Click here to view the Suggested Plan of Study
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Degree Requirements
Students must complete WVU General Education Foundations requirements, College B.S. requirements, STEM Foundations requirements, major requirements, and electives with a minimum of 120 hours. For complete details on these requirements, visit the B.S. Degrees tab on the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences page.
Departmental Requirements for the B.S. in Biology
Students intending to graduate with a B.S. in Biology must earn a minimum of 53 hours of coursework in biology or approved courses in the biological sciences, with a minimum of 120 hours total required for graduation.
- Capstone Requirement: The university requires the successful completion of a Biology capstone course (BIOL 320 or BIOL 321 or the research capstone, BIOL 486).
-
Writing and Communication Skills Requirement: The B.S. in Biology is a SpeakWrite Certified ProgramTM. SpeakWrite Certified programs incorporate and develop students’ written, verbal, visual, and mediated communication skills across the curriculum.
-
Calculation of Major GPA: A minimum GPA of a 2.0 is required in all courses applied to major requirements, with a minimum grade of a C- in BIOL 115, BIOL 115L, BIOL 117, and BIOL 117L. If a course is repeated, all attempts will be included in the calculation of the GPA, unless the course is eligible for a D/F repeat.
-
Areas of Emphasis: The B.S. in Biology offers 3 areas of emphasis: Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology, Ecosystems and Global Change, and Integrative Biology. Each student must complete an area of emphasis
-
Upper-division laboratory requirement: all biology majors just complete a minimum of two upper-division BIOL laboratory courses. Those courses are identified with an "L" listed after the course number.
- Research Option: With permission of the department, students may enroll in BIOL 386, BIOL 484, or BIOL 485. These courses can lead to the research capstone, BIOL 486. Up to 6 credits of research can be used towards the biology electives within each track.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 48 | |
| ECAS B.S. Requirements | 11 | |
| Biology Major Requirements | 61 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7 | 18 | |
| BIOL 191 | First-Year Seminar | 1 |
| General Electives | 29 | |
| Total Hours | 48 | |
ECAS Bachelor of Science Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECAS B.S. Requirements | ||
Global Studies and Diversity Requirement | ||
| MATHEMATICS REQUIREMENT: | 3 | |
| Applied Calculus | ||
or MATH 155 | Calculus 1 | |
| SCIENCE REQUIREMENT (choose from one of the following pairs) * | 8 | |
| Introduction to Computer Science and Introduction to Data Structures | ||
| Sustainable Earth and Sustainable Earth Laboratory and Climate System Science and Climate System Science Laboratory | ||
| Elementary Statistical Inference and Intermediate Statistical Methods | ||
| Introductory Physics 1 and Introductory Physics 2 | ||
| General Physics 1 and General Physics 2 | ||
| Total Hours | 11 | |
- *
Major Requirements fulfill additional ECAS BS Science requirements.
Biology Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| STEM FOUNDATIONS * | 8 | |
| Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 Laboratory and Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 Laboratory | ||
| CORE COURSES | 27 | |
Foundational Core Courses | ||
| Principles of Biology and Principles of Biology Laboratory | ||
| Introductory Physiology and Introductory Physiology Laboratory | ||
| Cellular and Molecular Biology and Cellular & Molecular Biology Laboratory | ||
| Ecology and Evolution | ||
| Quantitative Biology | ||
Advanced Biology Core Courses | ||
| Biometry | ||
| Communicating Natural Science | ||
| Professional Development | ||
| Experimental Design & Communication 1 | ||
| Experimental Design & Communication 2 | ||
| AREA OF EMPHASIS | 12 | |
| Select one of the areas of emphasis below. | ||
Cell and Molecular Biology | ||
Ecology, Ecosystems and Global Change | ||
Integrative Biology | ||
| UPPER-DIVISION BIOLOGY ELECTIVES | 11 | |
| Select one course from each group below outside of the selected AoE. ** | ||
Cell/Molecular Electives | ||
| Advanced Cellular/Molecular Biology and Advanced Cellular/Molecular Biology Laboratory | ||
| Introduction to Virology | ||
| Molecular Basis of Cellular Growth | ||
| Developmental Biology and Developmental Biology Laboratory | ||
| Molecular Genetics and Molecular Genetics Laboratory | ||
| Cell Physiology | ||
| Neuroscience 1 | ||
| Plant Physiology and Plant Physiology Laboratory | ||
| Cell and Molecular Biology Methods | ||
| Medical Genetics | ||
| Genomics | ||
| Experimental Biochemistry | ||
| Biochemistry of Nucleic Acids and Proteins and Biochemistry of Nucleic Acids and Proteins Laboratory | ||
| Developmental Genetics | ||
| Molecular Biology of Cancer | ||
| Immunology | ||
| Evolution of Infectious Diseases | ||
| Neurogenetics and Behavior | ||
| Neurobiological Diseases | ||
Organismal Biology Electives | ||
| Developmental Biology and Developmental Biology Laboratory | ||
| Molecular Genetics and Molecular Genetics Laboratory | ||
| Behavioral Ecology | ||
| Invertebrate Zoology | ||
| Ichthyology and Ichthyology Laboratory | ||
| Advanced Human Physiology and Advanced Human Physiology Laboratory | ||
| Human Anatomy and Human Anatomy Laboratory | ||
| Neuroscience 2 | ||
| Plant Physiology and Plant Physiology Laboratory | ||
| Plant Geography | ||
| Medical Genetics | ||
| Developmental Genetics | ||
| General Animal Physiology | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Neuroethology | ||
| Plant Systematics and Plant Systematics Laboratory | ||
| Neurogenetics and Behavior | ||
| Neurobiological Diseases | ||
| Sensory Neural Systems and Behavior | ||
| Principles of Systems Neuroscience | ||
| General Microbiology and General Microbiology Laboratory | ||
| Physiological Psychology | ||
Ecology / Ecosystem Electives | ||
| Behavioral Ecology | ||
| Animal Communication | ||
| Plant Ecology and Plant Ecology Laboratory | ||
| Plant Geography | ||
| Conservation Biology and Conservation Biology Laboratory | ||
| Genomics | ||
| Plant-Microbial Interactions | ||
| Evolution of Infectious Diseases | ||
| Microbial Symbiosis | ||
| Ecology of Parasites | ||
| Principles of Evolution | ||
| Ecosystem Models | ||
| Global Ecology | ||
| Evolution of the Human Brain | ||
| Environmental Microbiology | ||
| Paleontology | ||
| Freshwater Ecology and Freshwater Ecology Laboratory | ||
Integrative Biology Electives | ||
| Introductory Biochemistry | ||
| Animal Communication | ||
| Research Methods Laboratory | ||
| Undergraduate Research | ||
| Bioinformatics | ||
| Neurogenetics and Behavior | ||
| Computational Neuroscience and Computational Neuroscience Laboratory | ||
| Undergraduate Research 1 | ||
| Undergraduate Research 2 | ||
| CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE | 3 | |
Select one of the following options: | ||
| The Total Science Experience: Genomics | ||
| Total Science Experience Lab | ||
| Honors Investigation and Thesis | ||
| Total Hours | 61 | |
- *
STEM foundation courses are common to most STEM majors and excluded from the calculation of the percentage of upper-division courses.
- **
Up to 6 credits of research (BIOL 386, or BIOL 484 and BIOL 485) can be used towards the Upper-Division Biology Electives.
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 191 | 1 | BIOL 117 & 117L (GEF 8; B.S. First Area 2) | 4 |
| BIOL 115 & 115L (GEF 2; B.S. First Area 1) | 4 | CHEM 116 & 116L (GEF 8; B.S. Second Area 2) | 4 |
| CHEM 115 & 115L (GEF 8; B.S. Second Area 1) | 4 | ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| MATH 150 or 155 | 3 | GEF 5 | 3 |
| GEF 4 | 3 | General Elective | 1 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 219 & 219L | 4 | BIOL 221 | 3 |
| ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | BIOL 327 | 1 |
| ECAS BS Requirement 1 | 4 | BIOL 223 | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | ECAS BS Requirement 2 | 4 |
| AoE Cousre 1** | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 2 | ||
| 14 | 16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 387 | 1 | AoE Course 4 | 4 |
| AoE Course 2 | 3 | BIOL 315 | 3 |
| AoE Course 3 | 3 | GEF 6 | 3 |
| BIOL 302 | 3 | General Elective | 4 |
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 487 | 1 | Upper-Division Biology Elective | 3 |
| Upper-Division Biology Elective | 4 | Upper-Division Biology Elective | 3 |
| GEF 7 | 3 | BIOL Capstone* | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 4 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 14 | 16 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
- *
Capstone options include BIOL 320, BIOL 321 or BIOL 486
- **
At least two upper division lab courses must be taken, one of which can be 386 or 485.
Areas of Emphasis Offered:
Cellular and Molecular Biology Area of Emphasis Requirements:
This Area of Emphasis will prepare students for health professions, pharmacy and pharmacology, and graduate school in cellular or molecular biology, virology, genetics, immunology and a variety of related fields.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| AGBI 410 | Introductory Biochemistry | 3 |
| BIOL 310 | Advanced Cellular/Molecular Biology | 3 |
| or BIOL 335 | Cell Physiology | |
| BIOL 316 | Developmental Biology | 3 |
| or BIOL 425 | Developmental Genetics | |
| BIOL 324 | Molecular Genetics | 3 |
| or BIOL 418 | Medical Genetics | |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Ecology, Ecosystems and Global Change Area of Emphasis Requirements:
This Area of Emphasis will prepare students for government and industry careers in natural climate solutions, conservation, and environmental consulting, as well as graduate school in ecology, biogeochemistry, climate change and a variety of related fields.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 338 | Behavioral Ecology | 3 |
| or BIOL 361 & 361L | Plant Ecology and Plant Ecology Laboratory | |
| or BIOL 456 | Microbial Symbiosis | |
| or BIOL 457 | Ecology of Parasites | |
| or WMAN 446 & 446L | Freshwater Ecology and Freshwater Ecology Laboratory | |
| BIOL 365 & 365L | Conservation Biology and Conservation Biology Laboratory | 3 |
| or BIOL 448 | Plant-Microbial Interactions | |
| or BIOL 462 | Ecosystem Models | |
| or BIOL 463 | Global Ecology | |
| BIOL 436 | General Animal Physiology | 3 |
| or BIOL 350 & 350L | Plant Physiology and Plant Physiology Laboratory | |
| BIOL 461 | Principles of Evolution | 3 |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Integrative Biology Area of Emphasis Requirements:
This Area of Emphasis provides an overview of the sub-fields available to biologists. This area of emphasis will prepare students for careers in health care, government, consulting and industry. It also provides preparation for Master's Degree programs in biomedical science or ecology and environmental science.
Curriculum Requirements
Course options for each of the groups of biology electives are listed on the B.S. Biology page, under the section "Upper-Division Biology Electives."
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select one course from the Cell & Molecular Electives | 3 | |
| Select one course from the Organismal Electives | 3 | |
| Select one course from the Ecology and Ecosystems Electives | 3 | |
| Select one course from the Integrative Biology Electives | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Major Learning Outcomes
Biology
Upon successful completion of the B.S. degree, Biology majors will demonstrate competency in these areas:
1. Biological Foundations: Students will demonstrate competency in the content areas (listed below) at three biological levels - cellular/molecular, organismal/physiological, ecosystem/ populations)
-
Information flow
-
Transformations of energy and matter
-
Structure-function relationships
-
Evolution
-
Systems and interactions
2. Integrative skills: Students will demonstrate interpersonal skills including: effective communication with both professional and general audiences in written and oral forms, the ability to work in collaborative teams, global perspective, and application of knowledge and skills from across the curriculum to social issues.
3: Scientific Tools: Students will be able to apply science process skills, including: scientific literacy, experimental design, collecting and analyzing data quantitatively and statistically, application of critical and analytical thinking.