BS-Biology

The Biology Department values broadly trained students who are knowledgeable in a diversity of disciplines within biology. Such broad training is important in today’s age, when there is considerable overlap among the biological disciplines. Students are therefore encouraged to take a variety of courses to fulfill the 27 credits of upper-level electives required in the major.

However, students should work closely with their academic advisor(s) to determine the coursework that best suits their educational and career goals. Several emphases and courses relevant to specific disciplines are listed below. Students may also choose to complete the biology degree with a pre-Physician Assistant (pre-PA) option. These curriculum tracks allow students to earn their degree in biology and complete the prerequisite courses necessary to apply for matriculation into professional PA graduate programs. Students majoring in biology also have the option to participate in two academic travel courses that allow students to study tropical marine biology in the Bahamas or the ecology of Yellowstone National Park. These courses combined with the laboratory experiences and opportunities to pursue faculty-mentored undergraduate research provide students with the laboratory skills, critical thinking ability and problem-solving skills that are pivotal to be successful in biology-related careers.

Graduation Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology

• Biology courses required for a Bachelor of Science degree in biology include: BIOL 122/123, BIOL 124/125, BIOL 126/127, BIOL 265/266, 27 credits of upper-level courses in biology* (200-level or above), and 2 credits of BIOL 487-489, BIOL 490-495, or BIOL 496-499.

  • Pre-Physician Assistant Track: Students complete all of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree in biology listed above. However, students are required to complete Human Gross Anatomy with Lab – BIOL 365/366; Human Physiology with Lab – BIOL 368/369, and Microbiology with Lab – BIOL 331/332 as part of the 27 credits of upper-level courses in biology*. Students are also recommended to complete Medical Terminology – PHAS 121, Introduction to Psychology – PSYC 111, Basic Sociology – SOCI 110, Applied Statistics – MATH 213, and faculty-mentored research – BIOL 487-489 as part of the requirements within the major.

• Students are required to complete a minimum of 5 labs associated with upper-level biology courses (200-level and above), and all upper-level biology labs are required with the course, where indicated.

• Students may earn a maximum of 6.0 credits in BIOL 487-489 toward the biology courses required within the major. Two (2) credits can be used to fulfill the 2-credit requirement in BIOL 487-489, BIOL 490-495, or BIOL 496-499; and 4 credits can be used to fulfill the 27-credit requirement of upper-level biology elective credits. If additional academic credit is earned beyond 6 credits, the credit(s) can be used toward the 9.0 credits of general electives.

• Only 1 course from BIOL 496-499 may be used to fulfill the Biology degree requirements.

• Students must earn a 2.0 grade point average or higher across all of the courses required within the major, which includes required courses in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.

• Students can take BIOL 331/332 Microbiology or BIOL 340/341 Aquatic Microbiology

• CHEM 366/367: Structural Biochemistry and lab and CHEM 368: Biochemical Pathways may be used to fulfill the 27 credits of upper-level courses in biology.