Bachelor of Science Education: Secondary Education Biology  

Inspire future generations of students by learning everything you need to know to be a successful high school biology teacher.

To earn this degree, you must complete at least 120 units of course work, as follows:

  • at least 35 units of liberal studies requirements; be aware that you may not use courses with a BIO prefix to satisfy these liberal studies requirements
  • at least 71 units of major requirements 
  • at least 33 units of teacher-preparation requirements
  • elective courses, if needed, to reach an overall total of at least 120 units 

Also be aware that, for the BSEd degree, you must have the following:

  • a grade of a "B" or better for the English foundation requirement (ENG 105 or equivalent); if you don’t receive a 3.0, you may complete an additional ENG writing course, at the 200-level or above, with at least a "B," to meet this requirement
  • a grade of at least "C" for the mathematics foundation requirement (MAT 125 or 125H, 136 or 136H, or equivalent)
  • a grade point average of at least 2.5 in all of your Northern Arizona University coursework

Science and mathematics teacher-preparation requirements 

You must complete the following 33 units of professional courses to qualify for certification to teach biology in Arizona and most other states. To meet our standards, you must meet or surpass the following grade requirements:

  • complete these courses with a grade of "C" or better:
    • TSM 101, 102 and 300 (5 units)

In order to be approved for student teaching, you must complete these five courses, earning no more than one grade of "C":

  • TSM 350, 404, and 450 (9 units)
  • BME 300, and 437 (6 units)

Complete one of the following courses with a grade of "C" or better:

  • TSM 495C or ECI 495C (12 units)

Complete the following course with a grade of "B" or better:

  • TSM 496C (1 unit)

Note: Together, TSM 496C and (either TCM 495C or ECI 495C) meet Northern Arizona University’s senior capstone requirement.

For the teacher-preparation portion of the plan, you must have an academic adviser in both your major department and in the NAUTeach program.

Note: The progression plan includes additional deadlines for program completion. Check out the Progression Plan Links.

You may also find the following websites helpful in navigating your degree plan:

Additional requirements

Academic catalog 

Find information on additional information on requirements needed to earn a degree from Northern Arizona University.