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Secondary Certification in Biology
(to teach grades 8-12)
 
  • Biology Major (ref. # 525 or 617) or Biology Minor (ref. # 326) - ONLY IF you are getting certified in your major as well plus Professional Education Courses (31 hours total required and which are not counted as a minor; courses typically taken in the same semester are noted; see the WKU Undergraduate Catalog for specific prerequisites/corequisites):
Outline of courses required:
EDU 250 Introduction to Teacher Education (3 hrs.)
PSY 310 Educational Psychology: Development and Learning (3 hrs.) Note: PSY 100 is a prerequisite.
SEC 351 Teaching Strategies for Secondary Schools (3 hrs.)
SEC 352 Planning for Student Diversity (3 hrs.)
SEC 453 Management of Instruction (3 hrs.)
SEC 479 Teaching Science (3 hrs.)
EDU 489 Student Teaching Seminar (3 hrs.)
SEC 490 Student Teaching (10 hrs.)

* Please see the WKU Undergraduate Catalog for additional requirements for Admission to the Teacher Education Program and Praxis tests, etc.

  • Major in Middle Grades Education (ref. # 579) in a Single Teaching Field (Science) or Dual Teaching Fields (Science plus English, Mathematics, or Social Studies):
Science courses required for Single Teaching Field in Science (36 hrs.):
GEOL 111: Physical Geology (3 hrs.) and GEOL 113: Physical Geology Lab (1hr.)
GEOL 112: Historical Geology (3hrs.) and GEOL 114: Historical Geology Lab (1hr.)
GEOG 121: Meterology (3 hrs.)
ASTR 405: Astronomy for Teachers (3hrs.)
BIO 120: Biological Concepts (3 hrs.) and BIO 121: Biological Concepts Lab (1 hr.)
BIO 222: General Botany (3 hrs.) and BIO 223: General Botany Lab (1 hr.) or
BIO 224: General Zoology (3 hrs.) and BIO 225: General Zoology Lab ( 1 hr.)
CHEM 101: Introduction to Chemistry (3 hrs.) and CHEM 102: Introduction to Chemistry Lab (1 hr.)
CHEM 105: General Chemistry I (3 hrs.) and CHEM 106: General ChemistryLaboratory (1 hr.)
PHY 105: Concepts of the Physical World (3 hrs.)
PHY 410: Physics for Teachers (3 hrs.)

Total hours: 30-36 hours of content courses in one teaching field; 37 hours of professional education

* Please see the WKU Undergraduate Catalog for additional requirements for Admission to the Teacher Education Program and Praxis tests, etc.

Science courses required for Dual Teaching Area in Science (27 hrs.). Note: You must also have 27 hrs. in another teaching field: Mathematics, Social Studies, or English/Communications):
GEOL 111: Physical Geology (3 hrs.) and GEOL 113: Physical Geology Lab (1 hr.)
GEOL 112: Historical Geology (3hrs.) and GEOL 114: Historical Geology Lab (1hr.)
ASTR 104: Astronomy of the Solar System (3 hrs.) or
ASTR 106: Astronomy of the Stellar Systems (3 hrs.)
or
ASTR 405: Astronomy for Teachers (3hrs.)
BIO 120: Biological Concepts – Cells, Metabolism, and Genetics (3 hrs.) and BIO 121: Biological Concepts – Cells, Metabolism, and Genetics Lab (1 hr.)
BIO 222: General Botany (3 hrs.) and BIO 223: General Botany Lab (1 hr.) or
BIO 224: General Zoology (3 hrs.) and BIO 225: General Zoology Lab ( 1 hr.)
BIO 398: Research Problems in Biology (1 hr.) or BIO 475: Experimental Design for Teachers (1 hr.)
CHEM 101: Introduction to Chemistry (3 hrs.) and CHEM 102: Introduction toChemistry Lab (1 hr.) or
CHEM 105: General Chemistry I (3 hrs.) and CHEM 106: General Chemistry Laboratory (1 hr.)
PHY 105: Concepts of the Physical World (3 hrs.)

* See the WKU Undergraduate Catalog for additional courses in the second teaching field and professional education and requirements for Admission to the Teacher Education Program, Praxis tests, etc.

  • Alternative Certification in Secondary Biology (Transition to Teaching Program):

Biology Requirements for Admission to the Alternative Certification Master of Arts in Education Program:
1. The student must pass the Praxis Biology content examination(s).  See the Praxis website for current State Testing Requirements:  http://www.ets.org/praxis

2. The student must have achieved one of the following (a) A Bachelor of Arts or Science degree in Biology or (b) Completion (with a minimum GPA 2.5) of at least 24 hours of undergraduate biology courses and 10 hours of chemistry courses including the equivalent of the following courses as determined by the Biology Department Head:

Required Courses (16 hrs.)
Bio 120/121 Biological Concepts/Biological Concepts Lab
Bio 220/221 Intro. to Molecular and Cell Biology
Bio 222/223 General Botany/General Botany Lab
Bio 224/225 General Zoology/General Zoology Lab
Restricted Electives (6-8 hrs.)
Two major lecture content courses* at the 300-400 level (see below).
Also required:
Chem 120/121 College Chemistry I/College Chemistry I Lab

Chem 222/223 College Chemistry II/College Chemistry II Lab

3. Special approval by the Department of Biology Curriculum Committee

*Major lecture content courses at the 300-400 level include:
Bio 309 BACTERIOLOGY
Bio 310 BACTERIOLOGY LAB
Bio 321 COMPARATIVE ANATOMY
Bio 324 HISTOLOGY LAB
Bio 325 ENTOMOLOGY
Bio 326 ORNITHOLOGY
Bio 327 GENETICS
Bio 328 IMMUNOLOGY
Bio 329 BASIC PATHOLOGY OF DISEASE
Bio 330 ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY
Bio 348 PLANT TAXONOMY
Bio 350 INTRO TO RECOMBINANT GENETICS
Bio 402 EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF PLANTS
Bio 407 VIROLOGY
Bio 408 INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY
Bio 411 CELL BIOLOGY
Bio 415 ECOLOGICAL METHODS
Bio 420 INTRODUCTION TO TOXICOLOGY
Bio 430 EVOLUTION: THEORY AND PROCESS
Bio 440 DEVELOPMENTAL GENETICS

Bio 446 BIOCHEMISTRY I

Bio 450 RECOMBINANT GENE TECHNOLOGY
Bio 456 ICHTHYOLOGY
Bio 459 MAMMALOGY
Bio 460 PARASITOLOGY
Bio 464 ENDOCRINOLOGY
Bio 467
BIOCHEMISTRY II
Bio 470 PATHOGENIC MICROBIOLOGY
Bio 472 APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICRO
Bio 473 INTERACTIONS IN CAVE ENVIRONMENTS
Bio 483 MULTIVARIATE METHODS IN BIOLOGY
Bio 485 FIELD BIOLOGY
Bio 495 MOLECULAR GENETICS
Bio 496 PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY
Bio 497 LIMNOLOGY

* See the WKU Graduate Catalog for additional requirements for admission and requirements for completion of this program.

  • Science Requirements for Admission to the Alternative Route Certification/Master of Arts in Education Program in Middle School Science:

1. The student must pass the PRAXIS middle grades science content examination (0439).
2. The student must have achieved all of the following: (a) 30 hours of undergraduate science coursework. Included in this coursework must be:

  • 6 hrs. of geology
  • 6 hrs. of biology
  • 9 hrs. of physics and chemistry with at least 3 hr in each field
  • 3 hrs. of astronomy
  • 6 hrs. of coursework at the 200 level and above

3. Special approval by Ogden College

4. Candidates who meet the requirements for number of hours and level but who do not meet the requirements in one or more fields may enter the program with special approval by (again who makes the call?) of a plan to make up the subject area requirements.

* See the WKU Graduate Catalog for additional requirements for admission and requirements for completion of this program.

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