Biological Sciences Education

Major Requirements

Major: Biological Sciences Education

Degree Type: B.A. or B.S.
Required Degree Credits to Graduate: 140

University Degree Requirements

  1. Satisfactory completion of all requirements of the curriculum in which one is enrolled.
  2. Earn a minimum total of 120 credits in approved coursework.  Some academic programs exceed this minimum.
  3. Satisfactory completion of the general education requirements as specified by the university.
  4. A minimum institutional GPA of 2.00 based on work taken at NDSU.
  5. At least 30 credits must be NDSU resident credits.  Resident credits include credits registered and paid for at NDSU.
  6. At least 36 credits presented for graduation must be in courses numbered 300 or higher.
  7. Students presenting transfer credit must meet the NDSU residence credits and the minimum upper level credit. Of the 30 credits earned in residence, a minimum of 15 semester credits must be in courses numbered 300 or above, and 15 semester credits must be in the student’s curricula for their declared major.

For complete information, please refer to the Degree and Graduation Requirements section of this Bulletin.

University General Education Requirements

A list of university approved general education courses and administrative policies are available here.

Category C: Communication12
College Composition I
College Composition II
Fundamentals of Public Speaking
Upper Division Writing
Category R: Quantitative Reasoning 3
Category S: Science and Technology 10
Category A: Humanities and Fine Arts 6
Category B: Social and Behavioral Sciences 6
Category W: Wellness 2
Category D: Cultural Diversity *†
Category G: Global Perspectives *†
Total Credits39
*

Courses for category D & G are satisfied by completing D & G designated courses in another general education category.

General education courses may be used to satisfy requirements for both general education and the major, minor, and program emphases, where applicable. Students should carefully review major requirements to determine if specific courses can also satisfy these general education categories.

Major Requirements

Teaching Specialty Requirements
BIOL 150
150L
General Biology I
and General Biology I Laboratory
4
BIOL 151
151L
General Biology II
and General Biology II Laboratory
4
BIOL 220
220L
Human Anatomy and Physiology I
and Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory
4
BIOL 221
221L
Human Anatomy and Physiology II
and Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory
4
BIOL 315
315L
Genetics
and Genetics Laboratory
4
BIOL 359Evolution3
BIOL 364General Ecology3
BIOL 370Cell Biology3
CHEM 121
121L
General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry I Laboratory
4
CHEM 122
122L
General Chemistry II
and General Chemistry II Laboratory
4
ENGL 324Writing in the Sciences (May satisfy general education category C)3
GEOL 105
105L
Physical Geology
and Physical Geology Lab (May satisfy general education category G)
4
GEOL 106
106L
The Earth Through Time
and The Earth Through Time Lab
4
Pick one of the following math classes:3-4
Trigonometry
Applied Calculus I
MICR 202
202L
Introductory Microbiology
and Introductory Microbiology Lab
3
Pick one of the following:4
Fundamentals of Physics
and Fundamentals of Physics Laboratory
College Physics I
and College Physics I Laboratory
SOIL 217Introduction to Meteorology & Climatology3
STAT 330Introductory Statistics (May satisfy general education category R)3
Professional Education Requirements
EDUC 321Introduction to Teaching3
EDUC 322Educational Psychology3
EDUC 451Instructional Planning, Methods and Assessment3
EDUC 481Classroom Practice Methods of Teaching I: (Science)3
EDUC 482Classroom Practice/Methods of Teaching II: (Science)3
EDUC 485Student Teaching Seminar1
EDUC 486Classroom Management for Diverse Learners3
EDUC 487Student Teaching9
EDUC 488Applied Student Teaching3
EDUC 489Teaching Students of Diverse Backgrounds3
Total Credits98-99

Degree Requirements and Notes

  • See School of Education for admission requirements.
  • Courses taken P/F may not be used to satisfy any requirements.
  • A grade of ‘C’ or better is required in all professional education courses.
  • To be placed in student teaching, a 2.75 cumulative GPA and a 2.75 GPA in professional education coursework is required.
  • To exit the program, a 2.75 cumulative GPA and a 2.75 GPA in professional education coursework is required as well as completing the Praxis Subject test and the Principles of Learning and Teaching test.
  • Biological Sciences Majors: Electives taken for the Biological Sciences major cannot be double-counted with the Zoology minor.  The only classes that can be double counted are BIOL 150/150L, 151/151L, and 359.