Boston University is excited to announce a new initiative to prepare middle school and high school mathematics teachers, Boston University’s Noyce Scholars Program in Mathematics. With funding from the National Science Foundation and the School of Education and in collaboration with six local school districts and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Noyce Program will train up to 13 graduate students a year to become mathematics teachers — and Noyce scholars receive 100% tuition support. The one-year program leads to a master's degree and initial teacher licensure.

In exchange, Noyce scholars must commit to teach for at least two years in a high-need district upon successful completion of the teacher certification program.

The Benefits

•     Scholarship for full tuition to BU’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in mathematics degree program.

•     A coherent professional training program centered on mathematics and how students learn mathematics.

•     Clinical experiences in schools under the guidance of master teachers from our partnership districts.

•     Involvement in a rich and ongoing mathematical community in which teachers do mathematics with one another, guided by mathematicians and educators.

•     Assistance in securing a job teaching mathematics in a local high-need school system.

•     Workshops and seminars designed to offer support during the first two years of teaching.

•     An opportunity to help those students who need you the most!

MAT Program

The MAT degree program is designed for talented liberal arts majors who majored in mathematics. Students take 16 credits of mathematics (4 courses) frm the Graduate School of Arts and Aciences. The program also offers:

• Immersion in mathematics as part of the PROMYS for Teachers program, where Noyce scholars engage in mathematical exploration and discovery with other teachers. 

• Integration of the best of method and content through close and ongoing collaboration of educators, mathematicians, and master teachers. MAT courses are taught by educators and mathematicians. Explicit connections between deep mathematical ideas and student work in secondary school classrooms are highlighted in both graduate mathematics and mathematics education courses and also in field placements.

• Teacher preparation for work in urban school settings that focuses on equity and emphasizes effective strategies to help diverse populations achieve in mathematics..

What is a high need district?

•     A high-need district has at least one school in which 50 percent or more of the enrolled students are eligible for participation in the free and reduced price lunch program.

•     It has at least one school in which: (i) more than 34 percent of the academic classroom teachers at the secondary level (across all academic subjects) do not have an undergraduate degree with a major or minor in, or a graduate degree in, the academic field in which they teach the largest percentage of their classes; or (ii) more than 34 percent of the teachers in two of the academic departments do not have an undergraduate degree with a major or minor in, or a graduate degree in, the academic field in which they teach the largest percentage of their classes.

How to Apply

1.   The first step is to apply for admission to the 2008-2009 MAT program in mathematics at www.bu.edu/education.  All MAT applicants who majored in mathematics and are United States citizens, nationals, or permanent resident aliens will be eligible for the Noyce award.

2.   Shortly after the MAT application deadline, qualified applicants will be invited to submit an additional letter explaining their interest in becoming a Noyce scholar.  Those selected to beome Noyce scholars will be notified on a rolling basis.

3.   Students accepted as Noyce Scholars take courses during one summer and the following academic year. The program starts in late May of each year.

Funding is currently available for Noyce scholars enrolling in Summer 2008, 2009, and 2010.

Need Further Information?
Contact: Professor Suzanne Chapin, schapin@bu.edu, 617-353-7105

1Funded by the National Science Foundation under grant DUE-0733762.