Undergraduate Broad Field Natural Science

More resources, options, and opportunities in Greater Madison allows for a greater ability to make your college experience, and your career, as individual as you are. The thriving science and technology business sectors in the area offer opportunities for work and internships throughout the entire year. Opportunities for field and laboratory research are abundant. 

For students wishing to become high school science teachers, the Broad Fields Natural Science major is recommended. Choose a concentration in the discipline you most want to teach. You can also consider adding a minor, if you have more than one area of interest.

Students must be licensed to teach science in the state of Wisconsin. At Edgewood, you can earn that teaching license through the Accelerated Secondary Program (ASP). This is a 5^th year post-baccalaureate program that includes all of the education coursework you need to earn a teaching license. The credits earned through the ASP program can be applied towards a master’s degree in Education.

Students in this program will begin by taking two graduate level courses in the spring of their senior year. (This is a good deal because you are still paying the undergraduate tuition rate!) Additional courses are completed in the Summer and Fall terms, and you are ready to do student teaching the following Spring. Once you complete the student teaching, you will have earned your teaching credentials and can look for a job!

At any time you can return to Edgewood College to complete the remaining 12 credits required for the Master’s Degree. Master’s degree classes are designed to be completed while you are working. Many are online, and others are offered in the evenings/weekends/summer.

More information about the ASP program can be found here.

The science departments are located in the Sonderegger Science Center, which is well-equipped thanks to the Sonderegger Endowment Fund that allows us to purchase high-quality equipment for teaching and research.

The Geoscience Department has a teaching collection including 400 mineral samples, 400 rock samples, 700 fossils and 200 maps used in many classes. Additional equipment is available for independent research including a soil corer, lapidary wheel, stream tables, groundwater models and basic field supplies. All programs in Geoscience are designed to be flexible to allow you to explore the topics you find interesting. Including field classes and independent projects.

Our new Fabrication Laboratory (Fab Lab) provides you access to high-tech equipment including:

• Multiple 3-D printers with different printing capabilities
• A high-powered laser cutter capable of cutting or etching most woods and plastics
• 3D scanner
• Electronic and soldering equipment
• Hand tools and project space
• 2- and 3- dimensional design software

Coming soon:

• CNC machine
• Injection molding

The facility provides resources and opportunities for student-directed projects and is open to students from across campus, not just science majors. Workshops and training sessions open to anyone are offered on a regular basis. 

Our Physics Department is also home to a 20” Obsession Dobsonian telescope. The telescope currently resides at the Ernest Hupenden Painted Forest, near Reedsburg, WI. This rural location is ideal for observing the night sky. The telescope is used by students in our Astronomy class and for student project. Additionally, our department hosts public observing nights at the Painted Forest in the summer and fall. 

The Chemistry Department has purchased a number of high-quality, industry relevant scientific instruments. The faculty and staff are prepared to teach students how to use these state of the art instruments.  Through course work, research projects, and collaborations with other departments, you have access to the following instruments: High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), UV-Vis Spectrometers, and X-ray Fluorescence instruments.

The Biology Department has a wide variety of equipment for use in the classroom and for independent research such as qPCR for conducting DNA analyses, fluorescence microscopes for exploring the microbial world, and Biopac equipment for collecting physiological data. The department also has an Anatomage table for studying human anatomy and physiology using virtual cadavers.

The Office of Science Outreach expands the resources and expertise of our science faculty and students from the labs and classrooms in the Sonderegger Science Center out into the community. 

Our goals are to share the excitement of discovery, foster understanding of the natural world, improve personal lives through increased knowledge and awareness of science and technology, and support the next generation of scientists and engineers.  We host an annual Family Science Night, offer summer science programs for K-12 students and partner with schools and community organizations to ensure that ALL children have the confidence and preparation to pursue careers in STEM fields.