Biology & Educational Studies Special Major

Doctor? Professor? Teacher? Conservationist?

Who do you want to be?

Overview

Biology & Educational Studies special majors learn to catalyze comprehension and inspire interest in medical, environmental or other biological topics. This major is an excellent choice for pre-medical and other pre-health professional students as well as for aspiring college professors, teachers and environmental educators. Read on for descriptions of each track, including suggestions for additional courses.

* Fulfills college writing requirement (W course). 

**CHEM 038 Biochemistry may be used for the Cellular & Molecular Biology Elective

***Any one of the following courses may be used to fulfill the NSE elective requirement: ASTR 016, CHEM 015 or CHEM 022, CPSC 021 or above, PHYS 003/003L or above (not including PHYS 29 or 95), ENGR 005 or above (with the exception of ENGR 010), MATH 025 or above.

Placement: A score of 5 on the Advanced Placement or equivalent counts in place of BIOL 001 and/or BIOL 002 as 1CR. This counts as 1CR of the total 6CR BIOL required for completion (including CHEM 038). Placement is sufficient to fulfill the CHEM 010 and/or MATH 015 and/or STAT 011 requirements.

Premedical / Prehealth Professional Track

Educating patients and colleagues from a range of scholastic and cultural backgrounds about health, disease and treatment is integral to the practice of medicine. Medical schools value a robust understanding of the social and psychological foundations of learning and behavior, as evinced by changes in the upcoming 2015 MCAT. Acquiring and applying these understandings are critical for obtaining accurate patient histories, motivating patient compliance, justifying decisions to colleagues and more. By choosing a Biology & Educational Studies major, you'll formally demonstrate a commitment to this aspect of clinical practice, alongside the natural science studies that are common to pre-medical students and other aspiring health professionals. For a list of these courses and other premedical / prehealth professional requirements click here. 

Conservationist & Environmental Educator Track

Environmental conservation efforts depend on the support of local communities, including their industrial and political representatives. Activism and professional advocacy require advancing arguments that depend on helping the audience understand biological and other scientific topics. Thus, conservationists and environmental educators need to understand both scientific and pedagogical principles and practices to do their important work. A special major in Biology & Educational Studies can prepare you for the challenges of changing hearts and minds to make a better world for human beings and other beings that share our planet.  

Biology Teacher & Science Education Professor Track

The world around us is changing rapidly thanks to advances in science and technology. Biotechnology has already begun to fulfill its promise of new diagnostics and medicines, new agricultural and material production methods and more. The excitement of finding powerful new ways to improve our lives goes hand in hand with legitimate fears of an unknown future. Will there be more unintended consequences of biotechnology such as MRSA and other "superbugs"? Who will have access to biomedical advances? How will our industrial practices continue to affect biological systems such as rainforests and oceans and how will this affect our lives and those of future generations? Biology teachers prepare the next generation of citizens and scientists with information vital to political and personal decision-making. As a certified teacher, you can get a job right out of college and have an engaging and meaningful career throughout your professional lifetime.

Alternatively, after one school year or at a later stage of your career, you might choose to pursue a PhD or EdD and teach future teachers as a Science Education Professor. Unlike Biology Professors, due to the requirement for certification and teaching experience, these positions are generally available without the need for a postdoc. Research areas often involve issues of social justice and center on practices, programs and policies involving public school education. Teaching is a lifelong labor of love as well as a secure and satisfying career that can begin by choosing a special major in Biology & Educational Studies. For information about secondary education and other certification requirements, click here.