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Western Governors University

Bachelor of Arts Science (Biological Science, 5-12)

Leads to teacher licensure

There’s a science to becoming the best teacher you can be.

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Degree Overview

Bachelor of Arts Science (Biological Science, 5-12) - Leads to Teacher Licensure

Our online biology degree prepares you to teach how the world works and evolves. The B.A. in Science (Biological Science, 5-12) with its specialization in biology teaches you the skills and knowledge in general science, advanced biology, and teaching methods necessary to become a highly qualified high school biology teacher.

WGU is the first exclusively online university to receive NCATE accreditation for its degree programs that lead to teacher licensure, a testament to the fact that WGU graduates "have the knowledge and skills to be effective in helping all students learn."

Texas Licensure

The B.A. in Science (Biological Science, 5-12) program prepares students to receive a Life Science 7-12 license in the state of Texas. Students in Texas must be licensed in WGU’s home state of Utah before applying for their teaching license in Texas. Click here for additional details about Texas licensure requirements.

Who the Program is For:

  • Individuals with a considerable science background (biology-specific is helpful) who need a bachelor’s degree and want to become a high school biology teacher.
  • Unlicensed teachers, substitute teachers, career changers, retired military personnel, school paraprofessionals, and others who feel the call to teach.
  • Individuals who have completed some college coursework or have applicable work experience.
  • Individuals who can typically spend 15 or more hours per week on their studies.

This program will be flexible and adaptable to your schedule. Demonstration teaching and the cohort seminar are offered twice each year, in the fall and spring. Click here to learn how this program works.

What You'll Learn

Essential Knowledge and Skills

We developed our biological science education program with significant input from experts and educational leaders who serve on our Education Program Council. This online degree program requires the completion of coursework to ensure you have the essential skills and knowledge you need to become a licensed teacher, as well as practice teaching in an actual classroom and the completion of a professional portfolio. The B.A. in Science (Biological Science, 5-12) is nationally recognized by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

Key Subject Areas

These Courses Add to Your Credentials

  • Foundations of Teaching

  • Health Sciences

  • General Science Content

  • Mathematics Content

  • Biology Content

  • Science Education

  • Pedagogy

  • Field Experience

  • Demonstration Teaching (practice teaching)

Core Subject Areas

These General Education Assessments May Be Cleared through Transfer Credit

  • English Composition I and II

  • Intermediate and College Algebra

  • Introduction to Communication

  • Human Growth and Development Across the Lifespan

  • Survey of United States History

  • Introduction to Humanities

View the PDF Program Guide

Home Science Lab

The self-contained laboratory kit includes the lab manual, science equipment, specimens, supplies, and chemicals necessary to complete college lab experiments at home.

Practice Teaching

In-classroom experience is an invaluable part of becoming a highly qualified teacher. Your in-classroom experience will help you elevate the academic knowledge and teaching skills you’ve developed into a practical way of effectively and confidently tackling the challenges of your own classroom.

Professional Portfolio

The online B.A. Science (Biological Science, 5-12) degree program also requires the successful completion of a professional portfolio.

Your professional portfolio is something to be proud of – it will include your resume and Philosophy of Teaching Statement and serve as a way to showcase the skills you have acquired throughout your degree program and demonstration teaching. You'll take what you've learned and apply it to a real-world situation by recommending strategies for effectively handling actual issues you'll face in the workplace.

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How It Works

A Degree Program That Fits Your Schedule

WGU Texas is designed to let you go to school on your time, not according to a class schedule. Our online degree program is flexible and puts you at the center of your education: you choose when and where to complete your coursework. Once you demonstrate your competency in a subject area, you can move on to your next course.

Online learning is not easy.

You should expect to work hard and spend 20 hours or more per week on your studies. Still, much of your program will be flexible enough to fit into your schedule, not the other way around. You will need to plan to complete your demonstration teaching and the cohort seminar in the spring or in the fall. They are offered twice each year. Also, be aware that demonstration teaching and preclinical experiences may not be waived and prior experience may not be used to satisfy these requirements as you must demonstrate competency in the classroom in order to complete your WGU Texas degree program. 

 

How Long Will It Take?

It Depends On You

The average time it takes to complete a B.A. Science (Biological Science, 5-12) degree program at WGU is 2-2.5 years for students with an associate's degree or equivalent and 4-5 years for students with little or no prior college.

WGU’s competency-based method, which allows you to advance through your courses using the skills and knowledge you already have, may allow you to finish your degree in even less time.

The B.A. Science (Biological Science, 5-12) degree program requires a total of 125 competency units (CUs), our equivalent to the traditional credit hour.  If you’ve taken courses or received a degree from another college or university, you may be able to clear some of these requirements through transfer credit.

Ultimately, the pace at which you complete your B.A. Science (Biological Science, 5-12) online degree program depends on how rapidly you pass assessments.

It’s your program. It’s up to you. Create your own schedule, choose your pace and achieve your personal goals.

"During demonstration teaching, all the teachers I worked with were impressed with how well prepared WGU helped me become." April Fadness,  B.A. Special Education Graduate and 4th Grade Special Education Teacher

How Competency-Based Education Benefits You

Put Your Existing Knowledge to Work

Western Governors University was the first university in the country to employ a cutting edge, competency-based learning model that lets you use skills and knowledge you already have to accelerate your degree program.

In WGU's online degree programs, students advance by demonstrating their competence in each subject area. You’ll be able to move quickly through material you already know so you can spend your time focusing on what you still need to learn.

  • You’ll work with your assigned Faculty Mentor on a personalized Degree Plan that establishes the pace at which you move through the program.

  • With few exceptions, you’ll be able to choose when and where you study.

  • You’ll complete as much work as YOU choose during each six-month term.

  • You’ll collaborate with your Faculty Mentor to determine the learning resources that will help you develop and demonstrate your competency in each subject area.

  • You’ll be required to complete at least 12 CUs per term for bachelor's degree programs and 8 CUs per term for graduate degree programs in order to make On Time Progress. If you choose to and are able, you can add courses and move more quickly through your program.

How Much Will It Cost?

Less Than You Think

We're committed to keeping tuition low and making sure our online education degree programs remain the very best value for hardworking students. WGU doesn't spend money on classrooms, research facilities, or football stadiums. Instead, we focus on keeping costs low. And because we charge tuition at a flat rate each term, if you complete coursework ahead of schedule, you can save yourself money as well as time.

You Pay for Time—Not Credits

  • No matter how many courses you complete each term, your tuition stays the same.

  • The more courses you complete each term, the fewer terms you have until graduation.

  • Our competency-based model gives you the opportunity to accelerate your progress.

  • If you complete your program ahead of schedule, you'll save both time and money.

Total Tuition Depends on Time

You’ll pay the same low, flat-rate tuition each 6-month term, regardless of how many courses you complete. If you accelerate your degree program, you’ll pay less for your degree. The following hypothetical students illustrate two common scenarios for the Bachelor of Arts, Science (Biological Science, 5-12) program:

Tuition and Fees

For this program, you'll be expected to complete 12 competency units (credit hours) per term – each course generally represents three or four competency units. Because we allow you to complete extra courses at no extra cost, you may be able to increase the value of your program by dedicating extra time to your studies.

  • $3,190: Tuition per 6-Month Term
  • $350: One-Time Science Lab Fee
  • $145: Resource Fee per 6-Month Term
  • $150: Program Fee per 6-Month Term
  • $65: One-Time Application Fee

WGU's online B.A. Science (Biological Science, 5-12) degree program is designed to be affordable for hard-working adults with bills to pay.

Learn more about tuition and fees.

When We Say Affordable, We Mean It

WGU’s B.A. Science (Biological Science, 5-12) degree program is about half the cost of a comparable program at another online university. An online teaching degree at a traditional university can cost close to $50,000 while a typical four-year bachelor's degree program at WGU is around $25,000.

Tuition Comparison: B.A. in Science (Biological Science, 5-12) degree

WGU Grand Canyon University Rio Salado College
$3,190 per six month term.
If it takes four years = $25,520 		$52,750 125-131 credit hours x $215 per credit hour = $26,875 - $28,165

*Note: This chart is for illustration only. Actual results will vary depending upon the number of terms needed to complete the program. Estimates based on WGU's standard tuition as of January 2018. Tuition rates were gathered from competing university websites during April 2017.

Compare WGU tuition to tuition at other schools

Financial Aid

You Can Afford to Earn a Degree

WGU's financial aid experts are on hand to help you finance your education in the smartest way possible. 76% of WGU students receive some type of financial aid.

Federal Financial Aid is available to most students.

Respected, Recognized, and Accredited

Same Accreditation as State Universities and Private Colleges

Western Governors University is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The Northwest Commission is also responsible for the accreditation of other major universities in the West, including the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, Gonzaga University, and the University of Utah, among many others. Learn more about accreditation here.

WGU was the first exclusively online university to receive accreditation for its degree programs that lead to teacher licensure from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). WGU has Teachers College graduates working in all 50 states. The university has received praise from industry, media, and government leaders—including the Obama White House, which, in 2013, recognized WGU as an example of what works in postsecondary education.

The NCATE accrediting team extensively reviewed the entire WGU Teachers College curriculum to ensure that candidates have the knowledge and skills to be effective in helping all students learn. This involved intensive interviews with students, faculty, graduates, school district personnel, and education experts, as well as a review of WGU student performance on national performance exams.

An online teaching degree from WGU tells employers that you're serious about success.

Take the next step into a prosperous future.

WGU Graduates Succeed

Become a Success Story

Our latest survey of leading employers speaks volumes about our ability to prepare grads to work in many industries:

98%

of employers agreed that WGU graduates meet or exceed their expectations.

94%

of employers said WGU grads exceed expectations.

93%

of employers rated WGU graduates’ job performance as very good or excellent.

100%

of employers consider WGU graduates prepared for their jobs.

97%

of employers said they would hire another WGU graduate.

Note: 2017 Survey of Employers by Harris Poll

You can learn more about how employers view WGU grads by exploring our National Student Success and Performance Data.

"The big draw was the fact that it was online. I could work at my own pace." James Dye,
WGU Alumnus

How a Course Works

Prove What You Know and Move Forward

You set your own pace by demonstrating your skills. In the online degree programs at WGU Texas, you'll advance through each course by first mastering the course content, then completing and passing challenging assessments that measure your knowledge and skills in each subject area.

These rigorous assessments (tests, papers, assignments, and projects) let you demonstrate your competence in each subject area in order to pass the course and earn competency units (CUs), our equivalent to the traditional credit hour.

WGU Texas sets a high standard, and we want our students to succeed. You'll be given ample opportunity to master the subject matter and re-take assessments as needed in order to graduate.

Get Started

Enrollment is easy. View our Enrollment Checklist for the easy steps to getting started.

To be admitted into this Teachers College program, you must:

  • Possess a high school diploma or its equivalent.
  • Show proof of having completed a College Algebra course as well as a Natural Science course (in Chemistry, Biology, Physics, or Geosciences) which includes a lab with a grade of C or better. Why do you have these requirements?

You may also be required to take and pass the WGU Readiness Assessment — a short, multi-part online admissions test that helps determine the likelihood of success in a WGU program.

See More about Teachers College Admission Requirements

Speak to an Enrollment Counselor and Apply Today

You'll be on your way to a successful career. A world of opportunity awaits.

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Question and Answer

Select a question from the left, see the answer to the right.

How does WGU keep its tuition so low?

As a nonprofit university, WGU doesn’t need to benefit shareholders. Our students are our main concern. We also try to keep our operating costs low. And since we’re an exclusively online university, we don’t need to maintain expensive classroom buildings, a campus, and other non-academic programs. 

Should I consider financial aid?

Using financial aid is a personal decision. When making this decision, you should know that a degree is a great investment in yourself that will pay for itself many times over. Individuals with a bachelor’s degree earn on average almost a million dollars more over the course their careers compared to those without one. A master’s degree typically has a similar impact on your wallet. You should definitely consider federal financial aid if it means the difference between getting your degree or not. Speak to an Enrollment Counselor to learn more.

 

Other WGU Teaching Degrees

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