About Paths

Career Paths

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Ph.D. Pathfinder Course

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Science education and outreach is aimed at making science accessible and engaging for non-specialist audiences. Careers in this field and also focus on training new generations of scientists and engineers. Science educators can work in a variety of settings such as teaching STEM to children and youths in formal K-12 settings or teaching undergraduates in teaching-intensive institutions. Others pursue careers in the informal science education setting such as working in museums, zoos, or non-profit educational organizations. Some universities and pharmaceutical companies also hire PhD-level scientists to provide educational outreach services to K-12 teachers and students.

Example Job Titles

Assistant Professor | Classroom teacher | Communications Manager for Education and Outreach | Curriculum developer | Educator | Instructor | Lecturer | Preceptor | Education Director | Science Outreach Director | Educational Content Developer | Education Technologist | Exhibit Developer | Education Program Manager | Learning officer | Museum Educator | Program Director| Project Manager | Education specialist | Science Specialist | Instructional Designer

Get Training & Experience

• Seek training opportunities for graduate students such as Fall Teaching Conference, Winter Teaching Week, and Bok Seminars at The Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning.

• Participate in education-focused workshops and sessions at scientific conferences.

• Reach out to representatives from education and/or outreach -focused committees of the professional societies you and/or your research advisor are affiliated with.

• Attend the annual Massachusetts STEM Summit to network with policymakers and educators interested in K-12, higher, and informal science education.

• Pursue DMS SEAL Certificate

• Apply to participate in training programs in scientific teaching offered by research institutes and professional societies, for example:

• American Society for Microbiology Science Teaching Fellowship

• NIH OITE Scientists Teaching Science online course

• The Summer Institutes on Undergraduate Education

• The Wisconsin Program for Scientific Teaching

• Partner with a teacher or school administrator to provide professional development to K-12 teachers

• Pursue postdoctoral training with a focus on teaching, such as:

• Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Awards (IRACDA)

• Curriculum Fellows at Harvard Medical School

• Fellowships in Research & Science Teaching at Emory University

• Scientific Teaching Fellows Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Pursue postdoctoral training to transition toward a career in biology education research

Additional Resources

Articles:

• Teaching Science to Nonscience Majors

• Treading a Different Track (non-tenure track, teaching-focused faculty positions

• Community College Faculty: Must Love to Teach

• How to Get a Job in Science Education and Outreach

• Transitioning from Researcher to Outreacher

• A Career at the Museum

• Scientists as Schoolteachers (collection of articles)

• K-12 Science Education (comparing teaching in public vs. private schools)

• Science Education Through the Eyes of a Physicist

Professional Societies:

• Society for College Science Teachers
• National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
• Association of Science-Technology Centers

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