Why STEM Matters
- STEM fields are essential in advancing the vital needs of civilization: water, food, energy, housing, medicine, environmental management, transportation, communication, and defense.
- Nationwide, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports job growth in STEM related fields will be 10.8% compared with 7.2% in non-STEM related occupations between 2016 and 2026 . In addition, median annual wages for STEM related occupations are higher that those of non-STEM occupations.
- In Tennessee, 43,000 new STEM jobs will account for 11% of new jobs added between now and 2022.
- The Brookings Institution report on advanced industry growth reports that Tennessee’s advanced industry jobs grew 4.6% annually from 2013-2015 compared to 2.46 nationally.
- Young adults holding bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields have higher median earnings than all other fields of study according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Why STEM at MC
- Industry experts are calling for STEM graduates with skills and habits of mind that are a critical part of a liberal arts education: communication, critical thinking, collaboration, social intelligence, and knowledge of humanities and social sciences.
- MC has a 92% job/graduate school placement rate for graduates and in the STEM fields, more than 50% go on to earn Masters or Doctorate degrees within five years after graduating from Maryville.
- MC students collaborate, write and practice public speaking in a majority of their classes. These skills are critical for your first interview, your first job, your first promotion and beyond.
- Maryville College faculty are committed to teaching and supporting undergraduate education. It is their number one priority.
- Maryville College faculty are experts in their fields and leaders in undergraduate education and STEM Success. In the past decade, faculty have received over $2 million dollars in federal grant money to support education and scientific research side-by-side with undergraduate students at Maryville College.
- All students at Maryville College do authentic research with faculty, unlike at large institutions where these experiences are reserved for a few students. Many MC students have traveled to study sites outside the US for research, have published in peer-review literature, or have presented at national math or science conferences.
Scots Science Scholars
The Scots Science Scholars (S3) program provides financial aid and academic enrichment and support for select students who are interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) fields at MC. The four-year program includes the following components:
- A two-week, all-expenses paid, on-campus, summer experience prior to the start of your first year. This program is designed to give you early experience with lab, computing and mathematical skills that are important for college success as well as exposure to a variety of professions available to STEM majors. To offset lost work wages while you attend the summer experience, a one-time $870 award will be added to your first-year financial aid.
- A curriculum designed to build community and provide academic support, including a specialized first-year course tailored to appeal to the interests and needs of S3 scholars.
- Access to the services provided by the LASER Center (Leveraging Advising, Support, Experience, and Research), including a structured work space for you and other STEM students to collaborate and receive academic support and continued opportunities to learn about careers and graduate school options.
- Research/leadership experience that is integrated with the Maryville College curriculum, including many opportunities to begin research on exciting STEM projects with faculty at MC. Research opportunities could include Great Smoky Mountains National Park, UTK research labs, and Oak Ridge National Lab
- First year STEM- focused living-learning community.
- All Scots Science Scholars receive merit scholarships of at least $21,000 toward MC tuition. This scholarship replaces a student’s MC merit scholarship (Scots, MC, Dean’s, Presidential)
- Additional financial support up to $10,000 per year may be available for qualified students with math ACT > 24.
Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) Secondary STEM
Why choose Maryville College for an M.A.T. in Secondary STEM? Our program is designed to help working professionals – people who already have a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, biology, chemistry, or related field – earn an M.A.T. in one of three licensure areas: Secondary Biology, Secondary Chemistry, or Secondary Mathematics. After completing the program, graduates will be prepared to teach in grades 6-12, where schools currently are seeing a shortage of applications
from qualified STEM teachers. Also, graduates will enter the workforce at a competitive salary: In East Tennessee, first-year educators with a master’s degree in teaching earn, on average, $8,300 more than those who enter the profession with only a bachelor’s degree.