Department Information:

Biology - College of Arts & Sciences

Advisor Information:

Students are strongly encouraged to make annual appointments with a departmental advisor by contacting:

Biology Department Office - (734) 487-4242

A faculty advisor will help you determine which courses to take and in what sequence, to make sure that you satisfy your degree requirements as efficiently as possible. If you have not already seen a Biology faculty advisor, you should make an appointment as soon as possible, and schedule yearly appointments thereafter.

For a list of faculty advisors for specific interest areas, please follow this link.

Teacher Certification:

Successful completion of this course of study, in the context of other program requirements, qualifies the student for recommendation for the Michigan Department of Education Secondary Provisional Certificate endorsed in biology, certification code DA and, depending on the minor selected, an additional endorsement. This program of study meets all requirements of the National Science Teachers Association. The Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) covering this field is #017, “Biology.”

Initial Teacher Preparation Program Admission:

In order to pursue the sequence of courses necessary to complete eligibility for recommendation for certification, one must apply for and be admitted to the teacher preparation program. Admission requirements are common for all teacher preparation programs, except that certain special education programs have additional requirements.

Admission to the teacher preparation program is not automatic and is a two-phase process. Only those persons who have formally applied are considered for admission. Not all persons who apply become eligible for admission.

Teaching majors and minors are unofficial until program admission. Students pursuing teacher certification should follow the catalog that exists at the time of program admission. It is important that students apply to the teacher preparation program as soon as they have earned 56 credit hours.

Admission to Phase I of the Initial Teacher Preparation Program:

Students must meet all of the following requirements:

• Completion of 56 credit hours
• Appropriate cumulative GPA. One of:
  • An overall EMU GPA of 2.5 or higher based on a minimum of 12 credit hours taken at EMU. An EMU GPA of 2.5 or higher in your major, based on at least one course in your major. The Elementary Education Major is comprehensive, therefore, the elementary major GPA is based on the cumulative of liberal arts curriculum and content course work.
  • Transferred 56 credits with a cumulative 3.0 GPA from all previous institutions.
• A grade of “C” or higher in the following courses (if taken): WRTG 121  (or ENGL 121 ), CTAC 124 , Quantitative Reasoning (GEQR) , One Lab Science, and all of the professional education courses
• Official Test Scores showing competency in at least one of the following areas: mathematics, reading and writing. Scores are accepted from the Professional Readiness Exam (PRE), Basic Skills Test (no longer offered), ACT, or Michigan Merit Exam (MME). The following scores are acceptable:
  • Mathematics: PRE pass, Basic Skills pass, ACT mathematics 22 or higher, or MME mathematics 1116 or higher.
  • Writing: PRE pass, Basic Skills pass, ACT combined English/writing 24 or higher, or MME writing 1129 or higher.
  • Reading: PRE pass, Basic Skills pass, ACT reading 22 or higher, or MME reading 1108 or higher.
• ICHAT criminal background check, and Statement of Civil/Criminal Convictions. If you answered yes to any of the civil/criminal conviction questions on the application, you will need to provide:
  • A copy of the Judgment of Sentence, or Registrar of Actions, or Certification of Conviction.
  • A written explanation of the offense(s). Application of students with civil/criminal convictions will be carefully reviewed and may take longer to process.
• Attendance at Group Advising Session required. Your major may require additional advising sessions. 

Admission to Initial Teacher Preparation Program Candidacy:

Students must meet all of the following requirements, and complete Phase I before starting Phase II:

• A grade of “C” or higher in the following courses (courses must be completed): CURR 305  and SOFD 328W  
• Official Test Scores showing competency in all three of the following areas: mathematics, reading and writing. Scores are accepted from the Professional Readiness Exam (PRE), Basic Skills Test (no longer offered), ACT, or Michigan Merit Exam (MME). (see above scores). An alternative score in one area is acceptable.
• A Dispositions Review from CURR 305  will be completed in LiveText. Students will be responsible for saving this as a .PDF and uploading the file with their iChat form when applying to the ITTP. 

General Education Requirements:

For specific General Education requirements, click here .

Major Requirements: 57-59 hours

Professional Secondary Education Sequence: 40 hours

• Pre-Admission Phase - The Learner and the Community: 7 hours

  Students must be Sophomore standing or higher to begin this phase

• EDPS 322 - Human Development and Learning 4 hrs
• SPGN 251 - Introduction to Inclusion and Disabilities Studies in a Diverse Society (GEUS) 3 hrs

•  

  Phase I - Curriculum, Assessment and the Social Context: 12 hours

  The following courses require formal admission to Phase I of the Initial Teacher Preparation Program:

• SOFD 328W - Schools for a Diverse and Democratic Society (GEWI) 3 hrs
• CURR 305 - Curriculum and Methods: Secondary 3 hrs Must be taken with PRCT 305L4
• EDPS 340 - Introduction to Assessment and Evaluation 3 hrs Must be taken with or after CURR 305
• PRCT 305L4 - Practicum I: Secondary (GELB) 3 hrs Must be taken with CURR 305

•  

  Phase II - Content and Methods and Teaching: 12 hours

  Completion of Phase I and formal admission to Initial Teacher Preparation Program Candidacy is required to begin Phase II.

• EDMT 330 - Instructional Applications of Media and Technology 3 hrs
• PRCT 311L4 - Practicum II: Secondary (GELB) 3 hrs Must be taken with RDNG 311
• RDNG 311 - Teaching Reading in the Secondary School 3 hrs Must be taken with PRCT 311L4
• BIOT 403 - Methods for Teaching Secondary Biology 3 hrs

•  

  Phase III - Capstone Experience: 9 hours

  Completion of Phase II and 100 pre-student teaching hours is required to begin this phase

• EDUC 492L4 - Student Teaching (GELB) 9 hrs

Minor Requirement:

This major requires a minor.

For a list of available minors, please see Academic Programs  or contact your major advisor.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level or above.

Beginning in Fall 2022, all baccalaureate degree programs for all undergraduates (regardless of catalog year) will require a minimum of 120 credit hours for completion.

Critical Graduation Information:

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for the fulfillment of the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the online catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

• Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement. A Bachelor of Arts degree requires completion of one year of college credit in a world language.
• Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
• Complete a Writing Intensive (GEWI) Course in your major.
• Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
• Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
• Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
• Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
• Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
• Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
  • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
  • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
  • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
• Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; the internal review of such courses is conducted by individual departments/schools within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credits for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
• Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor, will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements:

EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education  section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.