Students preparing to teach in high school or middle school must complete this BS degree in biology and a minor in either secondary education/high school (grades 8-12) or secondary education/middle school (grades 5-8). Successful completion of either of these programs will lead to Massachusetts Initial Teacher Licensure. Please refer to the catalog entry for the “Department of Secondary Education and Professional Programs” for specific teacher licensure and program requirements. Students who wish to obtain a minor in secondary education with a view toward licensure in biology must fulfill the Secondary Education Concentration within the biology program and will be required to pass the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure® (MTEL) in biology. Information on the MTEL® can be found at www.mtel.nesinc.com.
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) provides a list of subject matter knowledge that is required for license. The list is available at www.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/603cmr7.html.
Grade Requirement
Students must receive a grade of “C-” or higher for the biology core courses, (BIOL 121 , BIOL 122 , BIOL 200 , BIOL 225 , and BIOL 321 ). A grade of “B-” or higher is required in BIOL 100 or BIOL 102 in order for these courses to substitute as an equivalent to BIOL 121 . Only one grade below “C-” earned in a course taught in the department and required outside of the biology core shall be accepted to fulfill the requirements for the bachelor’s degree. Students receiving a grade below “C-” in additional courses may continue in the major but must repeat and successfully complete the course with the grade of “C-” or better or complete another course that fulfills the same required “area” for the major. To qualify for graduation with a degree in biology, the student must have a major grade point average (GPA) of 2.3 or higher. The following courses may not be applied toward the Biology major and thus cannot be computed as part of the major GPA: BIOL 110 , BIOL 111 , BIOL 112 , BIOL 115 , BIOL 117 , BIOL 119 , BIOL 128 .
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