Master of Science in Science Education and Communication

Do you have solid knowledge in one of the sciences, do you enjoy sharing your knowledge, and would you like to deepen your insight into education and communication processes? Then the Master’s program in Science Education and Communication may be your choice.

In this program, you will gain theoretical insights and practical skills in both formal and informal educational practices. Your science discipline will be put in a broader societal perspective, and you will develop your own views on how your discipline should be relevant to secondary education and to the public at large. The internships and the research project in science education and communication will support you to develop as a skillful practitioner as well as an innovator.

This two-year program can be your gateway to careers, such as:

• Teacher in secondary or higher education
• Educational design
• Science writing or editing
• Museum education
• Science education research

Specializations

After a joint first semester, you will specialize in one of the program tracks:

• Teacher Degree (in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, or Computer Science)
• Research and Development in Science Education and Communication

NLT Qualification

Apart from being qualified as a teacher in chemistry, computer science, physics, and mathematics, you are also qualified to teach Nature, Life, and Technology, after completion of this Master’s program (Teacher Degree).

Tracks

Teacher Degree (Partly Dutch Spoken)

In the (partly Dutch-spoken) Teacher Degree track you will qualify for a first-degree teaching qualification in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, or computer science (admission requirements differ per school subject). This track has a strong orientation towards the theory and practice of the teaching profession in secondary education. Program components specific to this track include:

• Courses on subject teaching and general teaching methods;
• Two school internships are scheduled either 1) during a year (halftime) or 2) during a semester (full-time), depending on the entrance level and study progress. The two internships are usually at two different partner schools. Trainees gradually take on more responsibility for class teaching as the year progresses;
• Substantial research project in science education (school subject-specific).

Excellent students can apply for U-TEAch, the international honors variant of this track.

Research and Development

In the Research and Development track, you will be heading towards careers in educational design, informal education, science communication, or science education research. The track combines experiences in professional practice with a strong research orientation. Program components specific to this track include:

• Two internships, one at a school (formal education), and one at an organization that focuses on Science Education & Communication to the general public (Informal education), such as Science museums, Science journalism, or science communication.
• Substantial research project in science education and communication.

The career prospects for our graduates are good. Approximately half of our students start a career as a teacher. Others find a job as an educational researcher at a university, or they find a job in another setting in which they can transmit their science knowledge to others.

Getting Started as a Teacher

After completing the track Teacher Degree, you will be qualified as a teacher for one of the school subjects in both lower and upper secondary education. The employment prospects for teachers in science subjects are generally good, but there are differences between school subjects. There are many vacancies for teachers in chemistry, computer science, physics, and mathematics, and there are fewer opportunities for biology teachers.

Apart from being qualified as a teacher in chemistry, computer science, physics, or mathematics, you are also qualified to teach Nature, Life, and Technology, after completion of this master’s program.

Wide Variety of Careers

Graduates from the track Research and development, and graduates from the track Teacher Degree who do not opt for a position as a teacher, find their way in a wide variety of careers:

• Science education and communication research (e.g. PhD-position)
• Teacher in a university of applied sciences (HBO)
• A developer of education in a museum (eg Universiteitsmuseum, Museon, Naturalis)
• Educational publishing (writing teaching methods, developing curricula)
• Communications officer at a science-related agency or institution (National Platform Science & Technology, Stichting C3 (promotion of interest in chemistry).