The National Center for STEM Elementary Education (NCSEE) was launched in 2010 with the vision to transform the way STEM education is delivered at the elementary level.
Students in classrooms with teachers who have completed the NCSEE STEM Certificate demonstrate increased interest and abilities in STEM content.
Leaders in Promoting and Expanding STEM Education
We are the first institution of higher education in the country to
- Require that all elementary education majors complete a STEM certificate program to receive a teaching license
- Develop an engineering course specifically for elementary education majors
- Focus on the intentional content enrichment and rigor of the STEM courses being taken by our licensure candidates
Teaching K–8 Teachers
Our programs help practicing K–8 teachers and teacher candidates become confident, competent and comfortable in teaching STEM subjects and integrating them into their daily classroom activities.
Women and STEM at St. Kate's
Headquartered at St. Catherine University, we are uniquely positioned to foster girls’ and women’s proficiency in — and comfort with — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. At the heart of the University is the nation’s largest undergraduate college for women. We are experts in how women learn best.
Master's and Graduate Certificates in STEM
If you are an elementary teacher, you know that soon you may need to be teaching your young charges engineering and technology concepts. Some states already include these concepts in their state education standards. Others are in the process of adding them. Are you ready?
Custom Programs of Study focusing on STEM and Computational Thinking
One size fits all doesn’t work for students in P-12 schools—why would it work for the schools and teachers within? That is why St. Kate’s has developed a flexible program that offers our learners a choice to build a program of study that meets their unique learning needs. Components that can be customized in our STEM or Technology Integration programs of study include
- Courses at the graduate or PD level, for individuals or cohorts
- 12-credit certificates that can be completed in two terms, as well as stand-alone course options
- Certificates that align perfectly with our MAED options for students who want to continue their learning
- Fully online courses, as well as hybrid options that include four bi-weekly Saturday meetings on the St. Paul campus
- Hands-on STEM activities for students at all levels integrated throughout our curriculum in courses that focus on science, engineering, makerspaces, computer science, and digital video production
- Highly scaffolded learning experience for teachers—we have a 97% retention and completion rate, yet our program reviews emphasize the rigor of our coursework. We expect our students to grow deeper content-specific knowledge, as well as to learn how to learners with pedagogy aligned to disciplinary practices.
For schools wanting to develop a cohort model additional STEM integration practices are available.
- We can review your program’s existing STEM curriculum and teacher practices to identify optimum ways to improve your school’s STEM success, given what's already in place
- Options for support and mentoring from St. Kate’s faculty throughout the academic year
- On-site PD or coursework