PhysTEC Announces New 2022 Inductees to The 5+Club

Seven schools graduated five or more physics teachers in the 2021-22 school year, joining the PhysTEC 5+Club

Most colleges and universities graduate no more than two trained physics teachers each year and many graduate none at all, compounding a severe shortage of qualified instructors. To highlight institutions that have made teacher training a priority, the Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) recognizes schools that have graduated five or more qualified physics teachers — defined as teachers with a degree in physics or physics education — in a given year. These schools are inducted into The 5+ Club, in recognition of their efforts to address the national shortage of physics teachers.

The institutions recognized by The 5+ Club in the 2021-22 academic year are:

• California State University, Long Beach (23)
• New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning (10)
• University of Texas, Austin (10)
• Brigham Young University (9)
• Illinois State University (6)
• Rowan University (6)
• The College of New Jersey (5)

Graduating five or more trained physics teachers exceeds the national average, and schools in The 5+ Club are playing a role in addressing a long-term issue in physics education.

PhysTEC is a partnership between APS and the American Association of Physics Teachers that aims to improve and promote physics teacher education by transforming physics departments, creating successful models for teacher education programs, and sharing best practices.

For more on PhysTEC and the 5+ Club, visit the PhysTEC website.