Biology Education, B.A.

The Biology Education, B.A. couples the coursework required for the Biological Sciences, B.A. degree with additional courses necessary and recommended for certification to teach biology at the secondary level. Students completing this degree have a strong foundation in the biological sciences and are capable of working in a range of technical positions, in addition to secondary education.

Students in the major are assigned an academic advisor from Biological Sciences and are also advised by Education regarding EDUC courses, internships, and teaching certification.

University Requirements

Completion of Minimum University Requirements for an Undergraduate Baccalaureate Degree .

Minimum 120 credits and minimum GPA of 2.0
Completion of 45 upper-level credits, the residence requirement, the Writing Intensive requirement, and the General Education requirement

Major Requirements

Minimum 102 credits or 30 courses. Biological Sciences evaluates completion of major requirements based on courses completed to account for variation in equivalent transfer course credits
Minimum grade of ‘C’ in courses applied to the major and prerequisites
- A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above is required to register for EDUC 412 and beyond
Residency Requirement: A simple majority of BIOL courses required for the major completed in residence at UMBC (five courses out of nine). Students take their BIOL 400-level elective at UMBC.

Course Requirements

Biology Core (18 credits)

Students who earn a passing grade in BIOL 302 or BIOL 303 may not re-register for BIOL 141 or BIOL 142 . Complete the following:

Additional Biology Courses (10 credits)

Complete the following:

Biology 300-Level Elective

Complete one course from the following:

Biology 400-Level Elective

Complete one 400-level BIOL lecture course in residence at UMBC. BIOL 497H , BIOL 499 , and BIOL 499L may not be used to fulfill this requirement.

Supporting STEM courses (29 credits)

Complete the following:

Education (32 credits)

Complete the following:

National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Recommended (13 credits)

Complete the following:

Four-Year Academic Pathways

The Four-Year Academic Pathways webpage offers helpful sample pathways for students eager to explore their academic options and stay on track for a four-year graduation. These pathways provide a starting point for students to plan how to complete their degree in four years. However, it’s important to remember that these are just samples. In consultation with their academic advisor, each student will create an individualized degree plan that reflects their unique academic background, interests, and career goals.

Students must develop their personalized degree plan by the time they’ve earned 45 credits and regularly update it with their advisor as their goals and academic journey evolve. This approach ensures that students make thoughtful, strategic choices that set them up for success throughout their time at UMBC.

Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Programs

Qualified students may apply to an accelerated program, which allows them to take graduate courses as undergraduate students and later apply those courses to master’s degrees. A student may apply to participate in an accelerated program even if the desired graduate program is in a department other than the one in which they are majoring. More information is available from the Accelerated Program page of the Graduate School website.