New York’s Natural-History Museum Will Award Degrees to Science Teachers

The American Museum of Natural History, a world-class science museum and the first with its own doctoral program in the United States, now plans to offer master’s degrees to train earth-science teachers, The New York Times reports. The goal is to graduate 50 students in two years to help fill a dire shortage of middle- and high-school science teachers. Tuition will be paid by the New York State Board of Regents, using federal funds from the Race to the Top program, and each student will receive a $30,000 stipend and health benefits. Graduates must commit to teaching for four years at a public school, and may be assigned anywhere in the state.