B.A. Biology with Biology Education Concentration

The B.A. in Biology with a Concentration in Biology Education is designed for students who want to pursue teacher certification in biology. The B.A. has fewer courses in Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics than the B.S. in Biology, and more upper division electives, providing students with greater latitude to design their own program of study. Students who pursue the B.A. in Biology will not meet the minimum requirements for admission to most graduate research programs in biological sciences or professional programs in the health sciences.

The B.A. degree requires that students complete all of the General Education Objectives described in the Academic Information section of this catalog.  Students must also satisfy the core requirements listed below and the requirements of the Biology Education Concentration.  All graduates of this degree program will earn a B.A. in Biology regardless of the concentration selected.

General Education

The listing below includes program requirements that also fulfill General Education requirements.

Objective 16
Objective 23
Objective 33
Objective 46
Objective 57
Objective 66
Students must fulfill Objective 7 or Objective 83
Objective 7
Objective 8
Objective 93
Total Credits37

Required Core Courses:

BIOL 1101
1101L
Biology I
and Biology I Lab
4
BIOL 1102
1102L
Biology II
and Biology II Lab
4
BIOL 2206
BIOL 2207
Cell Biology
and Cell Biology Laboratory
4
BIOL 2209
2209L
General Ecology
and General Ecology Laboratory
4
BIOL 3358Genetics3
BIOL 4417Organic Evolution3
BIOL 4491
BIOL 4492
Seminar
and Seminar
2
Total Credits24

Required Supporting Science Courses:

MATH 1160Survey of Calculus3
or MATH 1153 Statistical Reasoning
CHEM 1111
1111L
General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry I Lab
5
CHEM 1112
1112L
General Chemistry II
and General Chemistry II Lab
4
Total Credits12

Concentration in Biology Education

(Idaho teacher preparation requires 45 credits of Biology in the Single Subject Major)

Students in the B.A. in Biology program with the Concentration in Biology Education may complete the requirements for teacher certification by completing the Professional Education Core and other required courses in the College of Education. Such students must apply for admission to the Teacher Education program (see the College of Education section of the catalog for details).

In addition to completing the Required Core courses and the General Education Requirements, students earning a B.A. in Biology in the Biological Education concentration must complete the following requirements.

Required Courses:

BIOL 2233
2233L
Principles of Microbiology
and Principles of Microbiology Lab
4
BIOL 4413Biology Teaching Methods3

Elective Courses:

2 courses from Animal Biology list below6-8
2 courses from Plant Biology list below6-8
Biology Electives (any Biology course, to meet 45 credits minimum)2-4

Suggested Animal Biology Courses:

BIOL 3303
3303L
Principles of Animal Physiology
and Principles of Animal Physiology Lab
4
BIOL 3310
3310L
Invertebrate Zoology
and Invertebrate Zoology Lab
4
BIOL 3314
3314L
Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy
and Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy Lab
4
BIOL 4423General Parasitology3
BIOL 4426
4426L
Herpetology
and Herpetology Lab
4
BIOL 4427
4427L
Ichthyology
and Ichthyology Lab
4
BIOL 4431
4431L
General Entomology
and General Entomology Lab
4
BIOL 4438Ornithology4
BIOL 4441
4441L
Mammalogy
and Mammalogy Lab
4
BIOL 4459
4459L
Fish Ecology
and Fish Ecology Laboratory
4
BIOL 4462
4462L
Freshwater Ecology
and Freshwater Ecology Lab
4
BIOL 4495Animal Behavior4

Suggested Plant Biology Courses:

BIOL 2213Fall Flora2
BIOL 2214Spring Flora2
BIOL 4412
4412L
Systematic Botany
and Systematic Botany Lab
4
BIOL 4404Plant Physiology3
BIOL 4404LPlant Physiology Lab 11
BIOL 4405
4405L
Plant Form and Function
and Plant Form and Function Lab
4
BIOL 4408Plant Ecology3
BIOL 4408LPlant Ecology Lab 11
BIOL 4442Plant Animal Interactions3

1 These are optional labs.

​Degree Totals

Program Admission Requirements0
General Education37
Major Requirements (w/o General Education)34
Upper Division Free Electives25
Free Electives24
Total Credits120

ISU Degree Requirements

ISU General Education

Major Academic Plan (MAP)