B.S. Degree in Biology / 1 Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology The Bachelor of Science degree in Biology is designed to prepare students for professional careers in the biological sciences, medical and health service fields, research, industry, and education. The program of study is structured around a comprehensive core curriculum that includes genetics, physiology, cell biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, and mathematics. At the upper-division level, students wanting to specialize can choose one of five area concentrations: Cell and Molecular Biology, Integrative Biology, Microbiology/Immunology, Neurobiology, or Plant Biology. Program of Study for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology The minimum number of semester credit hours required for the Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, including the Core Curriculum requirements, is 120. Thirty-nine of the total semester credit hours required for the degree must be at the upperdivision level. All major and support work courses and the required prerequisites must be completed with a grade of C or better. Students seeking teacher certification should contact the Teacher Advising and Certification Center in the College of Education and Human Development for information. Undergraduates seeking elementary teacher certification must complete the Interdisciplinary Studies degree. For students wishing to add focus and expertise to their degree, the Department of Biology also offers a Bachelor of Science Degree with a concentration in one of five areas: Cell and Molecular Biology, Integrative Biology, Microbiology/Immunology, Neurobiology, and Plant Biology. Adding an area of concentration does not require additional coursework beyond the normal Bachelor of Science degree program. Students do, however, have to restrict their selection of biology electives to a predefined list of complementary courses and complete the coursework within the concentration with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better. Students are also encouraged to enroll in Laboratory Research: Biology Concentrations (BIO 4923) as part of their program of study. Specific courses required for each concentration are listed following the general degree requirements. All candidates for this degree must fulfill the Core Curriculum requirements and the degree requirements, which are listed on the following pages. Core Curriculum requirements: Students seeking the Bachelor of Science degree in Biology must fulfill University Core Curriculum requirements in the same manner as other students. The courses listed in the table below satisfy both degree requirements and Core Curriculum requirements; however, if these courses are taken to satisfy both requirements, then students may need to take additional courses in order to meet the minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree. For a complete listing of courses that satisfy the Core Curriculum requirements, see pages 5 9 of this catalog. Core Curriculum Component Area Communications Mathematics Natural Sciences Courses that Satisfy Core Curriculum and Degree Requirements English Rhetoric/Composition (6 semester credit hours) All students must take the following six hours to meet this core requirement: WRC 1013 Freshman Composition I WRC 1023 Freshman Composition II Mathematics (3 semester credit hours) Any 3 hours from the following list will satisfy this core requirement: MAT 1193 Calculus for the Biosciences STA 1403 Probability and Statistics for the Biosciences Science (6 semester credit hours) Any 6 semester credit hours from the following list will satisfy this core requirement: BIO 1404 Biosciences I BIO 1413 Biosciences II
B.S. Degree in Biology / 2 Core Curriculum Component Area Courses that Satisfy Core Curriculum and Degree Requirements CHE 1103 General Chemistry I CHE 1113 General Chemistry II PHY 1603, 1611 Algebra-based Physics I and Laboratory PHY 1623, 1631 Algebra-based Physics II and Laboratory or PHY 1943, 1951 Physics for Scientists I and Laboratory PHY 1963, 1971 Physics for Scientists II and Laboratory Humanities & Visual and Performing Arts Social and Behavioral Sciences World Society and Issues Literature (3 semester credit hours) The Arts (3 semester credit hours) United States History and Diversity (6 semester credit hours) Any six hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will Political Science (6 semester credit hours) POL 1013 Introduction to American Politics, plus three additional hours listed under this section in the list of core courses will satisfy this core requirement. Social and Behavioral Science (3 semester credit hours) Economics (3 semester credit hours) (3 semester credit hours)
B.S. Degree in Biology / 3 Degree Requirements A. 46 semester credit hours in the major, 32 of which must be at the upper-division level: 1. 29 semester credit hours in biology are required: BIO 1122 Laboratory Investigations in Biology BIO 1404 Biosciences I BIO 1413 Biosciences II BIO 2313, 2322 Genetics and Laboratory BIO 3413, 3422 Advanced Physiology and Laboratory BIO 3513, 3522 Biochemistry and Laboratory BIO 3813, 3822 Cellular Biology and Laboratory 2. 5 semester credit hours of a lecture and accompanying laboratory course are required from the following: BIO 3283, 3292 Principles of Ecology and Laboratory BIO 3433, 3442 Neurobiology and Laboratory BIO 3713, 3722 Microbiology and Laboratory BIO 4143, 4152 Developmental Biology and Laboratory (Note: A laboratory section adds a valuable dimension to the understanding of the material presented in a lecture. In general, students are encouraged to add the appropriate laboratory section to any lecture beyond the minimum 5- semester-credit-hour requirement.) 3. 12 additional semester credit hours of biology electives at the upper-division level B. 35 semester credit hours of support work: The support courses listed below are mandatory prerequisites for various biology courses starting in a student s sophomore year. Students need to complete their support work as soon as possible, in their freshman and sophomore years, to be eligible to register for upper-division biology core courses and electives. Failure to complete the support courses listed below in a timely fashion will significantly delay a student s progress toward graduation. 1. 18 semester credit hours of required chemistry courses: CHE 1103, 1122 General Chemistry I and Laboratory CHE 1113, 1132 General Chemistry II and Laboratory CHE 2603, 2612 Organic Chemistry I and Laboratory CHE 3643 Organic Chemistry II 2. 6 semester credit hours of required mathematics and statistics courses: MAT 1193 Calculus for the Biosciences STA 1403 Probability and Statistics for the Biosciences 3. 8 semester credit hours of required physics courses: PHY 1603, 1611 Algebra-based Physics I and Laboratory PHY 1623, 1631 Algebra-based Physics II and Laboratory or PHY 1943, 1951 Physics for Scientists I and Laboratory PHY 1963, 1971 Physics for Scientists II and Laboratory 4. 3 semester credit hours of computer-based data visualization and analysis: CS 1173 Data Analysis and Visualization using MATLAB C. 6 semester credit hours of free electives, at least 4 hours of which must be at the upper-division level to reach the minimum requirement of 39 upper-division semester credit hours
B.S. Degree in Biology / 4 Concentrations For students interested in research or graduate programs, the Department of Biology offers five areas of concentration. To declare a concentration or obtain advice, students should consult an undergraduate advisor in the College of Sciences Undergraduate Advising Center. It is highly recommended that the student complete a research project related to the specific concentration by taking BIO 4923 Laboratory Research: Biology Concentrations. If a student takes any of the courses listed below that satisfy both the Biology degree and concentration requirements, then the student may need to take additional upper-division Biology courses in order to meet the minimum number of semester credit hours required for the Biology degree. The coursework within the concentration must be completed with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better. Concentration in Cell and Molecular Biology All candidates for the Concentration in Cell and Molecular Biology must complete the following: BIO 3913 Molecular Biology and three of the following upper-division elective courses: BIO 3103 Biotechnology BIO 3163 Histology and Cytology BIO 4143 Developmental Biology BIO 4453 Endocrinology BIO 4543 Bioinformatics molecular biology research.) Concentration in Integrative Biology All candidates for the Concentration in Integrative Biology must complete the following: BIO 3283, 3292 Principles of Ecology and Laboratory BIO 3003 Introduction to Marine Biology BIO 3063 Invertebrate Biology BIO 3213 Animal Behavior BIO 3323 Evolution BIO 4033 Conservation Biology BIO 4043 Desert Biology BIO 4053 Wildlife Biology BIO 4063 Ornithology BIO 4083 Entomology BIO 4203 Plant Ecology BIO 4233 Field Biology integrative biology research.)
B.S. Degree in Biology / 5 Concentration in Microbiology/Immunology All candidates for the Concentration in Microbiology/Immunology must complete the following: BIO 3713, 3722 Microbiology and Laboratory BIO 4743 Immunology BIO 3013 Introduction to Clinical Medicine and Pathology BIO 3733 Industrial Microbiology BIO 3743 Bacteriology BIO 4473 Advanced Clinical Medicine and Pathology BIO 4483 Medical Mycology BIO 4493 Molecular Mycology BIO 4723 Virology BIO 4763 Parasitology microbiology or immunology research.) Concentration in Neurobiology All candidates for the Concentration in Neurobiology must complete the following: BIO 3433, 3442 Neurobiology and Laboratory BIO 3213 Animal Behavior BIO 3623 Neuropsychopharmacology BIO 4573 Sensory Perception BIO 4583 The Computational Brain BIO 4813 Brain and Behavior BIO 4823 Cognitive Neuroscience neurobiology research.) Concentration in Plant Biology All candidates for the Concentration in Plant Biology must complete the following: BIO 3343 Plant Cell Biology and three of the following upper-division elective courses: BIO 3263 The Woody Plants BIO 3273 Biology of Flowering Plants BIO 3333 Plants and Society BIO 4203 Plant Ecology BIO 4623 Plant Responses to Biotic Stress BIO 4643 Medicinal Plants BIO 4663 Plant Development plantbased research.)