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Apr 10, 2026
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2026-2027 Catalog
Natural Sciences Education Minor with Teaching Credential
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 Return to: Academic Programs
The Natural Sciences Education Minor with Teaching Credential (NSEC) is a program designed for students interested in graduating concurrently with a Bachelor’s degree from UC Merced and a Single Subject Math or Science teaching credential from UC Berkeley. Students completing the NSEC program will complete majority of their coursework at UC Merced and two online courses via simultaneous enrollment at UC Berkeley. One of the online UC Berkeley courses will be completed during the summer semester. The NSEC minor is part of the CalTeach Program which offers extensive additional resources such as advising, support and extracurricular internship and externship opportunities to students. CalTeach is a UC system-wide program started under the California legislature initiative in 2005 to address the severe shortage of science and mathematics teachers in California’s secondary schools. The program’s academic and outreach components provide a wide range of support and resources to STEM majors to prepare them for careers in education.
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Minimum Requirements
To be awarded a minor in Natural Sciences Education with Teaching Credential, students must successfully complete at least 36 units. UC Merced Coursework [21 units]
The following coursework must be completed while in residence at UC Merced. Lower Division NSED Seminar and Fieldwork Requirement [4 units]
Complete the following Seminar and Fieldwork courses. Note: the seminar and fieldwork courses must be taken concurrently. - NSED 025: Introduction to Teaching Science and Mathematics in Elementary School - Seminar
- NSED 026: Introduction to Teaching Science and Mathematics in Elementary School - Fieldwork
In addition, complete either one of the following Seminar and Fieldwork course sequences. Note: the seminar and fieldwork courses must be taken concurrently. - NSED 045: Introduction to Teaching Science and Mathematics in Middle School – Seminar
- NSED 046: Introduction to Teaching Science and Mathematics in Middle School – Fieldwork
OR - NSED 065: Introduction to Teaching Science and Mathematics in High School – Seminar
- NSED 066: Introduction to Teaching Science and Mathematics in High School – Fieldwork
Additional Coursework [17 units]
Complete the following courses: History Coursework [4 Units]
This requirement can be fulfilled by completing a course at UC Merced: OR by completing one of the following courses offered at UC Berkeley: - HIST 138T, 180T or 187T: History of Science in the U.S and the Cal Teach Perspectives
UC Berkeley Coursework [3 units]
The following course has to be completed either via UC Simultaneous Enrollment in an online version of the UC Berkeley class OR during an in-residence semester at UC Berkeley. - EDUC 130: Knowing and Learning in Mathematics and Science [3 units] – – this course is offered as an online class through UC Berkeley during the summer semester
Additional Research Coursework [3-4 units]
Complete one research methods course at UC Merced or UC Berkeley OR - UGIS 188: Research Methods for Science and Mathematics K-12 Teachers [3 units - UC Berkeley]
OR - UGIS 189: Integrating Research Methods into K-12 Teaching Summer Research Institute [3 units - UC Berkeley]
NOTE: Completion of the US Constitution requirement for the California Teaching credential may be fulfilled through either coursework or the US Constitution test. Contact your CalTeach Student Services Advisor for more details. NOTE: All UC Berkeley coursework can be completed EITHER via simultaneous enrollment in online UC Berkeley courses while in-residence at UC Merced OR by enrolling for one in-residence semester at UC Berkeley and completing the courses in-person. Stage Two
Prepare and submit an application to the CalTeach Teaching Credential option that consists of the following: - Completed application form.
- Prepare a portfolio that highlights work you completed in your CalTeach courses.
Stage Three
Once a student is admitted into the Teaching Credential Option, they will enroll and complete two courses to receive a single subject teaching credential during their last semester at UC Merced: - EDSTEM 303: Supervised Apprentice Teaching [3 units]
Student will enroll in an online course UGIS 303 at UC Berkeley via Simultaneous Enrollment. Supervised Apprentice Teaching meets (remotely) one afternoon each week for three hours. Taught as a seminar, the course provides a supportive and collaborative environment where apprentice teachers share their experiences and successes and work through classroom challenges. One of the central components of Apprentice Teaching is the teacher inquiry project, a systematic, data-based investigation that teachers use to improve their professional practice. Instructors and peers provide guidance and feedback as apprentice teachers plan, implement, and evaluate these projects. The finished project portfolio serves as the final evaluation for the course. The course emphasizes curriculum and assessment planning, and instructional strategies to actively engage students.
The course also provides a safe space in which students can “think out loud” about ideas or issues that have come up as a result of their fieldwork. The goals of the class is to cultivate a community of practitioners that supports each other by taking on roles of active listeners, creative problem solvers, and critical friends. The course is also designed to help students prepare for and complete the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing EdTPA process. - NSED 184: Apprentice Teaching Fieldwork [2-6 units]
Students will enroll in the NSED 184 course at UC Merced. The CalTeach program will assist students with the process of placements with local area teachers but students themselves will be primarily responsible for finding an apprentice teaching placement. To complete apprentice teaching, students must have time in their schedule to complete apprentice teaching in the classroom and the Supervised Apprentice Teaching course during their last semester at UC Merced. The student teaching placement will require approximately 4 hours per day in the classroom, plus travel and prep time; the exact timing will depend upon the schedule of the school where they are doing their apprentice teaching placement. Natural Sciences Education Minor with Teaching Credential Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the NSEC minor and their respective major requirements students will be awarded both a Bachelor’s degree from UC Merced and a Preliminary Single Subject Teaching Credential in Science or Mathematics from UC Berkeley at the same time (credential dependent upon successful completion of the EdTPA). NSEC students will be fully prepared to enter K-12 classrooms as teachers. . The students will be able to articulate what constitutes a profession of a science or mathematics teacher and will be able to demonstrate that they acquired the skills necessary to carry out responsibilities and duties of this profession. This is done through completion of the required California Commission on Teacher Credentialing EdTPA process which is part of the final course (UGIS 303). In addition, the students will be able to demonstrate their familiarity with the California educational system, its requirements, special aspects and structure as well as the intricacies of teaching in the diverse Californian classrooms. Guidelines Applying to all Natural Sciences Minors
To declare a minor, students must have an overall grade-point average of 2.0 (C) or better. Students should consult an advisor in the School of Natural Sciences to officially declare the minor and plan their courses. The following guidelines must be adhered to: - At least five courses, four of which must be upper division, must be taken for a letter grade.
- At least three of the required courses must be taken at UC Merced.
- Only one course may be used to satisfy two minor programs’ requirements.
- Only one course may be used to satisfy both a minor and a major requirement.
- Work for the minor must be completed within the 150 unit maximum limit for graduation. If the student’s major and minor are in different schools, the higher unit maximum will apply.
- Students must consult the course descriptions for prerequisites to required courses.
- The minor will appear on the student’s transcript.
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