MA in Chemistry with a Chemical Education

The MA in Chemistry with an Emphasis in Chemical Education at UC Santa Barbara is built around direct teaching, research, and classroom experience rather than only theoretical study. In the first year, students take graduate chemistry courses while working with the SciTrek program, conducting education research, and serving as teaching assistants for general chemistry; in the second year, students move into the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education for education coursework and student teaching, allowing them to develop both advanced chemistry knowledge and practical secondary-school teaching skills.

Students also benefit from UCSB Chemistry and Biochemistry's research infrastructure, including dedicated NMR, mass spectrometry, optical characterization, and X-ray facilities, along with interdisciplinary research environments such as the Materials Research Laboratory and California NanoSystems Institute. These facilities provide exposure to professional analytical techniques and instrumentation that can strengthen students' chemistry knowledge alongside their chemical-education training.

Key experiential opportunities and facilities include:

• SciTrek teaching experience: Students work with UCSB's SciTrek program during the first year, gaining experience developing and delivering science activities to school students. The joint program specifically combines SciTrek participation with education research.
• Teaching assistant experience: Students TA for general chemistry during the first year, giving them direct experience working with undergraduate chemistry students while developing practical teaching skills.
• Student teaching: During the second year, students complete student teaching through the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, providing supervised practical experience in secondary-level education.
• Education research: The first year includes working and conducting research with SciTrek, giving students an opportunity to connect chemistry content with science-education practice.
• NMR Facility: UCSB's in-house NMR Facility has five solution-state spectrometers operating at 400, 500, and 600 MHz, including a 500 MHz Bruker system with a cryoprobe. Trained users can operate the instruments, with hands-on training and technical assistance available for data collection and analysis.
• Mass Spectrometry Facility: Students involved in relevant research can access instrumentation including LCMS-9030 UHPLC-QTOF, MALDI-TOF, and GCT Premier GC-TOF systems. The facility supports instrument training, sample analysis, and data interpretation.
• Optical Characterization Facility: The facility provides access to transient absorption spectroscopy, luminescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and microscopy, nonlinear optical spectroscopy, and optical holography, supported by advanced laser and detector systems.
• X-Ray Facility: UCSB provides single-crystal X-ray structure determination and powder X-ray diffraction capabilities, including a Rigaku Synergy diffractometer with micro-focus Mo and Cu sources. The facility also uses Shelx software for crystallographic analysis.
• Interdisciplinary research institutes: Chemistry students can work within UCSB's collaborative research environment involving the Materials Research Laboratory (MRL), California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), BioPACIFIC MIP, Center for Polymers and Organic Solids (CPOS), Center for Bioengineering, Center for Energy Efficient Materials (CEEM), and Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (ICB).
• Digital and analytical tools: Chemistry research facilities provide access to specialized analytical software and digital instrumentation, including Polytools for polymer mass-spectrometry data and Shelx for X-ray crystallographic analysis.
• Hands-on instrumentation training: UCSB's NMR and mass spectrometry facilities provide formal training for users, with trained researchers able to operate instruments directly and receive technical support for experimental design, data collection, and interpretation. 

The MA in Chemistry with a Chemical Education Emphasis is designed to prepare graduates specifically for chemistry teaching, combining advanced chemistry knowledge with classroom experience and a California Single Subject Teaching Credential. Graduates can move into secondary education and related teaching roles, while the program also provides a foundation for continued study in chemistry, education, or STEM education.

Career opportunities: The program’s official catalog identifies High School Chemistry Teacher, Junior High Science Teacher, and Adjunct City College Teacher as graduate pathways; related opportunities can also include STEM Education and Curriculum Design roles.

• Career services: UCSB Career Services provides graduate students with specialized career resources covering academic and non-academic careers, professional documents, job-search strategies, Handshake opportunities, career events, and one-to-one support.
• Employment statistics and salary figures: UCSB’s official MA Chemical Education program page does not state a program-specific employment rate or graduate salary figure, so these figures should not be inferred from other chemistry programs. The university does provide career and salary resources through Career Services, but no specific salary outcome for this MA is published on the program page.
• Graduate employers: The official UCSB catalog identifies Santa Barbara Unified School District and Santa Monica-Malibu School District among the program’s top employers.
• Practical employment preparation: During the first year, students TA general chemistry courses, conduct research, and work with the SciTrek science outreach program. In the second year, students complete supported student teaching alongside education coursework, providing direct classroom experience before entering the profession.
• University–industry connections: UCSB’s wider chemistry ecosystem provides exposure to industry through the Materials Research Laboratory’s Materials Research Outreach Program, which brings UCSB researchers together with industry scientists and engineers and has generated UC-industry joint research efforts. The Chemistry Department also identifies the Mitsubishi Chemical–Center for Advanced Materials among its affiliated research units.
• Professional networking: The annual Chemical Sciences & Engineering Career Symposium, organized through Chemistry Professional Development in partnership with the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering, connects graduate researchers with industry professionals to discuss research, career paths, and professional opportunities.
• Accreditation and credential value: The program is particularly valuable for students targeting California secondary-school teaching because the two-year joint pathway combines the MA in Chemistry with Chemical Education Emphasis with a Preliminary Single Subject Teaching Credential in Chemistry. UCSB does not state a separate professional accreditation for the MA itself on the official program page.
• Graduation outcomes: The program is structured around progression into chemistry and science teaching, with students completing chemistry graduate study, outreach, TA experience, education coursework, and supported student teaching. The official program page lists high-school chemistry teaching, junior-high science teaching, and adjunct city-college teaching among its graduate pathways.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the MA and teaching credential, graduates can continue into advanced study in Chemistry, Education, STEM Education, Curriculum Design, or related interdisciplinary fields. UCSB’s Chemistry Department offers a Ph.D. in Chemistry spanning areas including biochemistry, inorganic, organic, materials, and physical chemistry, while the Gevirtz School of Education offers graduate study in areas including Learning, Teaching, and Teacher Education and Policy, Program Evaluation, and Research Methods.