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Teacher Certificate

For students interested in a teaching career, NJIT students have the option of applying to the Teacher Certification program.  This program, jointly administered with the Rutgers-Newark Department of Urban Education, allows accepted students to take the necessary  coursework to be able to obtain a teaching license in New Jersey.

Teacher certification is open to students enrolled in either the BA or BS curriculum.  All requirements of each curriculum must still be completed (35 credits of biology, cognate courses). Some Education courses fulfill the General University Requirements.

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BS in Biology
Jennifer Tyler 08The BS program which emphasizes a more quantitative approach to biology than the BA, will help students develop computer and mathematical skills needed for biological science in the 21st century. Students opting for BS must take advanced mathematics and computer science courses, including one upper division mathematical biology course.  This curriculum is ideal for students who wish to work in industry, in government, become a researcher or teacher.

Required Coursework

To obtain a BS in Biology you must satisfy the Biology Major Requirements, the General University Requirements and complete a minimum of 128 credits. The requirements for a BS in Biology consist of 35 credits in Biological Sciences plus cognate courses in Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science. The following requirements define the major in Biology. All required courses listed below, including cognate courses, must be completed with a grade of C or better.

1. Core Courses

General Biology (R120:101&102) 8 crs.
Foundations of Biology (R120:201&202) 4 crs.

2.  Majors must complete one course from each of the three categories listed below.

A. Ecology and Evolution

Evolution (R120:222 or Biol 222)
Plant Ecology (R120:270)
Animal Ecology (R120:280)
Ecology and Evolution of Disease (Biol 368)
Conservation Biology (Biol 375)
Animal Behavior (R120:382)
Neural Basis of Behavior (Biol 383)

B. The Functional Organism (4 credits)

Plant Kingdom (R120:211)
Biology of Seed Plants (R120:230)
Plant Physiology (R120:330)
General Microbiology (R120:335)
Mammalian Physiology (R120:340)
Developmental Biology & Lab (R120:342&343 or Biol 342)

C. Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms

Genetics (R120:352)
Cell Biology (R120:355)
Molecular Biology (R120:356)
Biochemistry (R120:360 OR Chem 473)

D. Computational

Physiology & Medicine (Math 371)
Population Biology (Math 372)
Intro to Math Biology (Math 373)
Computational Neuroscience (Math 430)

3. Majors are required to have at least two additional laboratory courses chosen from 2B or from the list below.

Laboratory Courses - 4 credits

Biology of Invertebrates (R120:227)
Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy (R120:285)
Taxonomy Vascular Plants (R120:311)
Animal Parasites and Lab (R120:325 & 326)
Microanatomy (R120:358)
Mycology (R120:413)
Plant Growth & Development (R120:430)
Marine Biology (R120:481)

Laboratory Courses - 3 credits

Ecology of Birds (R120:328)
Field Studies Plant Ecology (R120:371)
Field Ecology (R120:380)
Field Studies Animal Ecology (R120:381)
Ecological Field Methods (Biol 475)  

Laboratory Courses - 2 credits

Tropical Field Biology (R120:486)

4. The following courses may be used to complete 35 credits of biology:

Insects and Human Society (Biol 225)
Neurobiology (R120:346)
Human Ecology (R120:365)
Biological Ultrastructure (R120:403)
Light & Elect Microscscopy (R120:404)
Cell Physiology and Imaging (Biol 405)
Biological Invasions (R120:422)
Immunology (R120:443)
Endocrinology (R120:445)
Cellular and Systems Neuroscience (Biol 447)
Cellular Biophysics (R120:451)
Molecular Biotechnology (R120:452)
Molecular Cell Biology (R120:455)
Ecological Physiology (R120:471)
Systems Ecology (R120:487)
Research in Biology (Biol 491/492)

5. The following cognate courses are required:

General Chemistry I and II, and Laboratory (Chem 124, 125, and 126)
Organic Chemistry I and II, and Laboratory (Chem 243, 244, and 244A)
Physics I and II, and Laboratory (Phys 111/111A and 121/121A)
Calculus II and III (Math 112 and 211)
Probability and Statistics (Math 333)
Bioinformatics Programming I and II (BNFO 135, 136)

One of the following:

  • Differential Equations (Math 222)
  • Discrete Analysis (Math 226)
  • Mathematical Modeling (Math 227)
  • Linear Algebra (Math 337)
  • Applied Numerical Methods (Math 340)

BS in Biology brochure (PDF)
BS in Biology curriculum (PDF)

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Date of last update: 10/03/2009 17:11:48