Total Cost * Next Start Date Completion Time † Semester Credits Total Cost * Deepen Your Biology Knowledge, Advance Your Teaching Skills
Engage secondary or college students with the latest innovations and research in biology. American College of Education’s (ACE) master’s in biology education equips you to transform theories, standards and principles within the field into effective course material. Further, you’ll grow your ability to effectively transform complex scientific concepts and diverse perspectives into real-world applications.
This program equips you with 18 hours of content courses that are often required to teach community college and/or dual credit. You’ll also be positioned to lead in biology education and contribute to meaningful research as you develop essential leadership, problem-solving, decision-making and communication skills. Whether your career goals are in the classroom or the field, take your biology expertise and career to the next level.
Empower your students and community, and take the next step toward a future full of possibility.
The M.Ed. in Biology Education program is designed for those teaching at the secondary or college level in the field of biology. The coursework promotes the development of integrated thinking and ways biology can be taught through different perspectives which encourage real-world applications, effective problem solving, and builds relationships through communication. Individuals consider ways to investigate scientific thought as an approach for examining the forces acting upon living organisms from the basic cellular construction to ways life is sustained through energy transformation and other processes. The courses are crafted to integrate biology concepts and enhance teaching strategies while modeling intellectual processes essential for solving real-world problems.
Here are the courses you’ll take when working towards this program. If no focus of study option is selected, you can choose any 3 courses from the study options below.
Visit the College Catalog to see all courses.
This foundations course in biology explores pollution as an example of a modern-day problem, one in search of a solution. Approaching pollution as a failure in systems, this course guides students in analyzing pollution and its ecological impact, human interactions and every-day phenomena, disruptions in cellular structure, and going green and attempts to repair the damage.
Biological systems exist from the smallest cells to the biosphere and beyond. As a way to define order and organization, students identify characteristics found in repeatable patterns which predict interactions between systems and their environments. Utilizing a universal view of various systems as they relate to current biological problems, students diagnose potential issues and explore ways to solve problems while determining what and how various forces are influencing the overall system.
Forces act upon the biosphere and its diverse lifeforms, from the flow of water to fields of growing corn. At the cellular level, living "machines" use mechanical forces - push, pull, and resistance - to complete their tasks. Understanding the interaction of these forces generates deeper awareness of the possibilities and limitations of the underlying systems. By examining principles of biological and environmental science, learners identify evidence to support models for sustaining the diversity of life on Earth.
The everyday task of living brings biology into the practical. Through the use of measurement and the interaction of energy, problems in biology are examined as they relate to distribution, complexity, and evolution. The ability to understand how energy and matter are related establishes a cause-and-effect relationship essential to understanding reactions and interactions within living organisms. Using a model-based inquiry approach, learners investigate concepts such as metabolic activity, abiotic factors, and competitive systems.
This course explores the formation of natural structures and how these form levels dependent upon the density and type of matter. In a similar fashion, man-made structures are dependent upon the relationship between the properties of materials and how those materials are expected to function. By processing information about structure and form, learners examine how the shape and substructure of objects and living things can create layers of complexity.
Change is evident across time. Using atmospheric and ecological biology as a backdrop, this course explores a variety of issues of scientific interest and social relevance that are transforming life on Earth today. Among the issues are climate change, the greenhouse effect, pollution, deforestation, and the ozone layer. The course also explains the conditions that make life possible, including the potential for life on newly discovered Earth-like planets.
This course examines cognition, specifically the psychological processes of how individuals think and remember as applied to developing judgment and reasoning throughout the learning process. This course will also explore critical thinking as a process reflective of Bloom's Taxonomy incorporating active learning by formulating ideas, gaining knowledge and comprehension, making appropriate applications, and moving into higher levels of learning through analyzing, evaluating, and creating.
By creating new dimensions of thought to establish meaning and relevance, the ability to conceptualize promotes transferability. This course builds foundational understanding of practical approaches to teach conceptualization while also developing personal and professional knowledge and skills in interrelations, multiple perspectives, concept map development, generalizations and terminology across disciplines. A focus on synergistic effects moves learning across domains into multiple contexts for use in novel situations.
Students in this course will apply learning theories and instructional design principles across face-to-face, blended, and online environments. They adapt instruction to each setting including collaboration and assessments. Learners create products, set expectations, encourage interactions, select strategies and materials, and design evaluations.
Students in this course will design effective curricula within their professional fields. They apply principles of curriculum alignment and backward design to develop comprehensive curriculum maps. Topics include how to conduct needs assessments, plan curricula, and develop learning activities or resources for in-person, blended, and online learning environments.
The Capstone Experience is designed for candidates to demonstrate and document the impact of their knowledge and competencies gained throughout and as a result of studies related to the various Professional Education Studies programs.
This course prepares educators to become proficient consumers and practitioners of research in educational settings. They will learn to evaluate existing research, conduct action research, and apply scientific inquiry principles to address current educational challenges. Educators will develop skills in data-driven decision-making and learn to use research as a tool for continuous improvement in their organizations. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped to integrate evidence-based practices into their work, enhancing their effectiveness as educational leaders.
We believe in full transparency with our total cost of attendance. No hidden fees. No surprises along the way.
Continuing your education is a big decision that involves an investment of your time and money. We recognize that, which is why we're committed to ensuring you experience a positive return on that investment.
You only pay the cost it takes for us to deliver your education, nothing more. By keeping our tuition low, we’ve helped our students see a $19.20 return in future higher earnings for every $1 they invested in their ACE education.1
Because of our low tuition and total program cost, 87% of our students graduate debt-free.2 Popular payment options include paying by course, paying by month or paying in full. Visit our payment options page to learn more.
You deserve a great return on your educational investment, and we deliver master's degrees at a total average cost of $10,000*. We also award over $1.2M in scholarships and grants each year.
Tuition & ROIWe are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Our faculty work in the industries where you work and are committed to your success, contributing to our 84% graduation rate.3 Our curriculum equips you with practical strategies you can apply right away, as well as skills to help you advance your career.
Success StoriesOur virtual campus and convenient start dates provide you the flexibility you need to achieve your goals at a time and place that works with your busy schedule. Our student support services are available 24/7 and tutoring is included at no additional cost.
Support Services
Because we don’t have a physical campus, our students don’t need to pay infrastructure or facility fees. We also keep our operational costs low by not participating in Title IV federal funding. We pass all these savings along to our students.
Due to our engaging online format, you’ll connect and learn from industry peers worldwide. And even though you’re learning online, you won’t feel alone thanks to student discussion boards and online forums.
Learn strategies and skills you can apply immediately and leverage for future career advancement. Employers of ACE graduates report a 96% satisfaction rate,3 while 98% of our students felt their professional skills were stronger after graduation.3
Every course is created by our in-house curriculum and production team working in tandem with our academic leaders. Plus, all courses follow a consistent structure. No outdated coursework, no surprises.
*The application fee is valid for one year from date of submission.
**Additional evidence may be required to fulfill state requirements, including but not limited to verification of professional experience, test scores, or an interview.
All applicants must submit, to the Admissions Office, an official evaluation from a NACES-approved organization.
All applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate competence in the English language as demonstrated in one of three ways:
2Internal research conducted November 2025
3Across all ACE Programs. See Student Right to Know. Accessed May 28, 2026
4Education Data Initiative. Accessed January 28, 2026
Our Enrollment Counselors are here to answer your questions and walk you through the enrollment process.
