To assist current and potential Biology majors with an interest in pursuing a career in Science Education, either informally or as part of a joint BA/MT Program in Science Education offered through the Curry School of Education, the following course recommendations are given. We emphasize that this summary is intended only as a guide and it is up to the individual student to determine the merits of a broad versus focused course selection.

Statement of Purpose

The aim of this program is to provide the opportunity for undergraduate students majoring in Biology to simultaneously earn a Baccalaureate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences in Biology (BA or BS) and a Master of Teaching (MT) degree with licensure through the Curry School of Education (for additional information about the program go to http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/teachered/bamt.html).

Major characteristics of the program include:

(1) a carefully structured and planned program of study which permits the student to have a variety of professional experiences throughout the program;
(2) a coherent curriculum specifically designed to emphasize basic science training in cellular, developmental and molecular biology, as well as experience in organismal biology, ecology and evolutionary biology in preparation for a career as a science educator in K-12;
(3) completion of the requirements for both the BA (or BS) and MT degrees and for licensure simultaneously;
(4) involvement in the practical aspects of teaching from the second through the fifth year.

General Professional and Academic Program Requirements

Prospective teachers are enrolled in their personally chosen liberal arts program in the College of Arts and Sciences. Core requirements in liberal arts must be completed for the BA degree. Students in teacher education must include the following college core courses in their program of study:

*All science MT students are required to complete at least one history of science course.

Requirements for a BA in Biology

A detailed description of the requirements for a BA in Biology can be found at http://www.virginia.edu/biology/undergrad/undergrad_web_book_files/bach_arts
_requirements.htm. In general, to earn a BA degree in Biology, Majors are required to complete a total of 22 hours of upper-level (300 or above) biology courses. Included in this 22 hrs. are BIOL 300 (Cell & Molecular Biology) and BIOL 301 (Genetics & Evolution) and at least 3 hours of laboratory course work at or above the 300 level. This lab requirement can be satisfied by a 3 credit departmental course in field or marine biology, a course taught at Mountain Lake Biological Station, or with two semesters of Independent Research conducted in one laboratory. A maximum of 6 credits may be applied to the Biology major from courses offered by the Department of Environmental Sciences. These courses include EVSC 320/320L (Fundamentals of Ecology) and upper level (400+) courses that have EVSC 320 as a prerequisite. Students may petition the Biology Undergraduate Committee to have credit for other biologically oriented courses in Environmental Sciences count toward the Biology major. No more than 6 semester hours of credit toward the Biology major may be awarded for any combination of research courses, including 385, 386, 395, and 491-498.

Prospective Biology teachers must satisfy the following criteria:

1. Completion of a minimum of 32 semester hours in biology, with a minimum of one course selected from each of the following areas:

Zoology                       Genetics                        Botany                         Ecology
Physiology                  Cell Biology/biochemistry

Other recommended courses: Evolution, Microbiology

2. Completion of a minimum of 20 semester hours of supporting courses, with at least one course from each of the following:

Chemistry                    Earth/Space Science      Physics
Mathematics (to at least the level of introductory calculus)

Notes:

• It is highly recommended that you complete 6 credits in science at 500 level or   above
• Where possible, science courses should include a lab section.
• Only a two-course deficiency in the major or supporting courses may be completed   after the teaching associate semester.
  

Possible Course Selections by Area:

Cell and Molecular Biology: Biology 405: Developmental Biology (3 hrs); Biology 417: Cellular Neurobiology (3 hrs); Biology 426: Cellular Mechanisms (3 hrs); Biology 541: Molecular Biology Genetics (4 hrs); Biology 501: Biochemistry (4 hrs); Biology 508: Developmental Mechanisms (4 hrs)

Elective Laboratory courses: Biology 404: Cell Biology Laboratory; Biology 411: Genetics Laboratory; Biology 407: Laboratory in Developmental Biology; Biology 491/492: Introduction to Independent Research in laboratory of an investigator who is associated with the University's Cell and Molecular Biology Program.

Evolution: Macroevolution (BIOL 401), Evolutionary Genetics (BIOL 402), Evolution Lab (BIOL 403), DNA Techniques for Evolutionary Biology (BIOL 533*).

Ecology: Population Ecology and Conservation Biology (BIOL 413), Biodiversity and Conservation (BIOL 345), Ecological Communities of Virginia (BIOL 350/850), Conservation Biology (BIOL 460/860), Fundamentals of Ecology (EVSC 320), The Ecology of Coastal Wetlands (EVSC 420), Marine Environments and Organisms (EVSC 423), Management of Forest Ecosystems (EVSC 430), Methods in Aquatic Ecology (EVSC 431), Aquatic Plant Ecology (EVSC 432), Applied Statistics for Environmental Scientists (EVSC 503), and related EVSC 500-level Ecology courses.

Systematics: Ecology of Amphibians (BIOL 352/852), Biology of Mammals (BIOL 534*), Biology of Fungi (BIOL 354/854), Plant Biodiversity & Conservation (BIOL 351/851), Field Entomology (BIOL 568).

Behavior: Intro. Neurobiology (BIOL 317), Intro. Animal Behavior (BIOL 325), Biological Clocks (BIOL 419), Animal Behavior Laboratory (BIOL 427).

Organismal Biology: Intro. Botany (BIOL 318), Infectious Disease (BIOL 309), Biology of Aging (BIOL 314), Ornithology (BIOL 328), Biology of Reproduction (BIOL 345), Invertebrate Zoology (BIOL 409), Vertebrate Zoology (BIOL 410), Animal Physiology (BIOL 423), Ichthyology (BIOL 415).

Students interested in this undergraduate specialization should contact Dr. Michael P. Timko (mpt9g@virginia.edu) in the Department of Biology or Randy Bell rlb6f@virginia.edu at the Curry School.

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