Best Bachelor's in Physics Teacher Education Programs in 2026

BYU's Physics Education (BS) prepares students to teach physics at the secondary level, combining a substantial physics course sequence with teacher certification coursework. The program totals roughly 77.5 to 78.5 credits and states it meets the educational requirements designed to lead to an occupationally required professional license or certificate in Utah, requiring completion of Utah State Office of Education licensing requirements. Candidates complete a Secondary Student Teaching placement (or secondary education academic internship) and clear a final interview through the Education Advisement Center before receiving the secondary teaching license. A teaching minor is recommended but not required. As a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education, it adds to the bachelor's-level physics teacher education options in Utah.

State University of New York at New Paltz offers a Bachelor of Science in Adolescence Education: Physics, leading to New York initial and professional certification to teach physics in grades 7 through 12. Candidates study physics content and cognate coursework alongside core education classes. The program requires two full-time student teaching placements, one in grades 7 to 9 and one in grades 10 to 12, with a concurrent seminar and fieldwork. Instruction is on campus, with school placements within driving distance of New Paltz. It is a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education at the bachelor's level, based in New York.

The University of Delaware's Bachelor of Arts in Physics Education is aimed squarely at future middle and high school physics teachers, and it treats subject mastery and teaching craft as equally important. Candidates major in physics content while layering in professional education coursework and supervised field experiences, so time in the lab and time in real classrooms reinforce each other. The experience builds toward a capstone semester of student teaching that uses a co-teaching model with partner school districts, giving candidates a shared classroom rather than a sink-or-swim placement. Admission to that final student teaching semester is competitive, requiring a 2.75 physics-major GPA, a 2.5 overall GPA, and a passing score on a teacher competency test. Delivered through the Center for Secondary Education, the program earns candidates the university's endorsement for Delaware secondary science certification and holds CAEP accreditation. As a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education, it adds to the bachelor's-level physics teacher education options in Delaware.

At SUNY Geneseo, prospective physics teachers pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Physics, Adolescence Education: Physics and General Science, a 124-credit sequence that unfolds over four years. The degree is a genuine collaboration, pairing rigorous study in the Department of Physics and Astronomy with the pedagogical grounding of the Ella Cline Shear School of Education, and it is the only Geneseo physics track that carries certification, setting it apart from the B.S. in Applied Physics. Candidates build classroom confidence early, logging 100 hours of field experience well before they take charge of a room. The program then closes with student teaching placements at both the middle and high school levels, a deliberate span that mirrors the grades 7-12 reach of the New York State initial certification it leads to. It is a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education at the bachelor's level, based in New York.

Augustana College's Major in Teaching Physics is aimed squarely at future science teachers, satisfying Illinois science licensure for grades nine through twelve while grounding candidates firmly in the discipline. The physics major itself runs twenty-eight credits, but it sits atop forty credits of supporting work across astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, and mathematics, giving graduates range beyond their specialty. Practical preparation is woven in through clinical experiences at the middle and high school levels, a ten-credit student teaching placement, and an accompanying clinical seminar. Completing the major also meets most requirements to teach science in grades five through eight, widening a new teacher's options. With the Illinois State Board of Education overseeing licensure, the program reports that its teaching physics majors have reached full placement over the past five years. It is a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education at the bachelor's level, based in Illinois.

Bradley University's High School Education major with a physics concentration prepares candidates to teach physics in grades 9 through 12. The on-campus program combines physics content with professional education coursework and a sequence of classroom field experiences that begins in the first year and builds toward senior-year student teaching in Peoria-area schools. Graduates earn a Bachelor of Science and are prepared for the Illinois Professional Educator License in secondary education. It suits students who want to teach physics at the high school level. This program offers a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education in Illinois.

Elizabethtown College offers a Physics Secondary Education, B.S., housed in the Department of Education alongside the physics program within the School of Public Service. This Bachelor of Science pairs physics study with professional education coursework and prepares candidates for Pennsylvania certification to teach physics in grades 7-12. Students build a full grounding in the subject while completing the requirements needed for the teaching credential. It is a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education at the bachelor's level, based in Pennsylvania.

West Chester University of Pennsylvania offers a Bachelor of Science in Education in Physics through its Department of Secondary Education and K12 Health and Physical Education. The on-campus program combines physics content with secondary pedagogy, embeds field experiences throughout, and culminates in two halves of student teaching. Graduates prepare to teach under a Pennsylvania 7-12 Instructional I certificate. The university's educator preparation programs are approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and accredited by CAEP. This program offers a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education in Pennsylvania.

Martin Luther College offers Physics as a track within its Science Education major, part of the Bachelor of Science in Education housed in Middle and Secondary Education. Graduates qualify to teach general science in grades 5-8 and physics in grades 9-12. The curriculum combines about 16 to 17 credits of required content, 30 credits of science, 30 credits of professional education, and 19 credits of field experience, including two secondary student teaching placements and a portfolio review. Related tracks cover Chemistry and Life Science. The college is operated by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod to prepare teachers and ministers. This program offers a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education in Minnesota.

The University of Nevada-Reno's NevadaTeach Physics pathway is aimed at STEM students who discover they also want to teach, letting them earn two Bachelor of Science degrees at once, one in Secondary Education and one in Physics, on the way to a Nevada 7-12 physics teaching license. The clever part of the design is that it folds the teaching credential into a physics plan without adding time or cost, run jointly by the Department of Physics and the broader NevadaTeach program spanning education, science, and natural resources faculty. Physics majors can also get their hands on real research in the Zebra Pulsed Power Lab, a facility supported by the National Nuclear Security Administration. That combination of deep subject work and classroom preparation gives graduates unusual command of their material. The university's educator preparation is accredited by AAQEP. This program offers a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education in Nevada.

Physics teachers are in short supply, and North Dakota State University aims squarely at that gap with a Physics Education bachelor's degree that prepares candidates to teach the subject in grades 5 through 12. Offered through the School of Education, the program keeps physics content and teaching methods in close conversation, so graduates understand both the science and how to make it click for students. That classroom readiness is sharpened through supervised student teaching in middle or high school settings, where methods are tested in practice. A useful extra pathway lets candidates add mathematics licensure, widening the subjects they are qualified to teach. Accredited by CAEP and approved by the state, this on-campus program offers a clear route into the physics classroom. It is a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education at the bachelor's level, based in North Dakota.

The University of Louisville trains physics-certified secondary teachers through its Middle/Secondary (High School) Education B.S. with a Physics content-area track, a route that keeps rigorous science alongside the craft of teaching. Offered through the College of Education and Human Development, the degree runs a minimum of 72 hours, with the physics track stretching from 65 to 77 hours depending on the certification path a candidate chooses. Before student teaching, candidates document 200 hours of approved field experiences, then complete a high school student teaching placement and a capstone seminar. Undergraduate physics majors can deepen their practice through PHYS 430, an inquiry-based practicum. Holding CAEP accreditation, the program leads to licensure to teach grades 8-12. This program offers a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education in Kentucky.

Utah State University's Physics Teaching B.S. keeps future teachers rooted in real physics while preparing them for the classroom, basing the degree in the Physics Department within the College of Arts and Sciences. Teacher preparation is woven in through the School of Teacher Education and Leadership, whose 35-credit Secondary Teacher Education Program leads to a license for grades 6-12 and includes a full semester of student teaching in a public school alongside the physics content coursework. Candidates also choose an approved teaching minor, a practical touch that broadens the subjects they can eventually teach. Beyond the curriculum, the department offers a strong sense of community, hosting an active, national-award-winning chapter of the Society of Physics Students. Together these pieces build a pathway to secondary physics licensure grounded in the discipline. As a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education, it adds to the bachelor's-level physics teacher education options in Utah.

For students who love physics and want to bring it to teenagers, Northern Arizona University's Secondary Education, Physics track leads to a Bachelor of Science in Education and readies candidates to teach grades 6-12. Based on the Flagstaff campus, it belongs to the NAUTeach science and mathematics certification program, which grounds students firmly in physics while steadily building their teaching skills. Classroom experience starts early rather than waiting until the final year, and it culminates in a full student teaching placement. That early and repeated time in schools gives future physicists a genuine feel for the work before they lead a room of their own. The program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation and leads to Arizona secondary physics certification. This program offers a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education in Arizona.

Emporia State University offers a Bachelor of Science in Education with a Secondary Physics Teaching Field, preparing candidates to teach physics in grades 6-12. The program is delivered jointly by the School of Science + Mathematics and The Teachers College. Students select physics as their teaching field and work with faculty advisors in that area. The program draws on the university's heritage of teacher education and prepares candidates to work with the Next Generation Science Standards. It is a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education at the bachelor's level, based in Kansas.

Brigham Young University-Idaho prepares physics teachers through its Science Education Composite (B.S.) with a Physics emphasis, administered jointly by the Departments of Physics and Biology. The composite offers four emphases, Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, and Physics, and leads to secondary science licensure for grades 6 through 12 with endorsement across all four natural science disciplines. Education coursework includes Science Teaching Methods and Lab Teaching Methods, and instruction is on campus. As a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education, it adds to the bachelor's-level physics teacher education options in Idaho.

Minnesota State University-Mankato's Bachelor of Science in Physics Teaching is built for students who love physics and want to bring it to life for younger learners. Delivered on campus in Mankato through the Physics department in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, it interweaves rigorous physics coursework with teacher preparation so candidates graduate strong in both. A supervised physics tutoring experience gives students early practice explaining tough concepts, and a full student teaching placement in the final semester lets them run their own classroom before entering the profession. The program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. Completing it leads to Minnesota teaching licensure for grades 5 through 12. As a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education, it adds to the bachelor's-level physics teacher education options in Minnesota.

Wichita State University's Bachelor of Arts in Education with a major in Physics is designed for students who want to bring the physical sciences to secondary classrooms in grades 6 through 12. Housed in the School of Teaching and Learning, it balances a solid grounding in physics and general science with professional education coursework and internships in nearby schools, so candidates strengthen both their subject knowledge and their teaching craft. The curriculum was built by university faculty alongside practicing P-12 educators, and students can extend their experience by helping staff the university's STEM camps. That camp work is a distinctive chance to practice hands-on science instruction with real young learners. Graduates leave ready to teach physics and general science and to pursue Kansas licensure. It is a bachelor's degree in physics teacher education at the bachelor's level, based in Kansas.