Requirements

Rule: Must complete the following subcategories

7 Total Credits Required

Required Geology Courses

Rule: All courses are required

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description GEO 101N - Intro to Physical Geology
Offered autumn and spring. General geology including the work of wind, flowing water, glacial ice, gravity, earthquakes, volcanoes and plate tectonics in shaping the earth. 
3 Credits
Show Description GEO 102N - Intro to Physical Geology Lab
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq. or coreq., GEO 101N (preferred) or 105N or 108N. A series of laboratory and field experiences designed around basic geologic processes and materials. Familiarization with common minerals, rocks, land forms, and structures. Intended to provide laboratory experience primarily with GEO 101N, but can be taken with or following any of the other freshman GEO courses listed above.
1 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 4 Total Credits Required

Geology Electives

Rule: Must complete 1 of the following courses

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description ASTR 351 - Planetary Science
Offered autumn even-numbered years. Prereq., PHSX 215N-216N or 205N-206N and M 162 or 171. Same as GEO 317. Physical and geological characteristics of planets, satellites, asteroids, comets, and meteoroids, with an emphasis on comparative planetology.
3 Credits
Show Description GEO 105N - Oceanography
Offered spring. The ocean covers 70 % of the globe, and yet vast regions remain unexplored. Interactions between the atmosphere and the sea moderate and control our climate. Nearly 40 % of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometers of the coast. The oceans are geographically, environmentally, culturally, and economically critical to society. This course introduces oceanography, including the origin of water and ocean basins; marine resources; atmospheric circulation; air-sea interaction; ocean-climate feedback; currents, tides, and coastal processes; marine ecology; and use and misuse of the oceans.
3 Credits
Show Description GEO 108N - Climate Change
Offered autumn.  The geoscience perspective on the earth’s climate system.  Climate processes and feedbacks, climate history from early earth to the ice ages, present and future changes due to natural processes and human activities.
3 Credits
Show Description GEO 200 - Historical Geology
Offered autumn. Traces the history of the earth since its inception 4.5 billion years ago. Presents scientific theories for the origin of the earth and the nature of important earth shaping events of the past, including the development of the oceans, atmosphere and climate.
2 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required

Biology Requirements

Rule: Must complete all of the following courses

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description BIOB 160N - Principles of Living Systems
Offered autumn and summer. Unifying principles of biological structure-function relationships at different levels of organization and complexity. Consideration of reproduction, genetics, development, evolution, ecosystems, as well as the inter-relationships of the human species to the rest of life. Students requiring a laboratory should also register for BIOB 161N. Credit not allowed for both BIOB 101N and 160N.
3 Credits
Show Description BIOB 161N - Prncpls of Living Systems Lab
Offered autumn and summer. Prereq., or Coreq., BIOB 160N. Lab experiences illustrate biological principles underlying growth, reproduction, development, genetics and physiology, and are designed to give students practice in scientific methods of description, development of hypotheses, and testing.
1 Credits
Show Description BIOB 260 - Cellular and Molecular Biology
Offered autumn and summer. Prereq. BIOB 160N (preferred) or BCH 110/111 (preferred) or B- or higher in BIOH 112; and either CHMY 123 or CHMY 143. Analytical exploration of the structure and function of the cell, the fundamental unit of life, with an emphasis on energy transformations and information flow. Topics include molecular building blocks, membranes, organelles, and mechanisms of replication, gene expression, metabolism, signal transduction, cell birth, cell death, and cell differentiation.
4 Credits
Show Description BIOB 272 - Genetics and Evolution
Offered spring. Prereq., either BIOB 260 OR both BIOB 160N and BIOB 170N/171N; and one of M 121, 122, 151, 162, or 171. Principles and mechanisms of inheritance and evolution. Population genetics, fossil record, macroevolution, speciation, extinction, systematics, molecular evolution.
4 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 12 Total Credits Required

Chemistry Requirements

Rule: Must complete all of the following courses

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description CHMY 141N - College Chemistry I
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., ALEKS Placement Level 4 or M 095 Intermediate Algebra w/ C- or better. For science majors and other students intending to take more than one year of chemistry. Properties of elements, inorganic compounds, liquid solutions, chemical equilibria and chemical kinetics. Includes laboratory.
5 Credits
Show Description CHMY 143N - College Chemistry II
Offered spring and summer. Prereq., "C-" or better in CHMY 141N or consent of instr. A continuation of CHMY 141N. Includes Laboratory.
5 Credits
Show Description CHMY 485 - Laboratory Safety
Offered autumn. Prereq., one year of college chemistry. Awareness of and methods of control of hazards encountered in laboratory work. Awareness of legal constraints on work with chemicals. Sources of information regarding chemical hazards.
1 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 11 Total Credits Required

Advanced College Writing Requirement

Rule: Must take the following course

Note: May substitute another advanced writing course as approved by the department chair.

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description PHSX 330 - Communicating Physics
Offered spring even-numbered years. Prereq., PHSX 217N-218N or PHSX 207N-208N. Oral and written communication skills in physics, to include teaching high school and college physics, presenting seminars, and writing technical and non-technical physics articles.
3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required

Teaching Methods Requirement

Rule: Complete the following course.

Note: The EDU 497 course number is used for multiple courses. Students should register for EDU 497 Methods: 5-12 Science.

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description EDU 497 - Teaching and Assessing
(R-15) Offered autumn and/or spring. Prerequisite: Admission to the Teacher Education Program. This course number is used for multiple elementary and secondary methods courses. Check the class schedule or with your advisor regarding appropriate sections. 5-8 Mathematics: 3 cr. Offered autumn and spring. This class must be taken concurrently with Level 3 courses and is restricted to students who have completed coursework in Levels 1 & 2. Methods of teaching, assessing, and evaluating mathematics in the 5-8 middle grades including number and operations, rational numbers, ratio and proportion, measurement, algebra, expressions and equations, geometry, probability, statistics, and functions. K-8 Social Studies: 3 cr. Offered autumn and spring. This class must be taken concurrently with Level 3 courses and is restricted to students who have completed coursework in Levels 1 & 2. Emphasis on developing teaching and assessing social studies teaching/learning opportunities that incorporate literature, primary sources and other developmentally appropriate activities. Overarching themes address diversity, integration across the curriculum and understanding state and national curriculum standards. K-8 Science: 3 cr. Offered autumn and spring. This class must be taken concurrently with Level 3 courses and is restricted to students who have completed coursework in Levels 1 & 2. Emphasis on developing, teaching, and assessing science teaching/learning opportunities that are inquiry-based, developmentally appropriate, integrated across the curriculum, and aligned with state and national curriculum standards. 4-8 Reading: 3 cr. Offered autumn and spring. This class must be taken concurrently with Level 3 courses and is restricted to students who have completed coursework in Levels 1 & 2. Preparation for teaching reading in a 4-8 setting so that all students are successful. Emphasis on reading to learn. Focus on using assessment to guide instruction, learning from trade books, textbooks, and electronic texts, activating prior knowledge, studying texts, and developing student enthusiasm for reading. 5-12 Science: 3 cr. Offered autumn. Methods of teaching science in the middle and secondary school. This course emphasizes the use of inquiry, problem-solving, appropriate use of technology, and assessment techniques that align with state and national curriculum standards. 5-12 Social Studies: 3 cr. Offered autumn. Foundations and purpose of the middle and secondary social studies curriculum. Elements of curricular design, including instructional methods, materials and assessment. 5-12 Mathematics: 4 cr. Offered autumn. Methods for teaching mathematics in grades 5-12 focusing on presentation of mathematics concepts and procedures through models, problem solving, and technology. Development of instructional strategies and classroom organizational models, discourse in the classroom, and multiple means for assessing student progress. 5-12 Business Subjects: 4 cr. Offered autumn. Methods for teaching business subjects in grades 5-12 focusing on content-specific topics in business, marketing, and information technology to include: instructional planning; effective teaching strategies (F2F & online); multiple means for assessing student progress; classroom management; and the relationship of the content area to standards-based curricula.
0 To 4 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required