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The latest version of CLAS notes is available for download in the newsletters section.

Career Tracks for the Physical Science Major

The primary career track for students majoring in Physical Science is secondary school teaching in one of chemistry, physics, or general (physical) science. The major is specifically designed so that, by following the default program in either specialization, students can qualify for a New Jersey state Certificate of Eligibility and enter the field through the alternate route. If combined with a second major in Education, students qualify for the Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing. See the New Jersey Department of Education for more information.

Certification can be in Physical Science with either specialization or in just Chemistry or just Physics (with the appropriate specialization). However, there are also many other possiblities for the student majoring in Physical Science. The program gives good, broad-based education in chemistry, physics, earth, and space sciences. This general background can be useful in careers such as marketing, technical writing, health care technician, or environmental science. Below are suggestions on courses of study, or minors, to consider combining with the Physical Science degree to help focus your overall program of study toward a particular goal. Note that up to 8 sh of course work from any of these programs will count for credit in the Physical Science program under the "approved Career Track course" slots. The other courses will be used to fill in the 9 sh of Non-Program Course and/or the 12–16 sh of Free Elective. In some cases, courses may even fulfill other Gen Ed requirements.

Secondary Education
Complete the Physical Science degree and either enter the NJ Alternate Route to certification and licensure or gain certification by completing the Master of Science in Teaching degree program. The former will place you on-the-job provisionally with additional mentoring and require 200 hours of formal instruction; the latter can be completed in a summer-fall-spring-summer academic year.

   OR

Double major with Education: K-12 Subject Matter; the combined program can be completed in 139–142 sh (8–9 full-time semesters).

Environmental Science Track
Earn an Environmental Studies concentration with about 18–24 sh of coursework. Depending in the track chosen, some of these courses are already required by the Physical Science degree.

Marketing/Technical Representative Track
One way to do this is to earn a second major in one of the departments within the Rohrer College of Business, although these are very full programs. Another option is to earn a minor in Business.

Pre-Med Track
Earn a Health Professions concentration with 10–11 sh additional coursework. If you choose this track, be sure to check out the application information provided by the Health Professions Committee!

Pre-Law
Students from varied backgrounds apply to Law school. If you are interested, you can speak with the Pre-Law advisor, Dr. Michael Weiss (Law & Justice department). You can also get involved with the Pre-Law Society, which welcomes students from all majors.

Technical Writing Track
Minor in Journalism for 18 sh offered by the College of Communication