Curriculum that ensures you’ve mastered the things an outstanding teacher needs to know.
WGU designed this teacher preparation program to be timely, relevant, and practical—in other words, to make sure your biology teaching degree proves you've acquired the advanced knowledge and skills to help students learn.
Every course focuses on clearly defined competencies you must prove you’ve learned—through tests, papers, projects, or other assessments. Demonstrating mastery is how you pass a course, so learning what it takes to be an outstanding educator is at the heart of WGU’s B.S. Science Education (Secondary Biological Science) program.
It’s all about real-world relevance, so every moment you spend studying is time well spent. That means what you’re learning in your degree program will be directly applicable when you’re employed as an elementary school teacher.
Courses fulfilled by your associate's degree.
This is an unofficial estimate of your transferable credits. You may receive more or less credits depending upon the specific courses taken to complete your degree and other credits you may have.
Below are the anticipated courses that will be fulfilled based on your indication that you have earned an associate's degree. During the enrollment process this information will be verified.
English Composition I
College Algebra
Integrated Physical Sciences
English Composition II
Applied Probability and Statistics
Introduction to Communication
Survey of United States History
Introduction to Humanities
Natural Science Lab
Introduction to Biology
Zoology
Ecology and Environmental Science
Courses in this program.
This program comprises the following courses. Some may be waived through transfer from your previous college experience. The rest you will complete one at a time as you make your way through your program, working with your Program Mentor each term to build your personalized Degree Plan. You’ll work through each course as quickly as you can study and learn the material. As soon as you’re ready, you’ll pass the assessment, complete the course, and move on. This means that you can finish as many courses as you're able in a term at no additional cost.
The School as a Community of Care
Introduction to Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Educational Technology for Teaching and Learning
Assessing Impact on Student Learning
Educational Psychology and Development of Children and Adolescents
Managing Engaging Learning Environments
Fundamentals of Diverse Learners
Integrated Physical Sciences
Applied Probability and Statistics
Introduction to Communication
Survey of United States History
Introduction to Humanities
+
General Science Content
Ecology and Environmental Science
Human Anatomy and Physiology
Molecular and Cellular Biology
Biology: Content Knowledge
Science, Technology, and Society
Science Methods—Secondary Biology
Secondary Reading Instruction and Interventions
Secondary Disciplinary Literacy
Teacher Performance Assessment in Science
Supervised Demonstration Teaching in Science, Observations 1 and 2
Supervised Demonstration Teaching in Science, Observation 3 and Midterm
Supervised Demonstration Teaching in Science, Observations 4 and 5
Supervised Demonstration Teaching in Science, Observation 6 and Final
Preclinical Experiences in Science
Plan to work hard: Program requirements and expectations.
The B.S. Science Education (Secondary Biological Science) teaching program is a mostly online program, with some in-classroom requirements. You will complete your courses by studying and working independently with instruction and support from WGU faculty. You will be expected to complete at least 12 competency units (WGU's equivalent of the credit hour) each 6-month term. (Each course is typically 3 or 4 units.)
The first person you speak with at WGU will be your Enrollment Counselor, who can explain requirements and expectations in more detail. You can also read more about each course in the Program Guide.
Request info from an Enrollment Counselor.
Download the Program Guide.
State-specific licensure requirements: Each state in the U.S. has specific testing requirements that must be met or completed in addition to completing your teaching degree program at WGU. Teacher licensure requirements vary depending on state laws and may include a number of factors, such as:
- Completion of a bachelor’s degree program
- Submission of transcripts
- Completion and clearance of a background check
- Passing of required entrance exams and basic skills tests
Learn more about your path to teacher licensure.
Special requirements for this program.
Preclinical Experiences. Participate in a wide range of in-classroom teaching experiences through at least 75 hours of in-classroom observation.
Demonstration Teaching. To help you prepare to work in classrooms, this program includes a student teaching component (we call it Demonstration Teaching, or DT). DT is a full-time, supervised, in-classroom experience of a minimum of 12–20 weeks during which you will be hosted by an experienced teacher and observed by a Clinical Supervisor. Your host teacher will evaluate your performance based on accepted professional standards. Learn more.
Professional Portfolio. Your portfolio will include your resume and Philosophy of Teaching Statement and serve as a way to showcase the skills you have acquired throughout your degree program and Demonstration Teaching.
Home Science Lab. You will receive a self-contained laboratory kit to complete college lab experiments at home.
A teacher certification program developed with guidance from education leaders and academic experts.
To ensure our teaching degrees are consistent with the expectations of today’s schools, we develop courses with input from councils composed of nationally recognized experts in education. Council members offer guidance on key competencies to be expected from successful WGU graduates.
