Nova Southeastern University

The field experiences provide teacher candidates with an opportunity to perform the duties of an elementary classroom teacher within the classroom setting. The purpose of these experiences is to allow teacher candidates to demonstrate their understanding of the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices and subject area competencies. A minimum of 10 field experience hours required per education course and are to be completed throughout the elementary education program.

The clinical practice (internship) is the culminating experience for those teacher candidates earning a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. The teacher candidate is assigned full time to a school for 12 weeks. Opportunities are provided for the teacher candidate to engage in lesson planning, instruction, and parent/teacher conferences. During this period, the teacher candidate will observe, teach, and evaluate students in conjunction with the regular classroom teacher.

• Satisfactory completion of the required coursework
• Satisfactory completion of the clinical practice (internship)
• Successful completion of field experiences
• Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0
• Passing scores for the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE): General Knowledge Test, Professional Education Test, and Subject Area Examination
• Completed application for degree

The Bachelor of Science in Secondary Biology Education is a Florida state-approved certification program, and meets all of the requirements for the Florida Department of Education’s secondary biology education (grades 6 -12) initial certification.

Florida participates in the Interstate Agreement on Qualification of Educational Personnel with 38 other states for teacher certification and/or licensure. Graduates who wish to teach outside the state of Florida must contact their state’s Department of Education for information on achieving certification through reciprocity.

Faculty members of the Bachelor of Science in Secondary Biology Education program and applied professional studies programs are scholars and educators from the Nova Southeastern University Fischler School of Education and other major universities and institutions throughout the country. In addition many are also highly respected professional practitioners, who are carefully selected on the basis of their subject expertise, teaching abilities, and professional involvement. Most importantly, they are united in their desire to not only educate, but to inspire students to use what they learn to motivate others.