Program Overview
College of Natural and Health Sciences
Contact: Mitchell E. McGlaughlin Ph.D., School Director
Location: Ross Hall 2480
Telephone: 970.351.2921
Website: www.unco.edu/nhs/biology
Advising Information:
Students must consult with their assigned major advisor each semester prior to registering.
To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the major program for advisor information.
In accordance with University Policies, coursework earned more than 10 years prior to the date of matriculation to UNC may not be used to satisfy any major or minor requirements. Any exception to this policy is at the discretion of the academic program. The school's transfer advisor can be reached at 970.351.2921.
Teacher education and educator preparation licensure programs do not accept Professional Teacher Education Program (PTEP) or field based courses that are more than ten years old. PLEASE NOTE: Teacher Candidates have the right to petition this policy at the discretion of the program coordinator.
The program consists of four parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- Professional Teacher Education Program (PTEP) Credits
- University-Wide Credits
*For Educator licensure majors, PTEP coursework counts towards the minimum of nine upper-division UNC credits (300-400).
Program Description:
This program leads to State of Colorado licensure in secondary science. Students receive training in biological sciences content and pedagogy plus a wide range of additional support science content. They should have an interest in teaching and have evidence of working successfully with young people. Undergraduates entering this program should have a strong interest in Biological Sciences and have completed general high school science and mathematics requirements. Given the technical nature of some required courses, additional preparatory coursework may be required for students with limited previous STEM experience.
Students will meet licensure requirements of the Colorado Department of Education for teaching secondary science (grades 7-12).
Upon completion of this program, students will also be able to continue their education in graduate programs in the biological sciences. Prior to Student Teaching, students must pass the PRAXIS Science Examination.
Program Admission Requirements:
Academic Good Standing
Program Requirements:
- The State of Colorado has mandated that institutions of higher education assess student outcomes resulting from their college education. The School of Biological Sciences requires that all undergraduate students entering under this Catalog meet the following conditions in addition to meeting the graduation requirements of the University:
- In the senior year of study all undergraduates will take a standardized assessment administered by the School of Biological Sciences to assess the effectiveness of the curriculum.
- Junior and seniors with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher are permitted to take 500-level courses. Any 500 level BIO prefix courses will be applied to Biological Science Advanced Study requirements. Consult with faculty advisor to ensure courses are appropriate.
- NOTE: Students completing a major in Biological Sciences and a minor in Chemistry are exempt from the university policy that a maximum of 12 credit hours can be shared between a major and minor. A student must still complete a minimum of 6 upper-division UNC credits (300-400) or UNC approved Study Abroad credits in the minor.
PTEP Program Requirements:
Teacher candidates who complete an approved content degree and the UNC professional teacher education program, as well as pass the appropriate Colorado Department of Education designated PRAXIS exam (if applicable), will be eligible for recommendation from UNC for a Colorado Department of Education teaching license.
If you are seeking licensure in your program area, the following items are required to complete your program.
- GPA> 2.50
- Completion of Application for Initial Admission to PTEP – referred to as Checkpoint #1 (Enrollment in this checkpoint will result in a one-time program fee, assessed to student accounts to pay for assessment software. This checkpoint will also require an out-of-pocket payment - to the chosen approved vendor - to obtain a fingerprint background check, which is required by the Colorado Department of Education.)
- Completion of Full Admission to PTEP – referred to as Checkpoint #2
- Completion of Application for Student Teaching – referred to as Checkpoint #3
- Completion of content specific PRAXIS test prior to Student Teaching
- Candidates may not take extra courses with Student Teaching without prior approval from the Program Coordinator and the STE Director.
- All PTEP Field Experiences and methods courses need to be successfully completed prior to Student Teaching.
- Student Teaching outside the supervision of UNC Faculty may or may not be approved.
- Teacher Candidates will not be placed in a school where they were once students or where they have a close relative attending and/or working.
- Teacher education and educator preparation licensure programs do not accept Professional Teacher Education Program (PTEP) or field based courses that are more than ten years old. PLEASE NOTE: Teacher Candidates have the right to petition this policy at the discretion of the program coordinator.
Please work with your content advisor to determine when these requirements will be completed throughout your program.
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits
To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the 63 required major credits.
Any additional coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.
Written Communication — 6 credits
SCI 291 (3) is recommended to fulfill Intermediate Written Communication requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Written Communication courses
Mathematics — 3 credits
STAT 150 (3) is recommended to fulfill Mathematics requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Mathematics courses
Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits
To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses
Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits
BIO 110 (4), BIO 111 (4), CHEM 111 (4) and CHEM 111L (1) are recommended to fulfill Natural & Physical Sciences requirement and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Natural & Physical Sciences courses
See Liberal Arts Curriculum
2. Required Major — 63 credits
Take all of the following courses (55 credits):
Physiology, choose one of the following courses (4 credits):
Earth Sciences, choose one of the following courses (4 credits):
| AST 100 | The Sky and PlanetsLAS1LASL | 4 |
| MET 205 | General MeteorologyLAS1LASL | 4 |
| OCN 302 | Geological and Biological Oceanography | 4 |
3. Required PTEP — 38 credits
Phase I (5 credits taken concurrently).
| EDF 290 | Foundations of Education | 3 |
| STEP 161 | Observation and Analysis of Secondary Teaching I | 2 |
Phase II (8 credits taken concurrently)
| STEP 262 | Observation and Analysis of Secondary Teaching II | 2 |
| EDSE 360 | Adaptation, Modification, and Integration of Curriculum for the Secondary Exceptional Learner | 3 |
| PSY 349 | Educational Psychology for Secondary Teachers | 3 |
Phase III (11 credits taken concurrently)
| STEP 363 | Clinical Experience: Secondary | 2 |
| ECLD 340 | Academic Language/Literacy Development in the Content Areas at the Secondary Level | 3 |
| ET 449 | Integrating Technologies into Secondary Education Pedagogy | 3 |
| SCED 441 | Methods of Teaching Secondary School Science | 3 |
ECLD 340: may be taken outside of Phase III
Phase IV (14 credits)
4. University-Wide Credits — 0 credits*
*Note: Students must apply the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum requirements and the major requirements to complete this degree program in 120 credit hours. Students may have an increased number of university wide electives to apply to this degree depending on the number of credits applied to both the LAC and the major. See your advisor for details.
Four Year Plan
This four year plan is a recommended schedule to complete this bachelor's degree in 4 years. Courses are subject to availability. Students must consult with their major advisor to receive information on any additional graduation requirements and course sequence guidance.
Year 1 – 29 credits
Fall Semester
| BIO 110 | Biology: Atoms to CellsLAS1LASL | 4 |
| CHEM 111 | Principles of Chemistry ILAS1 | 4 |
| CHEM 111L | Principles of Chemistry I LaboratoryLAS1LASL | 1 |
| ENG 122 | College CompositionLAW1 | 3 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
LAC Arts and Humanities: Choose U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or International Studies (IS) course.
Spring Semester
| BIO 111 | Biology: Organisms to EcosystemsLAS1LASL | 4 |
| CHEM 281 | Fundamentals of BiochemistryLAS1 | 3 |
| CHEM 281L | Fundamentals of Biochemistry LaboratoryLAS1LASL | 1 |
| SCI 291 | Scientific WritingLAW2 | 3 |
| | LAC Social and Behavioral SciencesLAB1LAB2LAB3 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
LAC Social and Behavior Sciences: Choose U.S. Multicultural Studies (MS) or International Studies (IS) course.
Year 2 – 31 credits
Fall Semester
| AST 100 | The Sky and PlanetsLAS1LASL | 4 |
| | or | |
| MET 205 | General MeteorologyLAS1LASL | 4 |
| | or | |
| OCN 302 | Geological and Biological Oceanography | 4 |
| BIO 210 | Cell Biology | 3 |
| EDF 290 | Foundations of Education | 3 |
| STEP 161 | Observation and Analysis of Secondary Teaching I | 2 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| BIO 220 | Genetics | 4 |
| | or | |
| BIO 350 | Human Physiology | 4 |
| EDSE 360 | Adaptation, Modification, and Integration of Curriculum for the Secondary Exceptional Learner | 3 |
| GEOL 201 | Physical Geology | 4 |
| PSY 349 | Educational Psychology for Secondary Teachers | 3 |
| STEP 262 | Observation and Analysis of Secondary Teaching II | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Year 3 – 31 credits
Fall Semester
| PHYS 220 | Introductory Physics ILAS1LASL | 5 |
| BIO 220 | Genetics | 4 |
| | or | |
| BIO 354 | General Plant Physiology | 4 |
| STAT 150 | Introduction to Statistical AnalysisLAX1 | 3 |
| | LAC HistoryLAH1 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| BIO 351 | Microbiology | 4 |
| BIO 465 | Evolution | 3 |
| PHYS 221 | Introductory Physics II | 5 |
| | LAC Arts and Humanities, History, or Social and Behavioral SciencesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4LAB1LAB2LAB3LAH1 | 3 |
| | Pass PRAXIS Test | |
| | Application for Full Admission to PTEP | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Year 4 – 29 credits
Fall Semester
| BIO 360 | Ecology | 4 |
| ECLD 340 | Academic Language/Literacy Development in the Content Areas at the Secondary Level | 3 |
| ET 449 | Integrating Technologies into Secondary Education Pedagogy | 3 |
| SCED 441 | Methods of Teaching Secondary School Science | 3 |
| STEP 363 | Clinical Experience: Secondary | 2 |
| | Application for Student Teaching | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Capstone Professional Experience requirement can be met by completing a minimum of 1 credit hour from the following courses: BIO 422, BIO 492, BIO 493, BIO 494.
Spring Semester
| STEP 464 | Secondary Student Teaching | 1-14 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 14 |
Advising Notes –
- SCED 441 is only offered Every odd-numbered Fall.
- Prior to student teaching, student must pass the Praxis Science Examination (#5435) with a score > 152.
- Must complete Application for initial admission to PTEP in the beginning of the semester prior to STEP 161.
- Must complete Application for Full Admission to PTEP in the beginning of the semester prior to STEP 363.
- Must complete Application for Student Teaching in the beginning of the semester prior to STEP 464.
- Student receiving an “F” in required courses must repeat the course.
- Students in Secondary Teaching Emphasis must maintain a 2.5 GPA in their major (this includes required BIO and other supporting courses) and must maintain an overall GPA of 2.5 or better.
- Monitor your progress and requirements using DegreeWorks available on URSA each semester.
- Remember to get a graduation check after completing 90 semester hours.