Department Information

Biology 441 Mark Jefferson Science Complex, 734.487.4242 

Natalie Dove, PhD, Department Head 

Advisor Information

A faculty advisor will help you determine which courses to take and what sequence to take them to ensure that you satisfy your degree requirements as efficiently as possible. For a list of faculty advisors for specific interest areas, please follow this link.

If you have not already seen a Biology faculty advisor, you should make an appointment as soon as possible and schedule yearly appointments after that. Students are strongly encouraged to make annual appointments with a departmental advisor by contacting the Biology Department Office, 734.487.4242.

Teacher Certification

Successful completion of this course of study, Teaching and Learning (with Secondary Certification) [BS] , in the context of other program requirements, qualifies the student for a recommendation for the Michigan Department of Education Secondary Standard 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

Initial teacher certification requires a student to complete two majors. A major in a secondary education subject, as described below, and the Teaching and Learning (with Secondary Certification) Major .

To pursue the sequence of courses necessary to complete eligibility for a recommendation for certification, one must apply for and be admitted to the teacher preparation program. Admission requirements are standard for all teacher preparation programs, except that specific special education programs have additional requirements. Students must apply to the teacher preparation program as soon as they have earned 56 credit hours.

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

For specific admission requirements, please see Teaching and Learning (with Secondary Certification) [BS] .   

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements, see General Education  or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .  

Major Requirements: 60-62 hours

Minor Requirement:

This major does not require a minor. Students are required to pair this major with the Teaching and Learning (with Secondary Certification) Major .

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling 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.

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 this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

• Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
  • Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
  • At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
• Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s 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. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the 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 over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 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; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
• Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate 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 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.