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2025-2026 Graduate Catalog
STEM Education, Graduate Certificate
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About the Certificate
The STEM Education graduate certificate program is designed for prospective and practicing teachers, PreK–12 educators with or without a STEM background, instructional coaches, school administrators, and informal educators. The program prepares educators to meaningfully integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) into PreK–12 instruction both inside and outside the classroom. Developed in response to national and local calls to strengthen STEM teaching and learning, this program supports educators in planning, teaching, assessing, and reflecting on integrated STEM instruction. Coursework and experiences are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Science, Technology & Engineering, Environmental Literacy and Sustainability (STEELS) Standards. Program Goals - Strengthen knowledge of core disciplinary ideas in the physical sciences, life sciences, Earth systems, and environmental science.
- Develop pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching integrated STEM, with connections to reading and writing. This includes strategies for assessing student learning, teaching orientation, and the use of appropriate curricula and resources.
- Enhances teachers’ capacity to implement the NGSS science and engineering practices, which include engaging students in posing questions and defining problems based on their prior knowledge, developing and revising models, conducting investigations, analyzing data, constructing explanations and designing solutions, and applying mathematics and digital tools. Teachers will also support students in using evidence to argue claims and refine their thinking. These practices are integrated with crosscutting concepts such as patterns, cause and effect, systems and system models, and structure and function, enabling students to make connections across scientific disciplines and apply their learning to real-world challenges.
- Incorporate Socioscientific Issues (SSI)—real-world, controversial topics that connect science content to ethical, cultural, and societal dimensions. Educators will learn to facilitate inquiry on issues such as climate change, genetic engineering, and public health, encouraging students to explore multiple perspectives while grounding their learning in scientific reasoning.
- Promote Social Justice Action by engaging students in projects and discussions that examine inequities related to science and technology. Teachers will guide students to critically evaluate how scientific knowledge intersects with issues of access, power, and community well-being, empowering them to take informed action within their local and global contexts.
- Enhance STEM-related skills such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and innovation.
- Cultivate teacher leadership with global and interdisciplinary perspectives on STEM, education, sustainability, energy, and the environment.
- Increase the number of educators with strong STEM backgrounds who can lead efforts to redesign science curricula and elevate STEM learning across school communities.
- Foster partnerships between Arcadia University and PreK–12 school districts to support ongoing professional development and collaborative curriculum reform.
Study Abroad Highly unique to Arcadia’s Graduate Certificate in STEM Education is its integrated study abroad program, which includes 40 hours of fieldwork in Sicily. This immersive experience allows educators to explore environmental and technological systems while examining the cultural contexts and societal impacts of science and sustainability. By engaging with socioscientific issues (SSI)—real-world, controversial topics at the intersection of science and society—teachers critically investigate topics such as energy use, conservation, food systems, and water access through multiple cultural lenses. Teachers are encouraged to reflect on ethical, cultural, and policy dimensions of science, while also exploring how personal and societal decisions impact local and global communities. This approach fosters social justice action by empowering teachers and students to take informed positions and engage in advocacy related to equity, sustainability, and civic responsibility. Note that the study abroad component is available only to students enrolled in the Arcadia University Graduate Certificate in STEM Education and requires a travel fee in addition to the course tuition. Certificate Requirements (15 credits)
NOTE: Transfer credit is not permitted in this program. All students completing a graduate Education certificate or other non-degree program are required to submit an AU Graduate Program (non-degree) Completion form. STEM Endorsement Requirements
Recognized and endorsed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. A valid and active Instructional I certificate is required to add an area of Endorsement. |
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