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2019-2020 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Biology, B.S.
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 Return to: Programs of Study
Degree and Major Requirements
The department offers a four-year B.S. degree program for a major in biology and for a major in biology qualifying for the Secondary Collegiate Professional License. Requirements for the B.A. degree can be met by adding the completion of an intermediate level foreign language and three credit hours in philosophy. Students may not receive dual credit toward the biology major for 300- and 400-level BIO courses that are applied toward the biotechnology major.
Biology majors must complete 40 credit hours of biology courses including 16 credit hours at the 300 and 400 level. Specific requirements include four core courses (BIO 140 , BIO 150 , BIO 240 and BIO 250 ), at least two upper-division laboratory courses and one course from a list of courses with an emphasis on organismal diversity. In addition, biology majors must complete a set of cognate courses in chemistry, mathematics, statistics and physics that are listed below. Students are encouraged to participate in independent research with a faculty mentor. Credits earned doing research will count toward the biology major but some restrictions apply.
When requested, senior biology majors are expected to participate in program assessment test activities as a graduation requirement. Assessment information helps the department modify the curriculum to meet student needs.
Credit by Examination
When evidence of sufficient background or preparation is presented, the Department of Biology offers credit by examination in many of its non-lab courses at the discretion of the course instructor or coordinator. Students seeking such credit should make arrangements with the course instructor or coordinator and obtain approval of the department head.
Teaching Licensure
Biology majors need courses in physics and geology as well as inorganic and organic chemistry for many science education positions.
In addition to the general education and academic major requirements, biology majors desiring secondary teacher licensure must be admitted to teacher education, complete the pre-professional program in secondary education at the undergraduate level and complete the graduate level Master of Arts in Teaching degree.
It is critical that students seeking licensure consult regularly with both their education adviser and their major adviser to support their progression through the programs. For a full description of the program in secondary teaching, refer to the Middle, Secondary and Mathematics Education, Department of , in addition to the College of Education .
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Required Courses
- General Education 41 Credit Hours 1
- Quantitative requirement (in addition to General Education ) 3 Credit Hours 2
- Scientific Literacy requirement (in addition to General Education ) 3-4 Credit Hours 2
- Biology requirements (listed below) 40 Credit Hours
- Cognate requirements (listed below) 31-36 Credit Hours
Footnotes
1 The General Education program contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill. The number of credit hours necessary to fulfill these requirements may vary.
2 The quantitative and scientific literacy requirements are met by courses required in the major.
Biology Major Requirements
Additional Biology Course Requirements
Students in the biology major must complete at least 24 credit hours of approved biology courses and at least 16 of these must be at the 300 and 400 levels. Also, one course must be from a group of courses on organismal diversity and two courses must have a laboratory component. Courses in both lists may count for both requirements. Three credits of independent research (BIO 497 and/or BIO 499 ) may be used for one, but only one, of the laboratory courses.
Choose at least one organismal diversity courses:
- BIO 305. Ornithology (1, 4) 3.00
- BIO 309. Marine and Freshwater Invertebrates (3, 0) 3.00
- BIO 310. Marine Biology 3.00
- BIO 320. Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates (2, 4) 4.00
- BIO 340. Morphology and Anatomy of Vascular Plants (2, 4) 4.00
- BIO 345. Animal Field Biology 3.00
- BIO 357. Galápagos Islands: Biodiversity and Conservation 3.00
- BIO 360. Plant Biology (3, 0) 3.00
- BIO 364. Human Uses of Plants (3, 0) 3.00
- BIO 386. Field Botany (3, 3) 4.00
- BIO 402. Forest Ecology 4.00
- BIO 405. Vertebrate Paleontology (3, 1) 3.00
or - GEOL 405. Vertebrate Paleontology 3.00
- BIO 412. Mammalogy 4.00
- BIO 420. Medical Parasitology (3, 0) 3.00
- BIO 470. Morphology of Nonvascular Plants (2, 4) 4.00
- BIO 486. Systematics of Vascular Plants (2, 4) 4.00
Choose at least two laboratory courses:
- BIO 305. Ornithology (1, 4) 3.00
- BIO 318. Experimental Vertebrate Development (0, 4) 2.00
- BIO 320. Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates (2, 4) 4.00
- BIO 340. Morphology and Anatomy of Vascular Plants (2, 4) 4.00
- BIO 342. Mathematical Models in Biology 3.00
or - MATH 342. Mathematical Models in Biology 3.00
- BIO 343L. Immunology Laboratory (0, 4) 1.00
- BIO 345. Animal Field Biology 3.00
- BIO 346. Bacterial Discovery 2.00
- BIO 348L. Medical Microbiology Laboratory 1.00
- BIO 350. Paleobiology (3, 2) 4.00
- BIO 354. Global Climate Change and Life: Ecological and Biological Impacts of Climate Variability (3, 3) 4.00
- BIO 364L. Laboratory in Human Uses of Plants (0, 3) 1.00
- BIO 366. Environmental Ecology and Evolution (3, 3) 4.00
- BIO 370. Animal Physiology (3, 3) 4.00
- BIO 386. Field Botany (3, 3) 4.00
- BIO 387L. Environmental Microbiology Laboratory 1.00
- BIO 400. Geology and Ecology of the Bahamas 3.00
or - GEOL 400. Geology and Ecology of the Bahamas 3.00
- BIO 402. Forest Ecology 4.00
or - GEOG 402. Forest Ecology 4.00
- BIO 410. Advanced Human Anatomy (1, 6) 3.00
- BIO 412. Mammalogy 4.00
- BIO 416. Human Embryology (3, 3) 4.00
- BIO 420L. Medical Parasitology Lab (0, 3) 1.00 (taken with BIO 420 )
- BIO 432. Light Microscopy (2, 4) 4.00
- BIO 446. Experimental Neurobiology 4.00
- BIO 448. Developmental Neurobiology 4.00
- BIO 449. Insect Ecology (2, 4) 4.00
- BIO 452. Population Ecology (2, 4) 4.00
- BIO 455. Plant Physiology (3, 3) 4.00
- BIO 456. Landscape Ecology (3, 3) 4.00
- BIO 457. Biological Applications of Geographic Information Systems (2, 4) 4.00
- BIO 459. Freshwater Ecology (3, 3) 4.00
- BIO 460. Plant Biotechnology (2, 4) 4.00
- BIO 465. Environmental Toxicology (2, 4) 4.00
- BIO 470. Morphology of Nonvascular Plants (2, 4) 4.00
- BIO 480. Advanced Molecular Biology (2, 5) 4.00
- BIO 481. Genomics (3, 3) 4.00
- BIO 482. Human Histology (3, 3) 4.00
- BIO 483. Bioinformatics (3, 3) 4.00
- BIO 486. Systematics of Vascular Plants (2, 4) 4.00
- BIO 490. Mechanics of Animal Movement (3, 3) 4.00
Additional Information
Only one Topics in Biology (BIO 426 /427 ) may fulfill one of the laboratory course and/or organismal requirements. A list of the topics that may be used is available in the biology department office. These can be repeated with a change in topic, but only 12 credits from BIO 426 /427 can be applied toward the 40-hour biology course requirement.
When choosing additional biology courses to complete the 40 credit hour requirement, students are strongly encouraged to discuss their career interests with an adviser who can help select courses best suited to their needs. Students are encouraged to participate in independent research and teaching courses with a faculty mentor, though a maximum of eight credits of BIO 492 ,BIO 494 ,BIO 495 , BIO 496 , BIO 497 , BIO 499 and ISC 450 can be counted toward the biology major.
Cognate Requirements
The following five groups of support courses are required for the biology major. Consult your academic adviser about which courses are appropriate.
Complete all of the following: 11 Credit Hours
Choose one of the following: 3 Credit Hours
Chemistry beyond the minimum requirement is recommended in many areas of biology. Consult with your adviser about which courses are appropriate. Students who take BIO 361 /CHEM 361 in addition to CHEM 242 , CHEM 353 ,CHEM 354 or GEOL 355 /CHEM 355 will have BIO 361 /CHEM 361 applied toward their BIO 300-400-level elective requirements. BIO 361 /CHEM 361 may not be used for both a chemistry cognate and a biology major elective.
Choose one of the following sets of courses: 4-7 Credit Hours
Mathematics beyond the minimum requirement is desirable in many areas of biology. Consult your adviser about which courses are appropriate.
Choose one of the following courses: 3-4 Credit Hours
Statistics beyond the minimum requirement is desirable in many areas of biology. Consult your adviser about which courses are appropriate.
Choose one of the following sets of courses: 8 Credit Hours
Biology Recommended Schedule for Majors
First semester first year biology majors are encouraged to start with a 14-15 hour course load. This will generally include BIO 140 , CHEM 131 and CHEM 131L and/or a math course plus General Education . The work load will then be increased in the second semester based on the level of first semester success.
Total: 29-35 Credit Hours
Total: 29-30 Credit Hours
Third Year
- Upper-level biology laboratory courses 8 Credit Hours
- Biology elective 3-4 Credit Hours
- Physics courses 8 Credit Hours
- General Education : from Clusters Two , Four and Five 7 Credit Hours
- Electives 6 Credit Hours
Fourth Year
- Upper-level biology laboratory course 4 Credit Hours
- Biology electives 9 Credit Hours
- General Education : from Clusters Two , Four and Five 3 Credit Hours
- Electives 15 Credit Hours
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