Biological Sciences Education Major

Major Requirements

Degree Type: B.A. or B.S. 

Minimum Credits Required: 120

University Degree Requirements

For complete details on these and other university degree requirements, refer to the Degree and Graduation Requirements section in the University Catalog.

  1. Minimum of 120 semester credits (some programs may exceed this minimum).
  2. Complete the University General Education requirements.
  3. Minimum institutional GPA of 2.00 based on work taken at NDSU.
  4. Minimum of 30 credits in resident at NDSU.
  5. Minimum of 36 upper level credits (courses numbered 300 or higher).
  6. Students with transfer credit must meet the NDSU 30 credits in residence (#4). Of these 30 credits in residence, a minimum of 15 credits must be in courses numbered 300 or above, and 15 credits must be in the student's declared major curricula.

University General Education Requirements

A list of university approved general education courses along with the administrative policies governing the requirement and the categories is available here.

Category C: Communication12
Category R: Quantitative Reasoning3
Category S: Science and Technology10
Category A: Humanities and Fine Arts6
Category B: Social and Behavioral Sciences6
Category W: Wellness2
Category D: Cultural Diversity
Category G: Global Perspectives
Category L: Digital Literacy
Total Credits39

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.