TEACH Secondary Education Biology

Degree Requirements

Content Area Courses

All students need to have sufficient knowledge of the subject they will be teaching. Illinois State Board of Education requires a minimum of 48 quarter hours (32 semester hours) in the content area subject. Students should meet with their designated Content Area advisor at the beginning of their program for an official written content evaluation and provide a copy to your academic advisor. Requirements can be satisfied by undergraduate coursework or courses taken elsewhere. Content courses must be completed before student teaching.

Requirements for Secondary Education Biology

Note: Effective for all individuals applying for licensure after February 1, 2012, all coursework in the content area must earn a grade of C or better.

• College Biology I
• College Biology II
• Ecology
• Cell Biology
• Physiology
• Genetics
• Molecular Biology
• Biology Elective
• Biology Elective (with lab)
• Biology Elective (with lab)
• College Algebra or Calculus I
• College Chemistry I
• College Chemistry II
• General Physics
• College Environmental Science or Earth and Space Science or Astronomy

Course Requirements 

Introductory Courses: 12 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required.

Advanced Courses: 28 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required.

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Taken in conjunction with TCH 484.

Graduate Level Content Area Courses: 8 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required

Two courses in Biology at the graduate level are required. Courses must be taken before student teaching if pursuing degree (not required for individuals pursuing licensure only). Courses must be approved by your Content Area Advisor prior to registration and requires graduate level registration.

• BIO 300 or 400 level biology course 1 
• BIO 300 or 400 level biology course 2 

Student Teaching: 8 quarter hours required

Registration in student teaching requires completion of all requirements and procedures listed in the college core section. EDU 95 indicates to the Illinois State Board of Education that all field experience hours are complete.

Master of Arts (MA) Option Degree Requirements: 4 quarter hours required 

This is a Master of Arts degree requirement only. A master’s thesis is written to fulfill the requirements of this course. An oral examination on the thesis is required.

Licensure Tests

All individuals licensure by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) are required to complete licensure tests specific to their teaching license. Secondary Education Biology majors must complete the following tests:

• Science: Biology Content Area Test (test #105) – assesses knowledge of both biological science and physical science. Test is required before Student Teaching (deadlines apply).
• EdTPA - assessment conducted during the student teaching experience including video clips of instruction, lesson plans, student work samples, analysis of student learning and reflective commentaries. Students will submit an electronic portfolio to an outside agency for independent evaluation and a fee will be imposed by that agency as part of the assessment.

Field Experiences

Each student seeking licensure from the College of Education/Professional Education Unit must complete supervised field experiences in appropriate settings in conjunction with education courses. The field experiences must include a variety of grade levels, multicultural experiences, and a minimum of 15 hours in special education settings. All field experiences must be completed prior to final approval for student teaching. Field experience hours should be entered by the student into the FEDS system when completing courses with field experience requirements. For details on requirements, expectations, documentation, & courses in your program that require hours, visit the College of Education website.​

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