Teacher Education: Biology
Major: Teacher Education
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science (BS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 189.0
Co-op Options: One Co-op (Four years)
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 13.1205
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 25-2031
About the Concentration
Certification is for grades 7-12
This certification option within the BS in Teacher Education emphasizes coursework in the biological sciences, including genetics, morphology and physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, and ecology. Candidates may work with their academic advisor to satisfy teacher certification requirements for multiple areas, if desired.
The program requires that candidates have a B average (3.0 GPA) in content courses needed for teacher certification in addition to the grade of B or better in each EDEX, EDLT, EDPO, EDUC, and MTED courses throughout their time in the program. These requirements must be satisfied for Drexel to recommend the candidates for teacher certification upon graduation and/or be considered to have completed the program.
Candidates pursuing the appropriate majors in the College of Arts and Sciences may also complete the requirements for certification within their area of study through our DragonsTeach certification pathway. For more information, contact the program coordinator for the School of Education at 215-895-6770.
Clearances and field placement applications must be submitted before participating in coursework with classroom-based field components.
Additional Information
For more information about the program, visit the School of Education website.
Degree Requirements
| Degree Requirements | ||
| CIVC 101 | Introduction to Civic Engagement | 1.0 |
| COOP 101 | Career Management and Professional Development * | 1.0 |
| ENGL 101 | Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research | 3.0 |
| or ENGL 111 | English Composition I | |
| ENGL 102 | Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing | 3.0 |
| or ENGL 112 | English Composition II | |
| ENGL 103 | Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres | 3.0 |
| or ENGL 113 | English Composition III | |
| HIST 289 | History of Science: Enlightenment to Modernity | 4.0 |
| MATH 121 | Calculus I | 4.0 |
| MATH 122 | Calculus II | 4.0 |
| MATH 123 | Calculus III | 4.0 |
| PHIL 251 | Ethics | 3.0 |
| PSY 101 | General Psychology I | 3.0 |
| PSY 320 [WI] | Educational Psychology | 3.0 |
| UNIV T101 | The Drexel Experience | 1.0 |
| Science Requirements | ||
| BIO 131 & BIO 134 | Cells and Biomolecules and Cells and Biomolecules Lab | 5.0 |
| BIO 132 & BIO 135 | Genetics and Evolution and Genetics and Evolution Lab | 5.0 |
| BIO 133 & BIO 136 | Physiology and Ecology and Anatomy and Ecology Lab | 5.0 |
| BIO 201 | Human Physiology I | 4.0 |
| BIO 214 | Principles of Cell Biology | 4.0 |
| BIO 215 | Techniques in Cell Biology | 3.0 |
| BIO 218 | Principles of Molecular Biology | 4.0 |
| BIO 219 [WI] | Techniques in Molecular Biology | 3.0 |
| BIO 228 | Evolutionary Biology & Human Health | 3.0 |
| BIO 306 | Biochemistry Laboratory | 2.0 |
| BIO 373 | Developmental Biology | 3.0 |
| BIO 374 | Developmental Biology Lab | 2.0 |
| BIO 404 | Structure and Function of Biomolecules | 4.0 |
| CHEM 101 | General Chemistry I | 3.5 |
| CHEM 102 | General Chemistry II | 4.5 |
| CHEM 241 | Organic Chemistry I | 4.0 |
| CHEM 242 | Organic Chemistry II | 4.0 |
| CHEM 244 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 3.0 |
| CHEM 245 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory II | 3.0 |
| ENVS 230 | General Ecology | 3.0 |
| ENVS 284 | Physiological and Population Ecology | 3.0 |
| PHYS 152 | Introductory Physics I | 4.0 |
| PHYS 153 | Introductory Physics II | 4.0 |
| Pedagogy Requirements | ||
| EDEX 142 | Special Education Foundations: Referral and Assessment | 3.0 |
| EDEX 344 | Inclusive Practices | 3.0 |
| EDEX 368 [WI] | Literacy and Content Skill Development PK-12 | 3.0 |
| EDLT 325 | Design for Learning with Digital Media | 3.0 |
| EDLT 326 | Technology Applications for Learning | 3.0 |
| EDPO 312 | Educational Policy, Law & Advocacy | 3.0 |
| EDUC 101 | Foundations in Education I: A Historical and Philosophical Perspective | 3.0 |
| EDUC 106 | First Year Seminar: A Case of Schools and Cities | 1.0 |
| EDUC 107 | First Year Seminar: Exploring Pedagogies | 1.0 |
| EDUC 108 | First Year Seminar: Designing Learning Spaces | 1.0 |
| EDUC 123 | Adolescent Development | 3.0 |
| EDUC 205 | Sophomore Pedagogy Seminar | 1.0 |
| EDUC 216 | Diversity and Today's Teacher | 3.0 |
| EDUC 305 [WI] | Junior Pedagogy Seminar | 1.0 |
| EDUC 308 | Creating a Positive Classroom Climate | 3.0 |
| EDUC 315 | Secondary Science Teaching Methods | 3.0 |
| EDUC 316 | Teaching in Urban Contexts | 3.0 |
| EDUC 322 | Evaluation of Instruction | 3.0 |
| EDUC 324 | Current Research in Curriculum & Instruction | 3.0 |
| EDUC 365 | Foundations in Instructing English Language Learners | 3.0 |
| EDUC 405 | Senior Pedagogy Seminar | 1.0 |
| Student Teaching Experience | ||
| EDUC 409 [WI] | Teaching Seminar I | 9.0 |
| EDUC 410 [WI] | Student Teaching | 9.0 |
| Total Credits | 189.0 | |
- *
Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major.
COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.
Students not participating in co-op will take one additional credit of free elective instead of COOP 101.
Writing-Intensive Course Requirements
In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.
A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.
Sample Plan of Study
4 year, 1 co-op
| First Year | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| BIO 131 & BIO 134 | 5.0 | BIO 132 & BIO 135 | 5.0 | BIO 133 & BIO 136 | 5.0 | VACATION | |
| EDUC 101 | 3.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | EDEX 142 | 3.0 | ||
| EDUC 106 | 1.0 | EDUC 107 | 1.0 | EDUC 108 | 1.0 | ||
| ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | EDUC 123 | 3.0 | ||
| MATH 121 | 4.0 | MATH 122 | 4.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
| UNIV T101 | 1.0 | MATH 123 | 4.0 | ||||
| 17 | 14 | 19 | 0 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| BIO 201 | 4.0 | BIO 215 | 3.0 | BIO 214 | 4.0 | BIO 218 | 4.0 |
| CHEM 101 | 3.5 | CHEM 102 | 4.5 | CHEM 241 | 4.0 | CHEM 242 | 4.0 |
| COOP 101* | 1.0 | EDUC 216 | 3.0 | EDEX 368 | 3.0 | EDLT 325 | 3.0 |
| EDEX 344 | 3.0 | PSY 101 | 3.0 | EDUC 305 | 1.0 | EDUC 322 | 3.0 |
| EDUC 205 | 1.0 | EDUC 308 | 3.0 | PHYS 153 | 4.0 | ||
| EDUC 365 | 3.0 | PHYS 152 | 4.0 | ||||
| 15.5 | 13.5 | 19 | 18 | ||||
| Third Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | BIO 219 | 3.0 | BIO 228 | 3.0 | ||
| EDUC 315 | 3.0 | CHEM 244 | 3.0 | BIO 373 | 3.0 | BIO 306 | 2.0 |
| BIO 374 | 2.0 | EDPO 312 | 3.0 | ||||
| EDLT 326 | 3.0 | EDUC 324 | 3.0 | ||||
| EDUC 316 | 3.0 | ENVS 230 | 3.0 | ||||
| 3 | 3 | 14 | 14 | ||||
| Fourth Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
| BIO 404 | 4.0 | EDUC 410 | 9.0 | CHEM 245 | 3.0 | ||
| EDUC 409 | 9.0 | ENVS 284 | 3.0 | EDUC 405 | 1.0 | ||
| HIST 289 | 4.0 | ||||||
| PHIL 251 | 3.0 | ||||||
| PSY 320 | 3.0 | ||||||
| 13 | 12 | 14 | |||||
| Total Credits 189 | |||||||
- *
Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major.
COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.
4 year, no co-op
| First Year | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| BIO 131 & BIO 134 | 5.0 | BIO 132 & BIO 135 | 5.0 | BIO 133 & BIO 136 | 5.0 | VACATION | |
| ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | EDEX 142 | 3.0 | ||
| EDUC 101 | 3.0 | EDUC 107 | 1.0 | EDUC 108 | 1.0 | ||
| EDUC 106 | 1.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | EDUC 123 | 3.0 | ||
| MATH 121 | 4.0 | MATH 122 | 4.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
| UNIV T101 | 1.0 | MATH 123 | 4.0 | ||||
| 17 | 14 | 19 | 0 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| BIO 201 | 4.0 | BIO 215 | 3.0 | BIO 214 | 4.0 | VACATION | |
| CHEM 101 | 3.5 | CHEM 102 | 4.5 | CHEM 241 | 4.0 | ||
| EDEX 344 | 3.0 | EDUC 216 | 3.0 | EDEX 368 | 3.0 | ||
| EDUC 205 | 1.0 | EDUC 322 | 3.0 | EDUC 305 | 1.0 | ||
| EDUC 365 | 3.0 | PSY 101 | 3.0 | EDUC 308 | 3.0 | ||
| PHYS 152 | 4.0 | ||||||
| 14.5 | 16.5 | 19 | 0 | ||||
| Third Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| BIO 218 | 4.0 | BIO 219 | 3.0 | BIO 228 | 3.0 | VACATION | |
| CHEM 242 | 4.0 | BIO 373 | 3.0 | BIO 306 | 2.0 | ||
| EDLT 325 | 3.0 | BIO 374 | 2.0 | EDPO 312 | 3.0 | ||
| EDUC 315 | 3.0 | CHEM 244 | 3.0 | EDUC 324 | 3.0 | ||
| PHYS 153 | 4.0 | EDLT 326 | 3.0 | ENVS 230 | 3.0 | ||
| EDUC 316 | 3.0 | ||||||
| 18 | 17 | 14 | 0 | ||||
| Fourth Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
| BIO 404 | 4.0 | EDUC 410 | 9.0 | CHEM 245 | 3.0 | ||
| EDUC 409 | 9.0 | ENVS 284 | 3.0 | EDUC 405 | 1.0 | ||
| HIST 289 | 4.0 | ||||||
| PHIL 251 | 3.0 | ||||||
| PSY 320 | 3.0 | ||||||
| Free elective* | 1.0 | ||||||
| 13 | 12 | 15 | |||||
| Total Credits 189 | |||||||
- *
Students not participating in co-op will take one additional credit of free elective instead of COOP 101.
Program Level Outcomes
- Make ethical, sound decisions based on the Pennsylvania Professional Code of Conduct.
- Demonstrate leadership in the classroom, school community, and profession that is focused on positive and innovative change.
- Seek ongoing professional growth and development in the field to improve practice.
- Demonstrate a growth mindset and take responsibility for student learning and academic growth.
- Partner with parents in the education of their children.
- Use culturally responsive pedagogy to create equitable learning experiences for all students.
- Use critical self-reflection to understand one’s own identity in the context of a classroom of diverse learners.
- Create an inclusive classroom environment with high expectations for all learners.
- Demonstrate the ability to self-reflect on his or her professional practice.
- Use data and classroom-based evidence to inform and improve professional practice.
- Demonstrate strong knowledge of science content, practices, and pedagogy in specific science related subject areas that meet PDE content requirements.
- Lessons, to demonstrate student growth and make appropriate modifications to the curriculum. Integrate tools of technology in teaching and learning in both the laboratory and classroom.
- Construct well-written, research-based, engaging lesson plans within the framework of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
- Create a safe, positive and productive learning environment that supports and facilitates learning for all students.
- Build a sense of community in a collaborative climate, based on developmentally appropriate pro- social skills, where students work collaboratively and have a shared sense of ownership.
- Demonstrate a thorough understanding of child and/or adolescent development and the learning sciences.
- Use differentiated instruction to meet the diverse learning needs of one’s students.
- Use developmentally informed teaching practices.
Education Faculty
Jennifer Adams, EdD (Harvard University). Associate Professor. Comparative and international education; Poverty and education; Child welfare; Educational policy.
Ayana Allen, PhD (Texas A&M University ). Associate Professor. Urban education; Identity construction in school contexts; Urban school transformation.
Kristen Betts, EdD (George Washington University). Clinical Professor. Higher education administration and governance, online blended education, instructional design and educational technology, program assessment and evaluation.
Eric Brewe, PhD (Arizona State University). Associate Professor. Physics Education Research, introductory course reform, network analysis in learning, neuromechanisms of learning.
Stephanie Smith Budhai, PhD (Drexel University). Associate Clinical Professor. Teacher and higher education, culturally responsive teaching, equity and social justice, online learning, community engagement and service-learning, family involvement and partnerships, and learning technologies.
José Luis Chávez, EdD (University of Southern California). Clinical Professor. Higher education leadership and administration.
Rebecca Clothey, PhD (University of Pittsburgh) Department Head, Global Studies and Modern Languages. Professor. Comparative and international education, education of ethnic and linguistic minorities, refugees, China studies.
James Connell, PhD (Louisiana State University) Founding Clinical Core Director and Research Fellow, A.J. Drexel Autism Institute. Associate Professor. Identifying the variables that influence adult behavior change in community settings; autism intervention; widespread dissemination of evidence-based interventions in school and community settings.
Kareem Edouard, PhD (Stanford University). Assistant Professor. Educational technology; internet-based STEM learning; equity and inclusion in STEM education
Salvatore V. Falletta, EdD (North Carolina State University). Clinical Professor. Human Resource intelligence (i.e., HR research and analytics practices); HRD assessment, measurement, and evaluation models and taxonomies; organizational diagnostic models; web-based employee and organizational survey methods, and computational modeling.
Aroutis N. Foster, PhD (Michigan State University) Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Graduate Studies. Professor. Educational psychology and educational technology, especially the following: Motivation; Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK); Immersive Interactive Digital Environments (simulation, games, virtual realities.
Rajashi Ghosh, PhD (University of Louisville, Kentucky) Department Chair for Policy, Organization & Leadership. Associate Professor. Mentoring and leader development, workplace Incivility, workplace learning and development.
John M. Gould, PhD (University of Pittsburgh) Harrisburg EdD Educational Leadership & Change Program. Clinical Professor. Change leadership, curriculum re-design, the impact of technology on learning.
Dominic F. Gullo, PhD (Indiana University). Professor. Studying the relative and long-range effects of early schooling experiences in prekindergarten and kindergarten on children's achievement and social adaptation to school routine.
H. Bernard Hall, PhD (Temple University). Assistant Professor. Hip-hop Pedagogy, English Education, Urban Teacher Education.
Paul Harrington, PhD (University of Massachusetts, Boston) Director, Center for Labor Markets and Policy. Professor. Teen and young adult job access; economic outlook, college labor market; workforce development, planning, and development; vocational rehabilitation and job market transition.
Michael J. Haslip, PhD (Old Dominion University). Assistant Professor. Early childhood education, social and emotional learning, child guidance strategies, effects of public pre-school attendance.
Deanna Hill, JD, PhD (University of Pittsburgh). Associate Clinical Professor. Higher education, international education, education law, education policy
Erin Horvat, PhD (University of California, Los Angeles) Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. Professor. Urban education, access and equity, high school dropout, parent involvement/family involvement, community engagement in research.
Jennifer Katz-Buonincontro, PhD (University of Oregon) Associate Dean of Research. Associate Professor. Educational administration, leadership development, survey & instrument design.
Larry Keiser, PhD (Drexel University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Education and corporate/business leaders’ creativity and entrepreneurial mindsets; creative school/work environments; neuroscience of creativity; everyday creativity for teachers and educators.
Kristy Kelly, PhD (University of Wisconsin, Madison). Associate Clinical Professor. Sociology of gender and development; anthropology of policy; comparative and international education; qualitative research methods; Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
Cameron Kiosoglous, PhD (Virginia Tech University) Program Director. Assistant Clinical Professor. Coached on the USRowing National Team staff since 2002, including the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic Games; coaching development; measuring coaching quality; self-insight and reflective practices; coaching leadership; conference presenter; published author.
Valerie Klein, PhD (Amherst College). Associate Clinical Professor. Mathematics learning and teaching; teacher's use of formative assessment in mathematics; creating opportunities for rich problem solving in the classroom; examining teachers growth and change; qualitative research methods.
Peggy Kong, PhD (Harvard University). Associate Clinical Professor. Comparative and international education, equity in education, family and community, Chinese education and society, sociology of education
Michael G. Kozak, Ed.D. (Rowan University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Leadership, STEAM, online and blended learning environments, systems thinking, experiential learning, K-12 education, and facilitating change
Amanda Lannie, PhD (Syracuse University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Applied behavior analysis and special education; School-based consultation; system-wide interventions as a mechanism for delivery supports to all students; Designing effective and efficient interventions for students with emotional/behavioral disorders.
Vera Lee, EdD (University of Pennsylvania) Department Chair for Teaching, Learning & Curriculum. Associate Clinical Professor. Practitioner Research in online courses to explore inservice/preservice teachers’ emerging understandings about issues of diversity; the development of information/digital literacies of urban youth; English language learners.
Bruce Levine, JD (New York University). Associate Clinical Professor. Educational policy, school law, public-private partnerships, intersection of business and education.
Kristine Lewis-Grant, PhD (Temple University). Clinical Professor. Experiences of students of African descent at predominantly white colleges and universities, college access and college student development, youth civic engagement in urban school reform, qualitative research and evaluation.
William Lynch, PhD (University of Maryland). Professor. Curriculum and educational leadership, educational technology, distance learning policy development, higher and adult education.
Constance Lyttle, PhD, JD (University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University). Clinical Professor. Legal rights of gifted and talented children and children with disabilities; inclusive education of exceptional children; special education mediation; special education IEP/IFSP facilitation; resolution session facilitation
Joy Phillips, PhD (The University of Texas at Austin). Associate Clinical Professor. Visionary leadership in theory and practice, school reform as innovative problem-setting, thinking qualitatively about school reform. thinking about school reform by drawing, Educational Leadership Program Assessment.
Kathleen Provinzano, PhD (Marywood University). Assistant Professor. Educational administration.
Harriette Rasmussen, EdD (Fielding Graduate University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Educational leadership and change.
Lori Severino, EdD (Neumann University). Assistant Professor. Special education, differentiated instruction, reading, Wilson language, multi-sensory instruction, reading comprehension, assessment, adolescent literacy.
Jason Silverman, PhD (Vanderbilt University). Professor. Teaching and learning of advanced mathematical ideas (algebra and calculus); improving teachers' ability to orchestrate and sustain inquiry-based and discussion-based instruction; technology in mathematics education.
Janet Sloand, EdD (Duquesne University) Department Chair for Teaching, Learning & Curriculum. Associate Clinical Professor. Special Education Leadership, Trauma-informed care, Parent engagement in special education service delivery.
Toni A. Sondergeld, PhD (University of Toledo). Associate Professor. Cognitive and affective assessment development; program/grant evaluation; high stakes testing measurement; STEM education; urban education
Bridget Sweeney Blakely, PhD (Temple University). Assistant Clinical Professor. Consultation; Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS); Response to Intervention (Rtl); Systems-level change; performance feedback
Mary Jean Tecce DeCarlo, EdD (University of Pennsylvania). Associate Clinical Professor. Early literacy development, learning differences, knowledge construction, urban education.
Sarah P. Ulrich, EdD (Saint Joseph’s University) Associate Dean of Teacher Education and Undergraduate Affairs. Clinical Professor. Cross-cultural, language and academic development, school reform, teacher preparation, teacher retention, teacher residencies in urban contexts.
Sheila Vaidya, PhD (Temple University). Professor. Educational psychology, school psychology, research design.
Christina Vorndran, PhD (Louisiana State University) Program Director, Applied Behavior Analysis and Special Education. Clinical Professor. Designing effective and efficient community-based interventions, Severe behavior disorders, Functional behavior assessment
Christopher G. Wright, PhD (Tufts University). Assistant Professor. Engineering and science education, Urban education, elementary teacher education.
Emeritus Faculty
Mary Jo Grdina, PhD (Case Western Reserve University). Clinical Professor. Undergraduate studies, science education, curriculum design.
Joyce Pittman, PhD (Iowa State University of Science and Technology). Clinical Professor. Curriculum and instruction K-16; teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL); instructional design business education and administration; industrial and career technology; oral and written communication; research methodology; instructional and assistive technology assessment; online learning pedagogy
Fredricka K. Reisman, PhD (Syracuse University) School of Education, Founder, Drexel School of Education. Professor Emerita. Director, Freddie Reisman Center for Translational Research in Creativity and Motivation, Creator and Former Director-Creativity and Innovation Programs, Co-Director- Drexel/Torrance Center for Creativity and Innovation, Drexel University Named Recognition- Freddie Reisman Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity Awards
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