| |
Dec 26, 2024
|
|
|
|
|
2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Biology, B.S.
|
|
 Return to: Programs of Study
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 20 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.
|
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.
Additional Biology Course Requirements
Students in the biology major must complete at least 24 credit hours of approved biology courses and at least 20 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:
Choose at least two laboratory courses:
Additional Information
Only one Topics in Biology (BIO 426 /BIO 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 /BIO 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 ISCI 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 counting CHEM 242 or GEOL 355 toward their cognate requirement may petition to count BIO 361 for biology major credit. BIO 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
Total: 30-33 Credit Hours
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
Total: 32-33 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
|
Return to: Programs of Study
|
|
