STEM Studies at Hofstra University is a Bachelor of Arts program designed for students also majoring in elementary education. Students who major in STEM will have a broad understanding of the scientific and mathematical foundations of the natural and human-made worlds. This is exactly the type of knowledge that elementary school teachers increasingly need in order to provide more meaningful educational experiences for their students.
The courses for the major are primarily those from science, math, and engineering disciplinary offerings from Hofstra College for Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science.
There is a need locally, regionally, and nationally for better prepared elementary school teachers, especially in the area of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). As societies become more technologically complex, and as that complexity affects the natural world, the development of greater understanding of the natural and human-made worlds becomes increasingly important.
Hagedorn Hall, the home of Hofstra University’s School of Education, features the STEM Studio, a teaching and learning lab that offers a distinctive problem-based curriculum of math and science design challenges customized for grades 3-8. Hofstra students have the opportunity to work with children who visit from local elementary schools on a regular basis throughout each academic year. (The Motorola Solutions Foundation has underwritten the class visits to Hofstra.)
Why choose STEM as a major?
As societies become more technologically complex, and as that complexity affects the natural world, the development of greater understanding of the natural and human-made worlds becomes increasingly important. There is a need locally, regionally, and nationally for better prepared elementary school teachers, especially in the area of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
This liberal arts and sciences program will allow future elementary school teachers, who are simultaneously taking courses in the School of Education, to develop academic strength in STEM. Students who complete this major will have a broad understanding of the scientific and mathematical foundations of the natural and human-made worlds.
This is exactly the type of knowledge that elementary school teachers increasingly need in order to provide more meaningful educational experiences for their students. Our primary mission is to have students, primarily those who wish to be elementary school teachers, understand the many aspects of science and technology. This requires thinking broadly about the natural and human-made worlds. Scientific inquiry and engineering design are processes by which scientific investigations and engineering designed solutions are undertaken.
STEM Programs
Major
This Bachelor of Arts program is designed as a co-major for future elementary school teachers majoring in elementary education who wish to have a broad background in the liberal arts with a focus on STEM areas. The courses for the major are primarily those from science, math, and engineering disciplinary offerings. There are two STEM-designated integrative courses that students take at the end of the program: One integrates STEM from a science or natural world perspective, and the other integrates STEM from an engineering or human-made world perspective.
Courses Required for Major: BIO 3, BIO 4, ENGG 015, TPP 19, GEOL 1, NSC 12, MATH 6A, MATH 30B, MATH 45, PHYS 4, STEM 110, STEM 120. In addition to meeting the overall requirements for a Bachelor of Arts, the student must meet the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education.
Minor
A minor in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) consists of 18 s.h. in courses listed as required for the STEM major, including TPP 19 and ENGG 15; at least one course from MATH 30B, 45; and at least one course from BIO 3, 4; GEOL 1; NSC 12; PHYS 4; STEM 110, 120. With the permission of the program director and where appropriate, courses at a more advanced level may be substituted for those listed. At least 6 s.h. must be completed in residence. Students majoring in the HCLAS Natural Sciences/Mathematics/Computer Science Division are not eligible for this minor.
Career Potential
"Today I am announcing a renewed commitment to education in mathematics and science. Through this commitment, American students will move from the middle to the top of the pace in science and math over the next decade. For we know that the nation that out-educates us today -will out-compete us tomorrow.
We cannot start soon enough. We know that the quality of math and science teachers is the most influential single factor in determining whether a study will succeed or fail in these subjects."
President Obama
The National Academy of Sciences
April 27, 2009
A BA in STEM will allow future elementary school teachers, who are simultaneously taking courses in the School of Education, to develop academic strength in STEM. Students who complete this major will have a broad understanding of the scientific and mathematical foundations of the natural and human-made worlds.