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, and EDUC 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 advisor 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 Practicum | 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.