Northern's biology education bachelor's degree program prepares you to share the excitement of science as a teacher.
About The Program
In addition to the student teaching experience, NSU's Biology Education B.S.Ed. program offers a practicum experience, which allows future biology teachers to obtain valuable experience.
In a practicum experience, you might be a course student instructor offering STEM programs to local schools, or serve as a naturalist in a state park.
Our biology education degree students historically have achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the Praxis II content certification exam, and the hire rate after completion of this program is near 100 percent.
In our small classes, you'll work one-on-one with faculty. Most upper-level courses have no more than 25 students - a great size for you to get to know your fellow students and professor. NSU's biology faculty members teach all their own labs, and they'll get to know you individually.
We encourage you to explore you individual interests, work closely with professors on research projects, and present your research results at meetings including NSU's Undergraduate Scholarship and Activity Forum, or in publications.
Most biology education graduates work as secondary school teachers. Others work as instructors in non-educational settings - for example, as corporate trainers; or in accounting or sales and marketing-related jobs.
For more information on careers in your chosen major or help choosing a major, visit Career Services.
For more information about this degree, contact Jessica Ness, or call 605-626-2272 or 605-626-7900. Or, contact NSU Admissions at 605-626-2544 or admissions@northern.edu.
Our Faculty
Ph.D. Montana State University
M.S. Montana State University
B.S. State University of New York
Dr. John Long joined the NSU faculty in the summer of 2015. He has a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from the State University of New York, a master’s degree in environmental and ecological statistics and a Ph.D. in ecology and environmental sciences, both from Montana State University. His area of expertise is the mathematical and physical aspects of the environment.
Dr. Long is a part of the SEA-PHAGES team trained by Howard Hughes Medical Institute to discover new viruses in environmental samples and to sequence their genome. Dr. Long is a retired U.S. Air Force major with 21 years of service as a B-52 electronic warfare officer.
Courses Taught
Introduction to Physics I and II
University Physics I and II
Biological Statistics I and II
R Programming
Geographic Information…
Ph.D. University of South Dakota
M.S. North Dakota State University
B.S. North Dakota State University
Ph.D., Nutrition Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.S., Nutrition Science, Indiana University-Bloomington
Courses Taught
- Genetics
- Cell and molecular biology
- Nutrition and disease
- Human health and biology
Research Interests
- Mechanisms of type II diabetes and diet-induces obesity in zebrafish (Danio rerio)
- Development of biological reasoning skills in undergraduate biology majors and non-majors
