This minor may only be completed by students admitted to Elementary Education options leading to certification in K-9 or Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence. A minor is not required to complete the K-9 certification program, but students may elect to complete one.
Minors provide a depth of study in a particular area of interest and also inform classroom instruction. The completion of a minor is required to teach middle school in some states and may benefit students particularly interested in teaching at this level.
Students may wish to consult with a biology undergraduate advisor to discuss course selection and other issues related to this field of study. The Biology Major website is also a good resource, providing information about areas of study within biology and upcoming biology-related activities on campus. Biology is offered as a major in both the College of Letters & Science and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
Upon completion, the subject area of the minor will be posted on the UW-Madison transcript. Students will not receive an additional certification or license in the subject area as was possible prior to fall 2022 program admission. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction does not offer content licenses in association with the K-9 educator license.
This minor may only be declared by students completing Elementary Education certification in either K-9 or Middle-Childhood-through-Early-Adolescence. The declaration form is located on the School of Education's Undergraduate Admissions page and can be submitted any time after admission into the program.
The biology minor requires a minimum of 24 credits. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 is required, based on all biology minor coursework taken on the UW–Madison campus. Biocore sequence coursework may also be used to meet these requirements; consult with an advisor in Education Student Services.
Discipline-related course work is also required, but not calculated into the minor credits or gpa.
Required Discipline-Related Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select a minimum of 6 credits in Mathematics and/or Statistics, college level, excluding MATH 130–MATH 132 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 5-10 | |
| General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II | ||
| Advanced General Chemistry | ||
| Chemical Principles I and Chemical Principles II | ||
| Select one of the following: | 8-10 | |
| General Physics and General Physics | ||
| General Physics and General Physics | ||
| General Physics and General Physics | ||
MINOR REQUIREMENTS
Introductory Biology. Select one of the following options:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Option 1: 1 | ||
| BIOLOGY/ZOOLOGY 101 | Animal Biology | 3 |
| BIOLOGY/ZOOLOGY 102 | Animal Biology Laboratory | 2 |
| BIOLOGY/BOTANY 130 | General Botany | 5 |
| Option 2: | ||
| BIOLOGY/BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 151 | Introductory Biology | 5 |
| BIOLOGY/BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 152 | Introductory Biology | 5 |
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Students earning Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) Biology scores of 4 or above are given credit for BIOLOGY/BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 151 at UW–Madison. This course fulfills the entire 151–152 sequence. Students taking BIOLOGY/BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 151 coursework at UW–Madison or transfer it from another campus must complete both BIOLOGY/BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 151 and BIOLOGY/BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 152 to complete the 151–152 sequence.
Genetics
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GENETICS 466 | Principles of Genetics | 3 |
Electives
Complete biology elective coursework from the approved lists to reach a minimum of 24 credits. The courses must be numbered 300 and above and include at least one course from two of the following three areas: (1) Ecology, Evolution, Genetics, (2) Cell and Molecular Biology, and (3) Physiology. Additional courses may, with the consent of an advisor, be selected to meet the elective requirements.
Area 1: Ecology/Evolution/Genetics
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AN SCI 610 | Quantitative Genetics | 3 |
| BOTANY 300 | Plant Anatomy 1 | 4 |
| BOTANY 305 | Plant Morphology and Evolution 1 | 4 |
| BOTANY 330 | Algae | 3 |
| BOTANY/PL PATH 332 | Fungi 1 | 4 |
| BOTANY 400 | Plant Systematics 1 | 4 |
| BOTANY 401 | Vascular Flora of Wisconsin 1 | 4 |
| BOTANY/F&W ECOL 402 | Dendrology: Woody Plant Identification and Ecology 1 | 2 |
| BOTANY 403 | Field Collections and Identification 1 | 1-4 |
| BOTANY 422 | Plant Geography | 3 |
| BOTANY/F&W ECOL 455 | The Vegetation of Wisconsin 1 | 4 |
| BOTANY/F&W ECOL/ZOOLOGY 460 | General Ecology 1 | 4 |
| BOTANY/PL PATH 563 | Phylogenetic Analysis of Molecular Data | 3 |
| ZOOLOGY/ENTOM 302 | Introduction to Entomology 1 | 4 |
| ZOOLOGY/ENVIR ST 315 | Limnology-Conservation of Aquatic Resources | 2 |
| ZOOLOGY 316 | Laboratory for Limnology-Conservation of Aquatic Resources 1 | 2-3 |
| ZOOLOGY/ENTOM/M M & I/PATH-BIO 350 | Parasitology | 3 |
| ZOOLOGY/ENVIR ST/F&W ECOL 360 | Extinction of Species | 3 |
| ZOOLOGY/ANTHRO/BOTANY 410 | Evolutionary Biology | 3 |
| ZOOLOGY 430 | Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates | 5 |
| ZOOLOGY/BOTANY/F&W ECOL 460 | General Ecology 1 | 4 |
| ZOOLOGY/ENVIR ST 510 | Ecology of Fishes | 3 |
| ZOOLOGY/ENVIR ST 511 | Ecology of Fishes Lab 1 | 2 |
| ZOOLOGY/AN SCI/F&W ECOL 520 | Ornithology | 3 |
| ZOOLOGY/AN SCI/F&W ECOL 521 | Birds of Southern Wisconsin 1 | 3 |
| ZOOLOGY 525 | Tropical Herpetology | 1 |
| MICROBIO 607 | Advanced Microbial Genetics | 3 |
| ENTOM 331 | Taxonomy of Mature Insects 1 | 4 |
| ENTOM 468 | Studies in Field Entomology 1 | 3 |
| GENETICS/MD GENET 565 | Human Genetics | 3 |
| GENETICS/BIOCHEM/MICROBIO 612 | Prokaryotic Molecular Biology | 3 |
| GENETICS/BIOCHEM/MD GENET 620 | Eukaryotic Molecular Biology | 3 |
| HORT/AGRONOMY 501 | Principles of Plant Breeding | 3 |
| LAND ARC/ENVIR ST 361 | Wetlands Ecology 1 | 3 |
| PL PATH 300 | Introduction to Plant Pathology 1 | 4 |
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Courses are lab or field courses.
Area 2: Cell and Molecular Biology
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MICROBIO 303 | Biology of Microorganisms | 3 |
| MICROBIO 607 | Advanced Microbial Genetics | 3 |
| M M & I/PATH-BIO 528 | Immunology | 3 |
| BOTANY/PL PATH 563 | Phylogenetic Analysis of Molecular Data | 3 |
| PL PATH/ONCOLOGY 640 | General Virology-Multiplication of Viruses | 3 |
| GENETICS/BIOCHEM/MICROBIO 612 | Prokaryotic Molecular Biology | 3 |
| ZOOLOGY 430 | Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates | 5 |
| ZOOLOGY 570 | Cell Biology | 3 |
Area 3: Physiology
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BOTANY 500 | Plant Physiology | 3-4 |
| ZOOLOGY 611 | Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology | 3 |
| ZOOLOGY 612 | Comparative Physiology Laboratory 1 | 2 |
| ANAT&PHY 335 | Physiology 1 | 5 |
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Courses are lab or field courses.