A science coordinator is a type of instructional coordinator that focuses on creating, organizing and implementing scholastic science programs for students. This position requires significant experience and education to make sure that students receive the best science education possible despite budgetary concerns and other systemic learning impediments.

Science Coordinator Education

Regardless of the curriculum they develop, instructional coordinators require a minimum of a master's degree, typically in a related field such as instruction and curriculum development. These courses teach you about instructional theory, data collection and analysis and curriculum design. Prior to earning this type of degree, coordinators must earn a bachelor's degree from an approved teacher development program. Although not a prerequisite, science coordinators benefit from a degree in a scientific discipline, like physics, chemistry or biology, similar to how a math coordinator would benefit from a degree in mathematics.

Licenses and Requirements

Employers look for candidates certified for instructional supervision and administration. Working for public schools often requires a teaching license and an education administrator license. Science coordinators typically have several years of experience as a teacher or a principal. Some positions require previous experience teaching certain grades or types of students. Science coordinators must exhibit in-depth knowledge of school administration procedures, practices, goals and expertise in science. As a coordinator you need superb communication skill to work with students, parents, teachers, principals and other members of the education system.

Science Coordinator Responsibilities

Your main responsibility as a science coordinator is the program you create for your students. You choose the type of textbooks that students read and how the curriculum unfolds. Your leadership guides teachers to instruct their students in an effective manner. Science coordinators design and write educational materials for their students and monitor new scientific developments to make sure everything is up to date. You also prepare and oversee the science department's budget for the school, in addition to keeping an eye on test scores and educational goals and requirements.

Additional Duties and Job Outlook

Science coordinators negotiate with publishers to arrange the best price for textbooks and communicate with textbook storage sites to ship needed textbooks to and from the school. You also confer with citizen groups that monitor the content of textbooks for objectionable material. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates that the growth in employment for instructional coordinators as a whole will rise by 13 percent from 2012 to 2022, slightly faster than the 11 percent projected for all occupations. The biggest determinants for occupational demand are state and local school budgets.