Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biotechnology, B.S.


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Dr. Stephanie Stockwell, Director
Phone: (540) 568-8980
Email: stockwsb@jmu.edu
Location: ISAT-CISAT Building, Room 320

Mission

JMU Biotechnology is a 4-year interdisciplinary major leading to a B.S. degree.  The program is shared among the Departments of Biology , Chemistry and Biochemistry , and Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) .  Students undertake a rigorous curriculum rich with hands-on laboratory experiences, critical analyses of both the “how” and the “why” of biotechnological solutions, and the development of transferable skills needed to keep up in a rapidly changing field. The combination of both scientific/technical depth and cross-disciplinary breadth allow graduates to pursue diverse career paths in industry, government and advanced studies.

Biotechnology majors complete 47-50 credit hours of science foundation courses,17 credit hours of biotechnology transition and core courses, and 15 credit hours of electives. Advanced courses are selected from an extensive list of Biology , Chemistry and Biochemistry , ISAT , Engineering  and Mathematics and Statistics  offerings. Students work with assigned academic advisers to develop individualized portfolios of upper level courses that best suit their unique interests and goals. Up to six credits of undergraduate research or internship experiences can be applied to the upper level electives requirement. 

Students are eligible for the General Business Minor . Students may not receive dual credit toward the Biotechnology major for 300- and 400-level Biology  courses that are also applied toward the Biology  major. Biotechnology students pursuing a minor in ISAT may not substitute 100-level Biology  or Chemistry  courses for ISAT  foundation courses. Biotechnology majors are not eligible for the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Minor .

Degree and Major Requirements


Degree Requirements


  • General Education: The Human Community  41 Credit Hours 1
  • Quantitative requirement 3 Credit Hours 2
  • Scientific Literacy requirement 3-4 Credit Hours 2
  • Major requirements (listed below) and electives 79 Credit Hours

Total: 126 Credit Hours


Footnotes


1 The General Education  program contains a set of requirements that each student must fulfill. The number of credit hours necessary to fulfill these requirements may vary.

2 In addition to General Education .

Major Requirements


Note

Students who wish to take BIO 250  in lieu of BIO 245  are encouraged to seek approval for this substitution from the biotechnology program director.

Choose one of the following sets of courses:

Choose one of the following courses:

Total: 47-50 Credit Hours

Total: 17 Credit Hours

Biotechnology Elective Courses


Select 15 credit hours:

Additional Information


Additional 300- and 400-level courses may meet the requirement, with permission from the program director.

Students are highly encouraged to include academic credit for independent research or internships, up to 6 credits of which may be applied to the elective requirement. Approved courses associated with this kind of independent study include:

Recommended Schedule for Majors


First semester, first year biotechnology majors are encouraged to start with a 14-15 hour course load. This will generally include a biology course (four credit hours), CHEM 131  and CHEM 131L , and/or a math course, plus General Education . In some cases, the general chemistry sequence may be postponed when math placement scores suggest that the development of quantitative reasoning skills should come first. The work load may then be adjusted in the second semester based on the level of success in the first semester.

First Year


Note: Other recommended first-year courses include BIO 203. Viral Discovery  or ISAT 203  and BIO 204. Viral Genome and Bioinformatics  or ISAT 204 . The total credit hours listed below do not reflect this recommendation.

Total: 29-31 Credit Hours


Footnote


1 Fulfills General Education: Cluster Three . Some students may be advised to postpone their general chemistry courses if their math placement scores are not sufficiently high. 

Total: 30-31 Credit Hours


Third Year


Total: 32 Credit Hours


Fourth Year


Total: 29 Credit Hours


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