May 08, 2025

2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog

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2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biology Teaching Licensure

Students interested in becoming secondary education biology teachers (grades 9-12) must meet specific curriculum requirements to qualify for biology teacher licensure. Many of these requirements may also count as part of the 40-credit hour Biology, B.S. requirements.

Required Courses: 16 Credit Hours

BIO 140. Foundations of Biology I [C3NS] Credits: 3.00
BIO 140L. Foundations of Biology I Laboratory [C3L] Credits: 1.00
BIO 150. Foundations of Biology II Credits: 3.00
BIO 150L. Foundations of Biology II Laboratory Credits: 1.00
BIO 240. Genetics Credits: 3.00
BIO 240L. Genetics Laboratory Credits: 1.00
BIO 250. Quantitative Ecology and Evolution Credits: 3.00

VDOE Anatomy/Physiology Requirement

Choose one of the following:

BIO 260. Foundations of Human Anatomy and Physiology Credits: 4.00
BIO 270. Human Physiology [C3NS] Credits: 3.00 and
BIO 270L. Human Physiology Laboratory [C3L] Credits: 1.00 ¹
BIO 290. Human Anatomy Credits: 3.00 and
BIO 290L. Human Anatomy Laboratory Credits: 1.00
BIO 320. Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates Credits: 4.00 ²
BIO 370. Human and Animal Physiology Credits: 4.00 ²

VDOE Botany/Plant-Focused Requirement

Choose one of the following:

BIO 340. Morphology and Anatomy of Vascular Plants Credits: 4.00
BIO 360. Plant Biology Credits: 3.00
BIO 364. Human Uses of Plants Credits: 3.00
BIO 386. Field Botany Credits: 4.00
BIO 402. Forest Ecology Credits: 4.00
BIO 455. Plant Physiology Credits: 4.00
BIO 486. Systematics of Vascular Plants Credits: 4.00

VDOE Zoology/Animal-Focused Requirement

Choose one of the following:

BIO 310. Marine Biology Credits: 3.00
BIO 312. Animal Welfare Credits: 3.00
BIO 316. Animal Development Credits: 3.00
BIO 320. Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates Credits: 4.00 ²
BIO 350. Paleobiology Credits: 4.00 ²
BIO 370. Human and Animal Physiology Credits: 4.00 ²
BIO 395. Comparative Animal Behavior Credits: 3.00
BIO 405. Vertebrate Paleontology Credits: 3.00 ²
BIO 412. Mammalogy Credits: 4.00
BIO 430. Ornithology: Research and Current Advances Credits: 4.00
BIO 449. Insect Ecology Credits: 4.00
BIO 490. Mechanics of Animal Movement Credits: 4.00

VDOE Earth Science Requirement

Choose one of the following:

BIO 350. Paleobiology Credits: 4.00 ³
or
GEOL 350. Paleobiology (3, 2) Credits: 4.00 ³
BIO 405. Vertebrate Paleontology Credits: 3.00 ³
or
GEOL 405. Vertebrate Paleontology Credits: 3.00 ³
CHEM 355. Geochemistry of Natural Waters Credits: 3.00 ⁴
or
GEOL 355. Geochemistry of Natural Waters Credits: 3.00 ⁴
GEOL 110. Physical Geology [C3NS] Credits: 3.00 and
GEOL 110L. Physical Geology Laboratory [C3L] Credits: 1.00
GEOL 115. Earth Systems and Climate Change [C3NS] Credits: 3.00
GEOL 167. History and Philosophy of the Geosciences Credits: 3.00
GEOL 210. Applied Physical Geology [C3NS] Credits: 3.00
GEOL 211. Introduction to Oceanography [C3NS] Credits: 3.00

Footnotes

¹ BIO 270 and BIO 270L do not meet the biology major requirements.

² Students must complete unique courses in each category to meet licensure requirements and have a broad preparation in the subject area.

³This course will also fulfill biology elective hours and the VDOE zoology requirement.

⁴ This course will also meet a chemistry cognate requirement.