Teaching Biology Minor

A teaching minor is an academic minor which may contain different course requirements designed to meet state standards. Those interested in teaching in K-12 schools must complete a teaching major in a content area plus the teacher preparation program through the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Additional teaching areas can be added through completion of either a teaching major or a teaching minor in that content area.

To sign up for this option, you need to contact the Curriculum and Instruction Department. Do not fill out a major/minor form for graduation or the major/minor/concentration section of the major change form. Approvals for this option must come from the Curriculum and Instruction Department.  

Tracks will not appear on your UM transcript, diploma, university lists, student data system, or university publication and are used for advising purposes only. You do not fill out a major change for a track.

Minor - Biology; Track: Teaching Biology

College Humanities & Sciences

Catalog Year: 2016-2017

Degree Specific Credits: 43

Required Cumulative GPA: 2.75

Note: In order to be licensed to teach secondary biology, students must be admitted to the Teacher Education Program through the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education and Human Sciences.


Biology/Microbiology Lower Division Core

Rule: All of the following courses are required.

Note: The lower division core should be completed before attempting most upper division major courses.

AP Biology credit may be substituted for either BIOB 160N/161N or BIOB 170N/171N.

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description BIOB 160N - Principles of Living Systems
Offered autumn and summer. Unifying principles of biological structure-function relationships at different levels of organization and complexity. Consideration of reproduction, genetics, development, evolution, ecosystems, as well as the inter-relationships of the human species to the rest of life. Students requiring a laboratory should also register for BIOB 161N. Credit not allowed for both BIOB 101N and 160N.
3 Credits
Show Description BIOB 161N - Prncpls of Living Systems Lab
Offered autumn and summer. Prereq., or Coreq., BIOB 160N. Lab experiences illustrate biological principles underlying growth, reproduction, development, genetics and physiology, and are designed to give students practice in scientific methods of description, development of hypotheses, and testing.
1 Credits
Show Description BIOB 170N - Princpls Biological Diversity
Offered spring and summer.  Survey of the diversity, evolution and ecology of life including prokaryotes, viruses, protista, fungi, plants and animals.
3 Credits
Show Description BIOB 171N - Princpls Biological Dvrsty Lab
Offered spring and summer.  Coreq., BIOB 170N. The diversity of life including prokaryotes, viruses, protista, fungi, plants and animals including structure and evolutionary relationships.
2 Credits
Show Description BIOB 260 - Cellular and Molecular Biology
Offered autumn and summer. Prereq. BIOB 160N (preferred) or BCH 110/111 (preferred) or B- or higher in BIOH 112; and either CHMY 123 or CHMY 143. Analytical exploration of the structure and function of the cell, the fundamental unit of life, with an emphasis on energy transformations and information flow. Topics include molecular building blocks, membranes, organelles, and mechanisms of replication, gene expression, metabolism, signal transduction, cell birth, cell death, and cell differentiation.
4 Credits
Show Description BIOB 272 - Genetics and Evolution
Offered spring. Prereq., either BIOB 260 OR both BIOB 160N and BIOB 170N/171N; and one of M 121, 122, 151, 162, or 171. Principles and mechanisms of inheritance and evolution. Population genetics, fossil record, macroevolution, speciation, extinction, systematics, molecular evolution.
4 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 17 Total Credits Required

Upper Division Core Courses Required by the Biology Teaching Minor

Rule: All of the following courses are required.

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description BIOM 360 - Gen Microbiolgy (equiv to 260)
Offered autumn. Prereq., CHMY 123 or 143N; Prereq. or coreq., BIOB 260. Microbial structure and function, growth and reproduction, physiology, ecology, genetics, environmental factors, control of microorganisms and sterility, antimicrobial agents, microbial diversity.
3 Credits
Show Description BIOM 361 - Gen Microbiolgy Lb (equiv 261)
Offered autumn. Prereq. or coreq., BIOM 360. Basic microbiology procedures and techniques.
2 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 5 Total Credits Required

Required Content Courses Outside of the Major

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Mathematics - Calculus

Rule: Complete one of the following calculus courses

Note: Choose M 171, if you plan to take additional calculus courses, or if you plan a double major or minor in a field that requires more calculus (e.g. math, physics, biochemistry, computer science).

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description M 162 - Applied Calculus
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., ALEKS placement >= 5 or one of M 121, 122 or 151. Introductory course surveying the principal ideas of differential and integral calculus with emphasis on applications and computer software. Mathematical modeling in discrete and continuous settings. Intended primarily for students who do not plan to take higher calculus.
4 Credits
Show Description M 171 - Calculus I
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., M 122 or 151 or ALEKS placement >= 5.  Differential calculus, including limits, continuous functions, Intermediate Value Theorem, tangents, linear approximation, inverse functions, implicit differentiation, extreme values and the Mean Value Theorem.  Integral Calculus including antiderivatives, definite integrals, and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
4 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 4 Total Credits Required

Mathematics - Statistics

Rule: The following course is required

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description STAT 216 - Introduction to Statistics
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., M 115 (preferred), or one of M 121, 132, 151, 162 or 171, or ALEKS placement >= 4. Introduction to major ideas of statistical inference. Emphasis is on statistical reasoning and uses of statistics.
4 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 4 Total Credits Required

Chemistry

Rule: All of the following courses are required

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description CHMY 121N - Intro to General Chemistry
Offered autumn and spring. First semester of an introduction to general, inorganic, organic and biological chemistry.
3 Credits
Show Description CHMY 123N - Intro to Organic & Biochem
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., "C-" or equiv. in CHMY 121N or consent of instr. Second semester of an introduction to general, inorganic, organic and biological chemistry.
3 Credits
Show Description CHMY 485 - Laboratory Safety
Offered autumn. Prereq., one year of college chemistry. Awareness of and methods of control of hazards encountered in laboratory work. Awareness of legal constraints on work with chemicals. Sources of information regarding chemical hazards.
1 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 7 Total Credits Required

Environmental Geosciences

Rule: Complete one of the following courses

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description GEO 105N - Oceanography
Offered spring. The ocean covers 70 % of the globe, and yet vast regions remain unexplored. Interactions between the atmosphere and the sea moderate and control our climate. Nearly 40 % of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometers of the coast. The oceans are geographically, environmentally, culturally, and economically critical to society. This course introduces oceanography, including the origin of water and ocean basins; marine resources; atmospheric circulation; air-sea interaction; ocean-climate feedback; currents, tides, and coastal processes; marine ecology; and use and misuse of the oceans.
3 Credits
Show Description GEO 108N - Climate Change
Offered autumn.  The geoscience perspective on the earth’s climate system.  Climate processes and feedbacks, climate history from early earth to the ice ages, present and future changes due to natural processes and human activities.
3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required

Education

Rule: The following course is required

Note: The course number EDU 497 covers many different teaching method courses. The section of EDU 497 entitled "Methods: 5 - 12 Science" is required for the Teaching Biology minor.

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description EDU 497 - Teaching and Assessing
(R-15) Offered autumn and/or spring. Prerequisite: Admission to the Teacher Education Program. This course number is used for multiple elementary and secondary methods courses. Check the class schedule or with your advisor regarding appropriate sections. 5-8 Mathematics: 3 cr. Offered autumn and spring. This class must be taken concurrently with Level 3 courses and is restricted to students who have completed coursework in Levels 1 & 2. Methods of teaching, assessing, and evaluating mathematics in the 5-8 middle grades including number and operations, rational numbers, ratio and proportion, measurement, algebra, expressions and equations, geometry, probability, statistics, and functions. K-8 Social Studies: 3 cr. Offered autumn and spring. This class must be taken concurrently with Level 3 courses and is restricted to students who have completed coursework in Levels 1 & 2. Emphasis on developing teaching and assessing social studies teaching/learning opportunities that incorporate literature, primary sources and other developmentally appropriate activities. Overarching themes address diversity, integration across the curriculum and understanding state and national curriculum standards. K-8 Science: 3 cr. Offered autumn and spring. This class must be taken concurrently with Level 3 courses and is restricted to students who have completed coursework in Levels 1 & 2. Emphasis on developing, teaching, and assessing science teaching/learning opportunities that are inquiry-based, developmentally appropriate, integrated across the curriculum, and aligned with state and national curriculum standards. 4-8 Reading: 3 cr. Offered autumn and spring. This class must be taken concurrently with Level 3 courses and is restricted to students who have completed coursework in Levels 1 & 2. Preparation for teaching reading in a 4-8 setting so that all students are successful. Emphasis on reading to learn. Focus on using assessment to guide instruction, learning from trade books, textbooks, and electronic texts, activating prior knowledge, studying texts, and developing student enthusiasm for reading. 5-12 Science: 3 cr. Offered autumn. Methods of teaching science in the middle and secondary school. This course emphasizes the use of inquiry, problem-solving, appropriate use of technology, and assessment techniques that align with state and national curriculum standards. 5-12 Social Studies: 3 cr. Offered autumn. Foundations and purpose of the middle and secondary social studies curriculum. Elements of curricular design, including instructional methods, materials and assessment. 5-12 Mathematics: 4 cr. Offered autumn. Methods for teaching mathematics in grades 5-12 focusing on presentation of mathematics concepts and procedures through models, problem solving, and technology. Development of instructional strategies and classroom organizational models, discourse in the classroom, and multiple means for assessing student progress. 5-12 Business Subjects: 4 cr. Offered autumn. Methods for teaching business subjects in grades 5-12 focusing on content-specific topics in business, marketing, and information technology to include: instructional planning; effective teaching strategies (F2F & online); multiple means for assessing student progress; classroom management; and the relationship of the content area to standards-based curricula.
0 To 4 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required

Secondary Teaching Licensure

Note: For endorsement to teach biology, a student also must gain admission to the Teacher Education Program and meet all the requirements for secondary teaching licensure (see the College of Education & Human Sciences)