Biology Teacher Education

Types of Degrees Biology Teacher Education Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many biology education graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	377
Master’s Degree	358
Graduate Certificate	36
Doctor’s Degree	2

What Biology Teacher Education Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to biology teacher education and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Biology Teacher Education Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Biology Teacher Education Majors

A major in biology teacher education prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Abilities for Biology Teacher Education Majors

As you progress with your biology teacher education degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Biology Teacher Education Major?

People with a biology teacher education degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Biological Science Professors	15.1%	$82,550
Education Professors	10.3%	$64,780
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$58,600
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology Teacher Education?

This major is dominated by women with about 69% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of biology teacher education majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	19
Black or African American	6
Hispanic or Latino	57
White	262
International Students	5
Other Races/Ethnicities	28

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Biology Teacher Education, too. About 1.3% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Biology Teacher Education

Some degrees associated with biology teacher education may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to biology teacher education have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	33.1%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	8.0%
Master’s Degree	15.4%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.7%
Doctoral Degree	29.6%
Post-Doctoral Training	10.3%

Online Biology Teacher Education Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	2	0
Bachelor’s Degree	22	5
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	76	6
Post-Master’s	7	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	2	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Biology Teacher Education

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to biology teacher education.

Major	Number of Grads
Physical Education Teaching & Coaching	6,901
Reading Teacher Education	5,922
Music Education	4,649
Mathematics Education	3,159
English & Language Arts Education	3,104
Other Teacher Education & Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	2,398
Social Studies Education	1,955
Art Education	1,711
Health Education	1,536
Science Education	1,133
Agricultural Teacher Education	1,132
History Education	834
Trade & Industrial Teacher Education	778
Social Science Teacher Education	503
Technology Education	464
School Librarian/School Library Media Specialist	401
Spanish Education	373
Modern Language Education	349
Technical Teacher Education	307
Computer Teacher Education	291
Family & Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education	253
Chemistry Education	225
Drama & Dance Education	223
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education	153
Earth Science Teacher Education	114
Physics Education	113
Environmental Education	96
Health Occupations Teacher Education	74
Speech Teacher Education	65
Driver & Safety Teacher Education	49
French Language Teacher Education	25
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education	9
German Language Teacher Education	8
Distributive Education	7
Latin Teacher Education	6
Psychology Teacher Education	6
Geography Teacher Education	2

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Aparajita Datta under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.