Mar 28, 2024  
2019-2020 University Catalog 
    
2019-2020 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Science Education - Biology Concentration, BS


About the Program

A College of Science degree in Science Education prepares future science teachers for certification at the middle and high school level. Students customize their focus by selecting a major area of study in biology, chemistry, physics, or earth and space science within an interdisciplinary science framework. The Science Education degree ensures students are thoroughly educated in their content discipline and modern theories of learning and education. Graduates are in high demand as STEM education and careers continue to grow in demand.

Degree Requirements


120 Credits Required

Curriculum and Degree Requirements for College of Science


A College of Science degree is conferred when a student successfully completes all requirements in their degree program.  Students will complete coursework or approved experiential learning activities to meet the following three degree components:

  1. Major
  2. Science Core Curriculum
  3. Electives

Students may use any of the following options to meet College of Science degree requirements:

  • Purdue Coursework
  • Ap, IB, and CLEP credit.  The use of AP and IB coursework varies between College of Science degree plans.
  • Transfer Credit. Students should consult the Admissions Transfer Credit Resource page for all available transfer options.

College of Science degree programs vary widely in their approval and use of the proceeding options and thus students are strongly encouraged to work closely with their academic advisors and to regularly consult their MyPurduePlan to view the use of each option in their degree plan. 

Most College of Science degree programs contain elective credits students may use to pursue courses that relate to their interests or which support their major area of study. The elective area of a degree plan may also be used to complete minors, second majors and certificates such as the Entrepreneurial Certificate. With the exception of courses on the No Count List, any Purdue course may be used to meet the elective area of a student’s degree plan.

College of Science Core Requirements

All Students starting Purdue University Fall semester, 2007 or later are required to pursue the 2007 Science Core curriculum.

The College of Science Core Curriculum requires the completion of approved coursework and/or experiential learning opportunities in the following academic areas:

Earning Core Curricular Requirements through Experience

Students may meet selected core curriculum requirements through approved experiential learning opportunities. Interested students should contact their academic advisor for more information on this option and incorporating experiential learning into their four-year program of study. For more information on earning requirements through experience, please click here.

Departmental/Program Major Courses


Required Science Education Core Courses (26-30 credits)


Other Departmental /Program Course Requirements (15-27 credits)


*Requirement may be met with a zero credit experiential learning option. See your advisor for more information

  • (satisfies Written Communication and Information Literacy for core) or
  • or
  • (satisfies Written Communication and Information Literacy for core)
  •  

  • Language I Option* - (Select courses COULD satisfy Human Cultures Humanities for core) - Credit Hours: 0.00 - 4.00
  • Language II Option* - (Select courses COULD satisfy Human Cultures Humanities for core) - Credit Hours: 0.00 - 4.00
  • Technical Writing Option and Technical Presenting Option - (Select courses COULD satisfy Oral Communication for core) - Credit Hours: 3.00 - 6.00
  • General Education I Option - (Select courses COULD satisfy Human Culture Behavioral/Social Science or Humanities for core) - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • General Education II Option - (Select courses COULD satisfy Human Culture Behavioral/Social Science or Humanities for core) - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Great Issues Option - Credit Hours: 3.00

Biology Concentration (37-38 credits)


Overall GPA for Biology Concentration courses with the Departmental/Program Major Courses must be ≥ 2.5

Biology Selectives (10 credits)


Elect ten (10) hours of upper division biology courses

Choose one Intermediate Biology Selective, choose at least one Group A Selective, at least one Group B Selective, satisfy the Base Laboratory requirement, and at least one 50000-level course from Group A Selectives or Group B Selectives.  Overlap (Intermediate Selective, A, B, 500, Lab) is allowed, but 10 credits must still be earned.

Research (49400 or 49900 - maximum of 2 credits), BIOL 36701 Principles of Development Lab, and BIOL 44100 Senior Seminar in Genetics, will count toward the 10 credit requirement, but will not satisfy the Group A, Group B, or laboratory requirement.

Intermediate Biology Requirements


Depending on the specific major within the Department of Biological Sciences, the Intermediate Biology Selective will vary:

Biology majors may choose any of the eight options.

Biochemistry (Biology) majors must choose BIOL 39500, Macromolecules, for this requirement.

Biochemistry Honors majors must choose BIOL 39500, Macromolecules, for this requirement.

Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology majors must choose one of these three options: 1) BIOL 36700, Principles of Development and BIOL 36701, Principles of Development Lab, or 2) BIOL 41500, Introduction to Molecular Biology, or 3) BIOL 42000, Eukaryotic Cell Biology.

Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology majors may choose any of the eight options.

Genetics majors may choose from seven of the eight options. They may NOT choose BIOL 43800, General Microbiology.

Health & Disease majors must choose BIOL 43800, General Microbiology.

Microbiology majors must choose BIOL 43800, General Microbiology.

Microbiology Honors majors must choose BIOL 43800, General Microbiology.

Neurobiology & Physiology majors must choose BIOL 32800, Principles of Physiology. 

Lab Requirement


Each student will select an option from the Required Course list. Students must also satisfy Objectives A and B below, which can be met by courses, research, or a combination of the two.

BIOL research (49400 or 49900) can be used to satisfy Objectives A and/or B below. The Research Mentor must approve research to meet one or both objectives. Consult with your academic advisor for the forms used to obtain Research Mentor approval for each objective.

A minimum of four credits of BIOL 49400 or 49900 must be earned in addition to research director approval. 

Students who complete a Biology Honors Thesis automatically meet Objectives A and B.

Microbiology, Microbiology Honors, and Health & Disease majors must use BIOL 43900 to meet this requirement.

Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology majors must use BIOL 59500, Laboratory in Ecology, to meet this requirement. 

Objective A - Research planning, literature review, writing


All students must meet Objective A with research, or take one of the following courses

Objective B - Analysis, simulation, and presentation


All students must meet Objective B with research, or take one of the following courses

University Core Requirements


  • Human Cultures Humanities
  • Human Cultures Behavioral/Social Science
  • Information Literacy
  • Science #1
  • Science #2
  • Science, Technology, and Society
  • Written Communication
  • Oral Communication
  • Quantitative Reasoning

For a complete listing of course selectives, visit the Provost’s Website.

Prerequisite Information:


For current pre-requisites for courses, click here.


 

Program Requirements


Fall 1st Year


16 Credits


16-17 Credits


Fall 2nd Year


15 Credits


16 Credits


Fall 3rd Year


17-19 Credits


Spring 3rd Year


16-17 Credits


13-16 Credits


15 Credits


Notes


Note:  This degree is intended to give students many options.  Students need to consult with a College of Science Academic Advisor regarding requirements.

2.0 average in BIOL courses required to graduate.

2.5 average in Biology concentration courses required to graduate

3.0 average in Professional Education courses  (No grade below a C-)

Foreign Language Courses


Foreign Language proficiency requirements vary by program. 

For acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor: American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, (ancient) Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major.  Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful.  These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program”. 

Disclaimer


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.

The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.