Biology Teaching Option
The Biology Teaching option in the Biological Sciences major is designed for students who wish to become licensed to teach Biology in grades 5-12. Upon completion of the degree, students are eligible for licensure in the state of Montana. Secondary education students are encouraged to pursue a teaching minor in an additional content area and should contact an advisor for details. Obtaining a teaching minor will require more than eight semesters. For more information on admission to the Teacher Education Program, Student Teaching, Licensure, Professional Expectations and more, please visit: The Teacher Education Page
The Biology Teaching Option includes 40 credits of Biology (28-30 credits of basic biology courses, plus 11-12 biology elective credits), supporting Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics courses, 18 credits in the university Core 2.0, 24 credits of professional preparation, and Student Teaching. Biology electives must include 8 credits of advisor-approved upper division credits in biological sciences.
| Freshman Year | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Spring | |
| BIOB 170IN - Principles of Biological Diversity | 4 | |
| CHMY 141 - College Chemistry I & CHMY 142 - College Chemistry I Lab | 4 | |
| M 161Q - Survey of Calculus | 4 | |
| EDU 101US - Teaching and Learning or COMX 111US - Introduction to Public Speaking or CLS 101US - Knowledge and Community | 3 | |
| BIOB 160 - Principles of Living Systems | 4 | |
| CHMY 143 - College Chemistry II & CHMY 144 - College Chemistry II Lab | 4 | |
| HDFS 101IS - Indiv and Fam Dev: Lifespan | 3 | |
| EDU 223IS - Educ Psych and Adolescent Dev or EDU 222IS - Educ Psych & Child Development | 3 | |
| University Core or Electives | 0-3 | |
| Year Total: | 15 | 14-17 |
| Sophomore Year | Credits | |
| Fall | Spring | |
| CHMY 211 - Elements of Organic Chemistry & CHMY 212 - Elements of Organic Chemistry Lab | 5 | |
| PHSX 205 - College Physics I | 4 | |
| EDU 370 - Integrating Tech into Educ | 3 | |
| University Core or Electives | 0-3 | |
| BCH 380 - Biochemistry & BCH 381 - Biochemistry Lab | 5 | |
| Choose one of the following: | 3-5 | |
BIOM 103IN - Unseen Universe: Microbes (3) | ||
BIOM 360 - General Microbiology (5) | ||
| PHSX 207 - College Physics II | 4 | |
| EDU 211D - Multicultural Education | 3 | |
| Year Total: | 12-15 | 15-17 |
| Junior Year | Credits | |
| Fall | Spring | |
| BIOB 375 - General Genetics | 3 | |
| BIOO 412 - Animal Physiology or BIOO 433 - Plant Physiology | 3 | |
| BIOB 318 - Biometry or STAT 216Q - Introduction to Statistics | 3 | |
| EDSP 306 - Exceptional Learners | 3 | |
| University Core or Electives | 3-6 | |
| BIOE 370 - General Ecology | 3 | |
| BIOB 420 - Evolution | 3 | |
| BIOE 499 - Senior Thesis/Capstone | 2 | |
| EDU 382 - Assessmt, Curric, Instructn | 3 | |
| University Core or Electives | 3-6 | |
| Year Total: | 15-18 | 14-17 |
| Senior Year | Credits | |
| Fall | Spring | |
| BIOE 408 - Rocky Mountain Vegetation or BIOE 416 - Alpine Ecology | 3 | |
| EDM 403 - Methods: 5-12 Science | 3 | |
| EDP 304 - Practicum: 5-12/K-12 | 2 | |
| EDP 305 - Practicum Lab: 5-12/K-12 | 1 | |
| EDU 347 - Managing the Learning Environment for K-12/Secondary | 2 | |
| Upper Division Biology Elective | 3 | |
| PRAXIS exam | ||
| EDU 495R - Student Teaching | 12 | |
| Year Total: | 14 | 12 |
| Total Program Credits: | 120 | |
University requirements for graduation also must be completed, including university core requirements and a minimum of 120 total credits of which 42 must be in courses numbered 300 and above.