The curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Arts in Biology Education (BIOE) degree couples the coursework required for the regular Biology B.A. degree with additional courses necessary and recommended for certification to teach biology at the secondary level. Students completing this degree will have a strong foundation in the biological sciences and educational pedagogy that will allow them to find employment as second ed biology teachers or in a range of other technical positions utilizing their STEM education. The B.A. in Biology Education consists of at least 102 credits distributed as follows:
NOTE: This is not a complete list of requirements. See the UMBC Undergraduate Catalog for a full listing of requirements for this program.
Download the B.A. in Biology Education Requirements Worksheet from the Forms & Links Page
Course requirements
Biology Core (18 credits)
- BIOL 141 Foundations of Biology: Cells, Energy & Organisms
- BIOL 142 Foundations of Biology: Ecology & Evolution
- BIOL 302 Molecular and General Genetics
- BIOL 303 Cell Biology
- BIOL 300L Experimental Biology Laboratory
Additional Biology Courses (3 credits)
- BIOL 302L Molecular and general genetics Laboratory
- BIOL 397 Ethics and Integrity in Scientific Research
Biology 3XX Elective (3 credits)
Choose one:
- BIOL 304 Plant Biology
- BIOL 305 Comparative Animal Physiology
- BIOL 307 Human Physiology
- BIOL 375 General Microbiology (formerly BIOL 275)
Biology 4XX Elective (3-4 credits)
- Complete one BIOL 400-level lecture course in residence at UMBC. BIOL 497H, BIOL 499, and BIOL 499L may not be used in fulfillment of this requirement.
Supporting STEM Courses (29 credits)
- CHEM 101 Principles of Chemistry I
- CHEM 102 Principles of Chemistry II
- CHEM 102L Introductory Chemistry Lab I
- CHEM 351 Organic Chemistry I
- MATH 155 Elementary Calculus or MATH 151 Calculus and Analytical Geometry
- PHYS 111 Basic Physics I (or PHYS 121)
- PHYS 112 Basic Physics II (or PHYS 122)
- STAT 350 Statistics with Applications in the Biological Sciences
Education (32 credits)
- EDUC 310 Inquiry into Education (SS GEP)
- EDUC 311 Psychological Foundations of Education
- EDUC 388 Inclusion and Instruction
- EDUC 410 Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: Part I
- EDUC 411 Teaching Reading in the Content Areas: Part II (Writing Intensive)
- EDUC 412 Analysis of Teaching and Learning
- EDUC 427 Science in the Secondary School
- EDUC 456 Student Teaching in the Secondary Schools
- EDUC 457 Secondary Internship Seminar
NSTA Recommended (13 credits)
- GES 110 Physical Geography
- GES 311 Weather and Climate
- PSYC 100 Introduction to Psychology (SS GEP)
- PSYC 210 Psychology of Learning (SS GEP)
BIOE Additional Notes
- Students must earn a “C” or better in all major courses AND course prerequisites.
- At least half of the required BIOL courses for the BIOE degree (five of nine), including the 4XX elective, must be completed in residence at UMBC.
- A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or above is required to register for EDUC 412 and beyond.
- Students in the BIOE major will be assigned an academic adviser from the Biological Sciences department, but will also be advised by the Education department in regard to EDUC courses, internships, and teaching certification.
- The Biological Sciences Department evaluates completion of major requirements based on COURSES completed, not CREDITS completed, because equivalent courses taken elsewhere may not be the same number of credits as the UMBC course they replace.
- Under exceptional circumstances, the Department may waive or alter a BIOL major requirement. Students seeking to petition for a waiver must consult with their academic adviser, then may submit a ‘Petition for Waiver/Substitution of Program Requirements’ form.
- The BIOE major requirements include three social science GEP courses and a writing intensive course.
- Because of course overlap, Biology Education, B.A. majors may not minor in biological sciences.