Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Middle school science teacher education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a middle school science teacher. Middle school science teachers usually study biology, elementary education, or education. 69% of middle school science teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,762 real middle school science teacher resumes to see exactly what middle school science teacher education sections show.
The most common colleges for middle school science teachers are the Wayne State University and the Wayne State University.
There are also many online middle school science teacher courses to help get the education required to be a middle school science teacher.
There are certain middle school science teacher certifications that you should consider. These middle school science teacher certifications include Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) and Certified Secondary Culinary Educator (CSCE).
What education do you need to become a middle school science teacher?
What degree do you need to be a middle school science teacher?
- Bachelor's, 69%
- Master's, 24%
- Associate, 4%
- Doctorate, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a middle school science teacher?
- Biology, 20%
- Elementary Education, 20%
- Education, 14%
- Other Majors, 38%
Most common colleges for middle school science teachers
| Middle school science teacher common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Wayne State University | 7.87% |
| University of Phoenix | 7.30% |
| Florida State University | 6.74% |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 6.18% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 5.62% |
Best majors for middle school science teachers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biology | 20.0% |
| 2 | Elementary Education | 19.7% |
| 3 | Education | 14.3% |
| 4 | General Education, Specific Areas | 7.7% |
| 5 | Secondary Education And Teaching | 4.4% |
Best colleges for middle school science teachers
The best colleges for middle school science teachers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.
A middle school science teacher with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for middle school science teachers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become middle school science teachers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
9. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
In-state tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
10. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
20 best online courses for middle school science teachers
Advertising disclosure
1. Music Education for Teachers
In the Music Education for Teachers specialization, you will explore ways of integrating popular music into your teaching. You'll begin by learning from two highly experienced teachers, Krystal Banfield, the Vice President of Educational Outreach for Berklee College of Music, and David Alexis a Berklee Professor and long-time instructor for the Berklee City Music Program. They will take you through their process of incorporating popular music, improvisation, arranging, and music technology into...
2. ICT in Primary Education: Transforming children's learning across the curriculum
Why and how are teachers integrating ICT (Information and Communication Technology) into primary education? In this course we analyse examples from schools in different parts of the world, and bring professional teachers, headteachers and policymakers together to share their best ideas and inspiring stories. The materials in the course are based on studies carried out for the UNESCO Institute of IT in Education, Moscow. Learning Outcomes: to be aware of the range of reasons for using ICT to...
3. R Programming Hands-on Specialization for Data Science (Lv1)
An in-depth course on R language with real-world Data Science examples to supercharge your R data analysis skills...
4. Math for Middle Schoolers: Statistics
Learn the Basics of Statistics and Succeed in your Middle School Math Classes...
5. Social Science Approaches to the Study of Chinese Society Part 1
This course seeks to turn learners into informed consumers of social science research. It introduces concepts, standards, and principles of social science research to the interested non-expert. Learners who complete the course will be able to assess evidence and critically evaluate claims about important social phenomena. It reviews the origins and development of social science, describes the process of discovery in contemporary social science research, and explains how contemporary social...
6. Constructivism and Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education
This course is designed to help participants examine the implications of constructivism for learning and teaching in science, mathematics, and technology focused areas. Course readings, discussions, and assignments will examine constructivist views of learning, research on students' ideas and idea-based interactions, research on instructional approaches taking student ideas into account, and challenges in implementing constructivist perspectives in instruction...
7. Data Science Real-World Case Studies - Hands On Python
Build Data science Real world Projects in AI, ML , NLP and Time Series domain & get a job of Data Scientist/ML Engineer...
8. Intro to Game Development using Unity - Part I
A 2D game will be developed from scratch - perfect beginning course for middle and high school age students!...
9. The Teacher and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
Social and emotional learning, or SEL, programs have flourished in schools during the last decade. These programs vary widely but most share a concern for five individual, student competencies: self awareness; self-management; social awareness; relationship skills; and finally responsible decision making. It is important for teachers and parents to know about and understand these programs. While lots of SEL programs emphasize K-12 student social and emotional learning, only a very few programs...
10. Virtual Teacher Final Project
The Final Project will be a hands-on, comprehensive project that practitioners of virtual education can implement in their profession. For this final project, learners will draft a design plan for an online learning module utilizing materials learned from the virtual teacher series. Learners will choose the subject matter, method of delivery, tools, instructional strategies, and assessments, with the goal of creating a module of online or blended instruction that meets the needs of their...
11. Implementing Positive Behaviour Management in the Classroom
Practical Strategies to Address Behaviour Issues in any Classroom...
12. TESOL Teacher Training: Second Language Acquisition (SLA)
Putting Theory Into Practice in the ESL/EFL Classroom...
13. THINK GLOBAL: TEACHERS TRAINING COURSE (IDP-ICE)
A group of seven European partners from Catalonia, Belgium, and Wales worked together on the Erasmus+ funded ‘Think Global’ project on global competence. The project seeks to address the following research question through development and piloting of practical classroom activities: What is global competence, and how can it be learned effectively? The Think Global project explores, through international collaboration, how global competence is defined, taught, learned, and measured in the...
14. Lesson Planning with the ELL in Mind
In this course you will learn how to design lesson plans around the needs of your ELL students and their language level through the analysis of content language and cognitive demands. You will learn how to align language objectives to the adopted standards of your school and content area. You will learn how to modify existing course materials as well as develop graphic organizers and languages frames to support ELLs’ access to content. Analysis of second language acquisition theories will be...
15. Linear Algebra for Data Science & Machine Learning - Math
Complete linear algebra - Mathematics for data science, machine learning & Deep Learning - Math for Data Science Algebra...
16. Mindfulness for Life Coaching Success: Teacher Certificate
Transform Lives with Mindfulness & Meditation: Accredited Life Coach Teacher Certificate (2023)...
17. English for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Welcome to English for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, a course created by the University of Pennsylvania, and funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of English Language Programs. To enroll in this course for free, click on “Enroll now” and then select "Full Course. No certificate." If you want to get a Coursera Verified Certificate for free, please fill out the Financial Aid form. This course is designed for non-native...
18. Studying Cities: Social Science Methods for Urban Research
Welcome! Are you looking to learn more about how to conduct scientific research, specifically in an urban or local context? Then you have found the right course: Studying Cities: Social Science Methods for Urban Research by the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS), Erasmus University Rotterdam. During the course you will gain more insight in the different steps of the research cycle, and build a firm foundation for your own future research endeavors. Before any (urban)...
19. ELL Success in the Content Classroom: Teacher Toolbox Series
Plan lessons, activities and assessment with the ELL in mind, and create an engaging and welcoming environment for the ELL and their families.\n\nThis Specialization covers lesson planning and assessing with the ELL in mind as well as engaging the ELL student and their families in the school and community. In the final Capstone Project, you’ll apply the skills you learned by creating an annotated lesson plan and assessment with appropriate modifications for the ELL students. You will also...
20. Practical Data Science on the AWS Cloud
Development environments might not have the exact requirements as production environments. Moving data science and machine learning projects from idea to production requires state-of-the-art skills. You need to architect and implement your projects for scale and operational efficiency. Data science is an interdisciplinary field that combines domain knowledge with mathematics, statistics, data visualization, and programming skills.\n\nThe Practical Data Science Specialization brings together...
Top 10 most affordable universities for middle school science teachers
The most affordable schools for middle school science teachers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for middle school science teachers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for middle school science teachers.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
7. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
8. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
9. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
10. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for middle school science teachers
The hardest universities for middle school science teachers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.
Some great schools for middle school science teachers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for middle school science teachers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for middle school science teachers
The easiest schools for middle school science teachers to get into are Barry University, gwynedd mercy university, and felician university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a middle school science teacher without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for middle school science teachers.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
3. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
4. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
5. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
6. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
7. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
9. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
10. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
Average middle school science teacher salary by education level
| Middle school science teacher education level | Middle school science teacher salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $58,214 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $49,675 |
| Doctorate Degree | $57,803 |
Middle school science teacher education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
Search for middle school science teacher jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025