Program Stages
Step 1: Complete the Interest Form
To receive Noyce Scholar-specific advising, and participate in special events and opportunities for potential Noyce Scholars, students must complete theinterest form to provide your contact information, current academic status and a description of your interest and prior experience. Upon receipt of your interest form, we will contact you to answer any program questions and provide initial pathway advice.
Step 2: Follow a Transfer Pathway
After connecting with us, students will follow a customized Dallas Noyce Scholars Pathway that guides them through their remaining courses at Dallas College School in preparation for transfer to SMU. Students will have access to both Dallas College and SMU advising resources to ensure that as many courses will transfer smoothly to SMU. During this time, participants will also be invited to regular community-building events with former Dallas Noyce Scholars and local educators.
Step 3: Apply to Transfer to SMU
As students approach completion of their associate degree at Dallas College, they will apply to transfer to SMU. This will include applying for both SMU academic scholarships (50% tuition reduction from SMU for students with at least a 3.7 GPA) and the award available through the Dallas Noyce Scholars Program (an additional $30,000 from the NSF). Students are selected for the Dallas Noyce Scholars Award based on their commitment to a teaching career and their desire to teach math in a high-need school. The funding sources available to transfer students are expected to cover a significant portion of students’ cost to complete their degree at SMU.
Step 4: Double Major in Educational Studies and Mathematics
Once at SMU, students will continue taking courses toward their Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and their Bachelor of Science in Educational Studies. The dual degree program allows certain classes to count toward both degrees, and includes courses focused on content and pedagogy organized around math content strands. In addition to financial support for your education at SMU, Dallas Noyce Scholars will benefit from:
- Coursework to help develop familiarity with the Dallas community
- Field experiences in the specific communities in which they will teach
- Training in working with students for whom English is not their first language
- Cohort mentoring and community building with other students in the program
Step 5: Placement in a Dallas-Area Middle or High School
After completing the dual degrees in Educational Studies and Math, Dallas Noyce Scholars will work as student teachers or teacher interns in local ISDs. Teacher interns will serve as the teacher of record under the supervision of SMU faculty. After they complete their student teaching or internships, Dallas Noyce Scholars will be formally certified to teach in a Texas public school, and the program will work to provide placement options within local ISDs. Ideally, we will place program graduates in the newly announced West Dallas STEM School (WDSS) or Pinkston High School, the high school into which the WDSS feeds.