UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls
Graduate Programs
STEMteach
Graduate Teaching Licensure Program with Optional Master's Degree
This graduate certification with optional master's degree will prepare people with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degrees to become math, computer science or science educators in middle schools and high schools. Courses were developed in collaboration with the UTeach Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. Students begin the program in the summer of each year and continue throughout the academic year to finish in the spring.
This program is the first UTeach-inspired program in the upper Midwest. The UTeach model is designed to increase the number of STEM majors interested in becoming secondary science or mathematics teachers. Candidates with expertise or training in a content-specific subject such as mathematics, biology, physics, chemistry, or computer science obtain the preparation and hands-on experience to gain an initial teaching license in secondary education.
Who Should Apply
- STEM graduates or working professionals in STEM-related fields with an interest in obtaining a teaching license
- Undergraduates finishing a STEM major who want to add teaching credentials to their degree
- Graduates who want to pursue teaching and a master of science in education degree
Key Features
- Provides a rigorous, yet streamlined pathway to an initial teaching license with optional master's degree.
- Qualified teacher candidates will complete their course requirements within one calendar year.
- Gain opportunity for teaching experiences in early classes.
- Pay one tuition rate for your certification classes, regardless of where you live.
- Complete graduate-level coursework with a small (20) cohort of students.
- Curriculum is based on the nationally renowned UTeach program.
- Financial aid, including tuition reimbursements and scholarships, may be available.
- University provides assistance in placing students in teaching positions.
Program Curriculum
Admissions Requirements
Admissions requirements include:
- An earned baccalaureate degree in a STEM-related major from an accredited institution;
- An overall undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.75 (on a four-point scale);
- Completed online UW SYstem application received with $56 payment for processing;
- Official transcripts from any previously attended higher education institutions sent directly from the institution to the Admissions Office;
- Application worksheets for licenses sought;
- Qualifying score on a basic skills exam approved by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), for example ACT, SAT, GRE, or Praxis Core; and
- Qualifying score on at least one approved content exam.
Submit all documents to the Graduate Admissions Office via email or mail to 112 South Hall, 410 S. 3rd Street, River Falls, WI 54022.
Please submit the following application materials:
- a complete online UW System graduate application;
- application fee;
- application worksheets; and
- official or unofficial transcripts.
If provided, test scores and optional documents (letter of intent, resume and letters of support) will be reviewed. Passing scores from a basic skills exam must be received by June 1 and scores from any content exams must be received by September 1.
Priority applicants will receive notification on their admissions status by April 15. Applications submitted after April 1 will be considered for the upcoming summer cohort only if fewer than 20 students have been accepted.
Admissions Checklist
Follow this checklist to ensure that your application process is accurate and complete.
- Schedule a conference with the program coordinator to review your qualifications for admission and teaching licensure, determine if additional coursework is required, and to have any questions answered. Bring unofficial transcripts, course catalogs, resumes and any other documents that could be helpful.
- Apply online with the electronic UW System application form and pay the application processing fee. You may apply anytime but all candidates will begin with the summer term.
- Complete the worksheet required for your teaching license. Download forms here or contact the program coordinator for assistance.
- Request transcripts from your past colleges or universities. These official documents must be sent directly from the institution to UWRF Graduate Admissions, 112 South Hall, 410 S. 3rd Street, River Falls, WI 54022.
- If necessary, schedule and complete a basic skills exam approved by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), for example ACT, SAT, GRE, or Praxis Core. Send your scores to our Admissions Office by June 1 by selecting UW-River Falls as the recipient.
- Schedule and complete the subject area exam required for your state license. If you are unsure which exam to take, speak with the program coordinator. Send your scores to our Admissions Office by September 1 by selecting UW-River Falls as the recipient.
- Find out your eligibility for financial aid and scholarships by visiting the Financial Aid web page or contacting the Financial Aid office, 715-425-3141 or finaid@uwrf.edu.
After admission, you will receive instructions on how to register for classes. If you are admitted under probation, you will be advised on the conditions you must meet to move off probationary status.
Major Equivalence Worksheets
The following worksheets are required as part of your application process. You are invited to meet with the program coordinator first to confirm which licenses you may be eligible to receive.
Forms are Microsoft Word documents. You should download the form to your own computer to complete the worksheet. If you need these documents in a different format, please contact the program coordinator for assistance.
Wisconsin Teaching Licenses |
Major Equivalence Worksheet Required |
|
Biology (1605) License | |
|
Broadfield Science (1601) License | |
|
Chemistry (1610) License | |
|
Computer Science (1405) License | |
|
Earth and Space Science (1635) License | |
|
Environmental Studies (1615) License | |
|
Life and Environmental Science (1606) License | |
|
Mathematics (1400) License | |
|
Physical Science (1637) License | |
|
Physics (1625) License |
Tuition and Financial Aid
Targeted training in a high-demand field is a wise investment. For many individuals, a teaching license provides a new and fulfilling career path.
Students pay $475 per credit plus campus fees, regardless of where they live.
Graduate students who take at least four credits each term may apply for financial aid, which may include loans, grants and scholarships. All students who complete a UWRF scholarship application will be eligible to receive the $5,000 Bruce F. Vento Science Educator Scholarship which is awarded in Janaury (find out more). Candidates are also eligible to receive the $12,450 STEMteach Noyce Forgivable Loan which is awarded in June and paid out three times throughout the year (below).
Find additional scholarships at the UWRF Scholarship System.
STEMteach Noyce Forgivable Loan
This financial opportunity is funded through the National Science Foundation's Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Grant Program.
Students will receive a stipend (or forgivable loan) of $12,450 to cover costs of tuition, books, travel, and other expenses associated with enrollment in the UWRF STEMteach program. Repayment of the stipend amount is excused if recipients meet certain requirements after completing their program of study.
Eligibility to Apply:
- Admitted to the STEMteach program.
- Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better (or has been granted an exception through appeal).
- Stipend recipients must be U.S. citizens or nationals, or permanent resident aliens.
Application Process:
- Provide two letters of recommendation that address a candidate's teaching disposition, work ethic and ability to communicate.
- Complete an essay in response to the prompt, "What makes you a candidate who is eligible for this prestigious award?"
- Submit your résumé.
- Email all documents as .pdf attachments to pamela.bowen@uwrf.edu with the subject: "(Your last name) Noyce Application."
Candidates may apply beginning April 1. Preliminary awards will be made beginning May 15 and will continue, contingent on space remaining in the cohort and availability of funds.
Eligibility to Receive the Loan
- Be a student “in good standing” academically.
- Received a grade of B or better in both UTCH 701 and UTCH 702.
- Submitted a passing score on at least one approved content exam.
- Reviewed and signed the loan agreement by the first week of fall term.
The university will transfer the stipends to the student’s tuition account three times in the year, on dates coinciding with tuition payment due dates. Students will receive the first installment after the university receives the passing scores from a content exam to ensure that only candidates who are eligible to complete the licensure program (and the service commitment) receive stipend funds.
Conditions for Loan Forgiveness:
- Provide documentation of annual certification of employment for four years or until teaching service commitment is completed.
- Participation in activities (including surveys) conducted by the National Science Foundation and UWRF.
- Complete the two-year teaching commitment in STEM classrooms at a “high need” school district* within four years of licensure.
Instead of meeting the above conditions, students may repay the stipend as a loan. The amount due would be full or prorated, depending on the duration of the teaching commitment completed.
*A high-need school district is defined as one that has:
- at least one school where more than one-third of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch; or
- at least one school where at least 15 percent of the staff do not hold an academic degree in the subject that they teach; or
- at least one school with teacher attrition rates of 15 percent or higher.
UWRF will support students in finding teaching positions in qualifying high-need districts.
In the News
Vento Scholarship awarded to graduate student
Future STEM teachers receive tuition stipends for graduate program
UW-River Falls awarded prestigious NSF Noyce Teacher Scholarship Grant
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Developed in cooperation with the UTeach Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.
Partial support for this work was provided by the National Science Foundation's Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program under under Awards 1439768 and 1660135.
