UAB College of Arts and Sciences Launches Prestigious UTeach Program

UAB was one of only five research universities chosen by the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) as expansion sites for their UTeach secondary science, technology, engineering, and math teacher preparation programs.

Beginning in the Fall 2014 Semester, the UABTeach program, as it will be known, will be made available to students at UAB with the goal of training more qualified math and science teachers to keep the nation globally competitive.

UABTeach is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, and the School of Engineering, and allows undergraduate students majoring in math, science, or computer science to receive both their subject-matter degree and full teaching certification in four years at no extra time or cost.

The first program of its kind in Alabama, UABTeach is designed to address some very specific problems facing the state. Alabama faces a critical time in science and mathematics teacher preparation. The ranks of veteran teachers continue to shrink while many undergraduates majoring in STEM fields find the traditional pathways to becoming a teacher unattractive. But many sectors of Alabama’s growing economy will soon demand a whole new influx of STEM workers to be successful. The state has a significant need for more talented middle and high school math and science teachers, including those knowledgeable about computer science and engineering, to teach and guide those future workers.

“We are excited to be a part of the UTeach effort that has proven to be effective in advancing K-12 STEM education,” says Dean Robert Palazzo. “Through this relationship, the UAB College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education will partner to transform science education in the State of Alabama. The positive long-term impact of this effort will benefit Alabama children for generations to come.”

UABTeach is modeled on the very successful UTeach model first developed in 1997 at The University of Texas at Austin. It will be funded by a $1.45 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) that will support implementation costs of the program over the five-year grant period.

To learn more about UABTeach, visit www.uab.edu/uabteach