Secondary Biology Education (B.A.)
Program Overview
The B.A. in Secondary Education offers three majors:
- Biology (6-12 grades)
- Mathematics (6-12 grades)
- Social Science (6-12 grades)
Field experiences are central to the Secondary Education program and commence in the first semester with increasing involvement throughout the program.
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Program Requirements
Toggle More InfoProgram Requirements for the 2022-2023 Catalog Year
The General Education Program Website is located at https://www.fgcu.edu/academics/undergraduatestudies/generaleducation/
Program Progression and Additional Graduation Requirements
Degree-seeking students are classified as pre-majors prior to formal transition into a COE major. In order to transition from a COE pre-major to a major, students must complete the following:
- An overall GPA of 2.5 on all hours attempted.
- Pass all subsections of the FTCE General Knowledge Test. No exemptions can be considered.
- Satisfy all General Education requirements.
- Satisfy College-Level Skills requirements.
- Satisfy common prerequisite requirements.
- Successfully complete a background check.
Students must have passed the FTCE Subject Area Exam prior to beginning Level I Internship.
Students must complete all coursework and have passed the FTCE Professional Education Exam prior to beginning Level II Internship.
In addition to the program requirements, students must complete:
- Pass the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE), including the subject area examination and the Professional Education examination.
- A minimum of 48 upper division credits (courses numbered 3000 and higher).
- Complete 30 of the last 60 credits at FGCU.
- A cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all coursework attempted at FGCU.
- Satisfy College-Level skills and foreign language admission requirements.
- Satisfy Service Learning requirement. See: https://www.fgcu.edu/studentlife/servicelearning/
- Satisfy Civic Literacy requirement.
Program Requirements
- FGCU General Education Program (https://www.fgcu.edu/academics/undergraduatestudies/generaleducation/)
To prevent or minimize excess hours, select general education courses that satisfy common prerequisite requirements for your intended major. - Common Prerequisites
A minimum grade of C is required in each course.
FGCU Course: EDF 2005 Intro to Teach Prof (3)
Acceptable Substitute: EDFX005
FGCU Course: EDF 2085 Intro to Diversity for Educ (3)
Acceptable Substitute: EDFX085
FGCU Course: EME 2040 Intro to Tech. in Educ (3)
Acceptable Substitute: EMEX040
FGCU Course: BSC 1010C Gen’l Biology w/Lab I (4)
Acceptable Substitute: (BSCX010 and BSCX010L) or BSCX010C
FGCU Course: BSC 1011 General Biology II (3) and BSC 1011L General Biology II Laboratory (1)
Acceptable Substitute: (BSCX011 and BSCX011L) or BSCX011C
FGCU Course: CHM 1045 General Chemistry I (3) and CHM 1045L General Chemistry I Lab (1)
Acceptable Substitute: CHMX045C or (CHMX045 and CHMX045L) or PHYX048C or (PHYX048 and PHYX048L) or PHYX053C (PHYX053 and PHYX053L)
FGCU Course: CHM 1046 General Chemistry II (3) and CHM 1046L General Chemistry II Lab (1)
Acceptable Substitute: CHMX045C or (CHMX045 and CHMX045L) or CHMX046C or (CHMX046 and CHMX046L) or PHYX048C or (PHYX048 and PHYX048L) or PHYX053C or (PHYX053 and PHYX053L) or PHYX049C or (PHYX049 and PHYX049L) or PHYX054C or (PHYX054 and PHYX054L)
FGCU Course: MAC 2311 Calculus I (4)
Acceptable Substitute: MACX311 or MACX241 - Courses in the Major
A minimum grade of C in each course and an overall GPA of 2.5 is required.
Required Courses (53 credits)
EDF 3132 Adolescent Growth & Dev (3)
EDF 3253 Learning Mgmt Inclusive Class (3)
EDF 4470 Classroom Assessment (3)
EDG 4937 Sr Seminar-Initial Teach Prep (3)
EEX 4070 Integrat Except Stud in Gen Ed (3)
PCB 3023C Cell Biology (4)
PCB 3043C General Ecology (3)
PCB 3063C Genetics (4)
RED 4350 Literacy Content & Processes (3)
SCE 4330 Science Methods 6-12 (3)
SCE 4940 Internship: Science Education (9)
SCE 4941 Integr Field Exper: Science (3)
TSL 4340 Methods, Cur, and Instr Effect (3)
TSL 4520 Sec Lang Acquis Comm& Culture (3)
ZOO 3713C Vertebrate Form and Function (3)
Restricted Electives (3-4 credits)
Select from the following with approval of the college academic advisor:
BSC 4933 Current Topics in Biology (1)
EVR 4024C Microbial Ecology (3)
PCB 3703C Human Physiology (4)
PCB 3673C Evolutionary Biology (3)
PCB 3723C Comparative Animal Physiology (3)
ZOO 3733C Human Anatomy (4)
Or upper division courses in molecular biology, cellular biology, organismal biology, or environmental studies. - University Requirements (3 credits)
IDS 3920 University Colloquium (3)
Total Credits Required: 120
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Curriculum Map
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Learning Outcomes
Toggle More InfoAcademic Learning Compact
Consistent with its mission and guiding principles, Florida Gulf Coast University is committed to academic excellence and continuous quality improvement, as supported by a sound teaching-learning process. Within this process, students and instructors share responsibility for learning that is a movement from the simple to the complex, the concrete to the abstract, and the dependent to the independent. The Academic Learning Compact (ALC) initiative supports the teaching-learning process by clearly identifying expected core student learning outcomes in the areas of content/discipline knowledge and skills, communication skills, and critical thinking skills; aligning curricula with expectations; and using assessment to guide continuous improvement.
Content/Discipline Knowledge and SkillsGraduates will be able to:
- Create inquiry-based lessons that allow learners to develop understanding of scientific methods, concepts, and safety practices.
- Develop lessons that allow students to develop understanding of scientific facts and evidence in relation to social and political events & issues.
- Create and implement instruction that capitalizes on learners’ unique background and experiences as analogous to the need for diversity in the biological environments.
Content/Discipline Knowledge and Skills are assessed through course projects, teaching demonstrations, lesson and unit creation, exams, papers, and other presentations, completed in SCE 4330 Science Methods 6-12 and SCE 4941 Integrated Field Experience, as well as other upper division courses required for the major.
Communication SkillsGraduates will be able to:
- Work collaboratively with peers and professionals to analyze student understanding of scientific methods and concepts.
- Support and provide immediate feedback to K-12 students to promote student achievement.
Communication Skills are assessed through course projects, teaching demonstrations, papers, and other presentations, completed in SCE 4330 Science Methods 6-12 and SCE 4941 Integrated Field Experience, as well as other upper division courses required for the major.
Critical Thinking SkillsGraduates will be able to:
- Develops instruction that focuses on in-depth understanding of scientific methods and concepts using questioning strategies that address uncover misconceptions and allow learners to construct more expert scientific models.
- Plan and modify Instruction based on student assessment data.
Critical thinking skills are assessed at the college and departmental levels through course projects, teaching demonstrations, lesson and unit creation, exams, papers, and other presentations, completed in SCE 4330 Science Methods 6-12 and SCE 4941 Integrated Field Experience, as well as other upper division courses required for the major.
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Accreditation
Toggle More InfoInstitutional Accreditation
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Admissions Information
Toggle More InfoAdmissions Information for the 2022-2023 Catalog Year
If you are not yet an FGCU student, visit the Admissions Office Website
If you are a newly-admitted FGCU student please be sure to sign up for an Eagle View Orientation session. As part of this session you will be meeting with an academic advisor who will assist you in registering for classes for your major.
Admission Deadlines
Visit the Admissions Office Web site for information on admission deadlines of the university.
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Course Description
Toggle More InfoOfficial Course Descriptions
Search for official course descriptions by using the Course Description Search utility.
Go to the Course Descriptions Search Web page, then follow these steps:
- Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
- Select a course prefix from one of the SUBJECT dropdowns (required)
- Enter search words in the TEXT field (optional, but will narrow the search results)
- Press Search
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Course Schedule
Toggle More InfoGetting started with the Course Schedule Search
Search for program courses by using the Course Schedule Search utility.
Go to the Course Schedule Search Web page, then follow these steps:
- Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
- Select one or more of the search options to narrow your results (for example, CAMPUS, COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT, LEVEL, PREFIX*, COURSEATTRIBUTE**). For virtual or web courses, select VIRTUAL in the CAMPUS field.
- Press Search.
*A course prefix is a three-letter designator for a major division of an academic discipline (for example, ACG for Accounting , BSC for Biological Science, ENC for English Composition). See the Degree Requirements page for a list of courses (with prefix and number) that can be used to fulfill degree requirements.
**A course attribute identifies specific characteristics of courses that can be used in a Degree Evaluation to satisfy a degree requirement. (Course attribute examples are Humanities courses - GEHM and Social Science courses - GESO.)
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Tuition, Fees, and Financial Assistance
Toggle More InfoTuition and Fees
Information on Tuition, Fees and estimated total Cost of Attendance is available on the Office of the Bursar web site.
Financial Aid Opportunities
Visit FGCU's Financial Aid Web site for information about grants, additional scholarships, loans, and student employment.
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Destination FGCU Transfer Program
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Getting Started
If you are not yet an FGCU student, visit FGCU's Admissions Office Website.
If you are already an FGCU student, and are interested in applying for this program, visit the College of Education's Admission page to find out more information on how to apply.