Hello, recently I have been thinking about going into teaching (I would like to be a biology teacher). What kind of degree would I pursue? Would I get my bachelor’s in biology then get certified to teach? I’ve asked many of my teachers, and I have gotten so many different answers, which would imply to me that each university is a little bit different. So, how would one become a biology teacher at UofM twin cities? Also, I wanted to know if I could work in a lab with the degree required to teach.
The reason you’ve gotten so many different answers, is that there are many different paths to certification, and a lot depends on the individual.
It depends on what level you’d like to teach at (early ed, elementary, high school), but typically in Minnesota (any college), a student would get an undergraduate in their field of interest (sounds like yours would be biology), then pursue a Master’s of Education in the appropriate field. The Masters program will include both the coursework and the student teaching experience required for certification.
You don’t need a masters to teach- there are alternate paths to certification, but unless you have connections to a school or district, you will find it a challenge to get in the hours of student teaching required to earn certification. For students coming out of high school, a masters is your easiest path to full time teaching.
As for working in a lab with an undergraduate degree… again, depends on what that degree is, and where you are looking to work. There are jobs on campus in labs for student research in biology. Career options outside of the campus are a little more competitive and may be hard to balance with working towards a masters of education.