Biology Secondary Education
Prepare to Teach Biology
Share your passion for the human and natural world with students in grades 7-12 when you major in Biology Secondary Education.
This program provides a strong background in the biological sciences, while simultaneously fulfilling the requirements for a secondary education teaching certification. You’ll develop fundamental knowledge of biology and lab work to make you marketable after graduation, and you will be prepared in classroom management and best practices, as well as complete class observations and a student teaching semester.
What Can I Do With a Degree in Biology Secondary Education?
Students in the Biology Secondary Education major graduate with extensive knowledge and a degree in Biology, as well as a Pennsylvania teaching certificate that allows you to teach 7-12 grades in 45 other reciprocal states. Should you ever decide that you would like to transition out of a career in teaching, this major provides you with the flexibility and same career opportunities in the field as holders of a Bachelor of Science in Biology.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Prepared for a Career
Throughout the program, you will take both basic and advanced Biology classes, as well as courses in Chemistry and Physics. Your education courses will also make up a large part of this program, providing you with the theories and skills needed in the classroom. To meet the education certification standards, you will also take additional classes in English and Math before your student teaching semester.
Innovation in the Classroom
You will learn how to integrate technology into your classroom, as well as various types of teaching methodologies for you to determine your teaching style. Your hands-on experience in rural, suburban and urban schools will see you creating lesson plans, learning from other teachers and building the confidence to manage your own students.
What Sets Etown Apart?
Our students have access to the latest classroom technology, and we have outfitted our teaching classrooms with wall-mounted TVs and touchscreen projection systems which can show both professor and student work. Modern technology is making big strides in classroom integration, and our students are among the first to experience it.
Post Baccalaureate Opportunities
Etown offers an M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction as well as an M.Ed. in Special Education. Etown also offers certificates such as, an ESL Program Specialist K-12 Certificate, a Graduate Certificate in Curriculum & Instruction, a Graduate Certificate in Integrative Science, Technology, Engineering Mathematics (STEM) Education Endorsement, a Graduate Certificate in Interdisciplinary Autism Support and a Graduate Certificate in Trauma Informed Practice.
Student Organizations
Education Organization (Ed Org)
Ed Org's mission is to provide an atmosphere in which future educators feel safe, accepted and motivated to become successful teachers. The club participates in many social and service activities throughout the year, many times in conjunction with other clubs on campus. These events include literacy nights at the local library, volunteering for the Ronald McDonald House, after-school tutoring, participating in Into the Streets and more. Ed Org also hosts an annual benefit for A-T (ataxia telangiectasia), a progressive, degenerative disease affecting children.
Kappa Delta Pi (KDP)
Kappa Delta Pi is the International Honor Society in Education, founded in 1911 at the University of Illinois by William Bagley, Truman Kelly and Thomas Edgar Musselman. The mission of KDP is to sustain an honored community of diverse educators by promoting excellence and advancing scholarship, leadership and service. The founders chose the name from the Greek words knowledge, duty, and power. Kappa Delta Pi grew from the local chapter to the international organization it is today.
The Elizabethtown College chapter, Tau Iota, participates in many service activities throughout the year, such as Math night, Social Studies night, Literacy Alive! to name a few. To qualify for membership, candidates must have completed 60 hours or more of credits, be a full-time student, have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 and achieve department recommendation.
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
This is the largest organization in the world committed to promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is an international community of professionals and network of student chapters that work to improve, through excellence and advocacy, the education and quality of life for children and youth with exceptionalities and to enhance engagement of their families. The Etown student chapter of CEC connects college students across areas of study with individuals with disabilities and their families through service and development activities.