Biology Teacher Preparation Program, BS/MAT

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the BS/MAT Biology Teacher Preparation Program must:

• Have taken at least 4 science lab courses
• Contact a Biology advisor in the Biology Undergraduate Program Office, for a transcript review and to plan a course of study
• Achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.00 and a GPA of 3.00 in science courses
• Apply for the combined program during junior year
• Complete the BS/MAT application
• SPD Student Application/Information Sheet
• Three (3) letters of recommendation
• Official transcript from each college or university attended
• Application Essay
• Any additional items required by SPD
• Submit application prior to SPD deadline as posted on the SPD website

Upon entry to the program, candidates must declare a Teacher Preparation option along with their Undergraduate major by submitting the “Declaration of Major/Minor Form” with ED/TP to the Registrar. Forms are available at the Registrar’s Office, the Undergraduate

Biology advisor’s office in the Biology Learning Laboratories Building, and the Science Education Program Office, Life Sciences 061.

Number of Semesters of Full-Time Study Required for Program Completion at the Undergraduate and Graduate Levels

Students should apply to the combined BS/MAT program during their fifth or sixth semester of study. The first six semesters of the program are full-time study at the undergraduate level.

Semesters seven and eight will include a mix of undergraduate and graduate courses. Semesters nine and ten will consist of graduate courses only. Candidates will generally advance to Graduate status during their eighth semester.

Note: The two degrees are conferred only when the entire combined degree program has been completed. Both degrees are conferred together unless the student elects to exit the combined degree program and receive only a BS in Biology. Students must maintain a B average in their graduate courses. Students who are unable to maintain a B average in their graduate courses will be encouraged, while in Semester 8 of their studies, to leave the program and graduate with a BS degree in Biology.

Biology BS/MAT Sample Course Sequence

The below listing of courses provides a suggested sequence for coursework. There is a degree of flexibility in the order of courses, but any deviation from the above without permission of the program advisor may lead to a delay in completion of the program.

A student wishing to complete the five-year combined program is strongly encouraged to consult with the Biology advisor for individualized guidance in course selection.

Student Teaching, Field Experience and Portfolio

Student Teaching

• Seventy-five days of student teaching are required. Depending on the semester and public school vacation schedules, student teaching may extend beyond the university semester calendar.
• Student teaching is divided into two placements of approximately equal duration, one in a middle school/junior high school and the other in a high school.

Prior to admission to student teaching, candidates will be interviewed by a committee to assess their ability to speak extemporaneously about both biology concepts and pedagogical issues.

Candidates who are not successful in this interview will be counseled in order to remedy deficiencies. Upon completion of the remediation another interview will be held. In the event that a candidate is unable to satisfy the interview component, the candidate will not advance to student teaching.

Field Experience

Field Experience sites for all teacher candidates are arranged through SCI 549 and SCI 550. Assignments and details are distributed in SCI 510 and SCI 520. New York State requires 100 hours of field experience in secondary schools prior to student teaching. Each teacher candidate is required to obtain 15 hours of field experience that includes a focus on understanding the needs of students with disabilities. These hours will be noted on the Field Experience Time Sheets from SCI 549, SCI 550, or a combination of both. While earning these field experience hours, teacher candidates will be encouraged to observe inclusion (integrated co-teaching) classes in their certification area and other special education classroom situations as available.

It is recommended that candidates take the EAS upon completion of PSY 327/CEE 565, CEF 347/547 and LIN 344/CEE 594, and take the CST towards the end of  SCI 520.

Professional Portfolio

The Professional Portfolio is presented at the conclusion of student teaching. It includes many performance indicators of standards-based teaching competencies.

Additional Requirements for Certification

In addition to the stated course and program requirements listed in this section, New York State also has workshop, fingerprinting and other requirements for certification, which can be found on the SPD website.

Workshops and Fingerprinting

To be certified in New York State, candidates must take a selection of workshops  and must be fingerprinted. For descriptions and registration links, visit Certification and Licensing Workshops.

Language Requirement

New York State certification requires at least one year (6 credits) of college-level study of a foreign language. Satisfaction of SBU’s SBC LANG fulfills the foreign language requirement.

General Science Certification

In order to qualify for the General Science (grade 7 - 12) certification, candidates must complete a minimum of 18 semester hours in two or more sciences other than biology.

Middle-Level Extension

Candidates who wish to qualify to teach grades 5 and 6 in a middle school setting may obtain an extension to their grades 7-12 certification by completing two additional courses, prior to graduation. The courses are: CEE 601 Early Adolescent Development and CEE 602 Middle Child Education-Instruction. Information about these courses can be found on the SPD website (www.stonybrook.edu/spd).