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 38 hours of coursework in biology or approved courses in the biological sciences, with a minimum of 120 hours total required for graduation. Students may not earn both a B.A. and a B.S. in Biology.
- Capstone Requirement: The university requires the successful completion of a Biology capstone course (BIOL 320 or BIOL 321). The three semester, BIOL 486, may be counted as the Biology Capstone Experience in place of BIOL 320 or BIOL 321 . Two hours of BIOL 486 will be counted as part of the core requirements (replacingBIOL 320 or BIOL 321 ) and up to 6 hours may count as upper-level electives.
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Writing and Communication Skills Requirement: The Biology Bachelor of Science is a SpeakWrite Certified ProgramTM. SpeakWrite Certified programs incorporate and develop students’ written, verbal, visual, and mediated communication skills across the curriculum.
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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.
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Electives and Lab Requirement: Students must complete 20 hours of upper-division biology elective credits, with a least one course in each biology sub-discipline (1- Cell and Molecular, 2- Organismal, 3- Evolution and Ecology, 4- Integrative). Courses listed in more than one group may only be used to satisfy one group requirement. At least two of the selected classes must have a laboratory (lab courses are indicated with an asterisk in the curriculum table below). A maximum of three of the non-biology courses (AEM 341, AEM 401, AGBI 410, BIOC 339, BIOC 531, GEOL 331, PSYC 426, WMAN 446) may be used to fulfill the twenty-hour elective requirement. Special topics courses (BIOL 493) can be used to satisfy electives and may satisfy group-electives if appropriate. Additional elective courses may include any 300- or 400-level BIOL courses (except: BIOL 318, BIOL 320, BIOL 321, BIOL 327, BIOL 387, BIOL 487, BIOL 490, BIOL 491, BIOL 494 and above).
- Research Option: With permission of the department, students may enroll in BIOL 386 or BIOL 486. Six hours of BIOL 386 and BIOL 486 may be used towards the 20 hours of Biology upper division electives. One semester of BIOL 386 or BIOL 486 may be used to satisfy one of the lab requirements.
Curriculum Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
University Requirements | 49 | |
ECAS B.S. Requirements | 3 | |
Biology Major Requirements | 68 | |
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 | 30 | |
Total Hours | 49 |
ECAS Bachelor of Science Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
ECAS B.S. Requirements | 3 | |
Global Studies and Diversity Requirement | ||
MATHEMATICS REQUIREMENT: | ||
Applied Calculus | ||
Calculus 1a with Precalculus and Calculus 1b with Precalculus | ||
or MATH 155 | Calculus 1 | |
SCIENCE REQUIREMENT fulfilled by major requirements * | ||
Total Hours | 3 |
Biology Major Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
STEM FOUNDATIONS | 19 | |
Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 Laboratory and Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 Laboratory | ||
Elementary Statistical Inference and Introduction to Probability and Statistics | ||
Introductory Physics 1 and Introductory Physics 1 Laboratory and Introductory Physics 2 and Introductory Physics 2 Laboratory | ||
General Physics 1 and General Physics 1 Laboratory and General Physics 2 and General Physics 2 Laboratory | ||
CORE COURSES | 26 | |
Principles of Biology and Principles of Biology Laboratory | ||
Introductory Physiology and Introductory Physiology Laboratory | ||
The Living Cell and The Living Cell Laboratory | ||
Ecology and Evolution | ||
Professional Development | ||
Experimental Design & Communication 1 | ||
Experimental Design & Communication 2 | ||
Organic Chemistry 1 and Organic Chemistry 1 Laboratory and Organic Chemistry 2 and Organic Chemistry 2 Laboratory | ||
BIOLOGY ELECTIVES ** | 20 | |
Select at least one from each of the following four groups, | ||
and please select two lab courses: | ||
1- Cell and Molecular Biology | ||
Advanced Cellular/Molecular Biology | ||
Advanced Cellular/Molecular Biology Laboratory | ||
Introduction to Virology | ||
Molecular Basis of Cellular Growth | ||
Developmental Biology | ||
Developmental Biology Laboratory | ||
Molecular Genetics | ||
Molecular Genetics Laboratory | ||
Cell Physiology | ||
Neuroscience 1 | ||
Plant Physiology and Plant Physiology Laboratory (*) | ||
Biochemical Basis of Therapeutics | ||
Cell and Molecular Biology Methods | ||
Introduction to Recombinant DNA Laboratory | ||
Molecular Endocrinology | ||
Epigenetics | ||
Medical Genetics | ||
Genomics | ||
Experimental Biochemistry (*) | ||
Biochemistry of Nucleic Acids and Proteins | ||
Biochemistry of Nucleic Acids and Proteins Laboratory | ||
Protein Structure and Function | ||
Developmental Genetics | ||
Molecular Biology of Cancer | ||
Molecular Basis of Disease | ||
Immunology | ||
Evolution of Infectious Diseases | ||
Microbial Symbiosis | ||
Neurogenetics and Behavior | ||
Neurobiological Diseases | ||
2- Organismal Biology | ||
Developmental Biology | ||
Developmental Biology Laboratory | ||
Molecular Genetics | ||
Molecular Genetics Laboratory | ||
Behavioral Ecology | ||
Invertebrate Zoology | ||
Ichthyology and Ichthyology Laboratory (*) | ||
Advanced Human Physiology | ||
Advanced Human Physiology Laboratory (*) | ||
Human Anatomy | ||
Human Anatomy Laboratory | ||
Neuroscience 2 | ||
Plant Physiology and Plant Physiology Laboratory (*) | ||
Flora of West Virginia Laboratory | ||
Plant Geography | ||
Molecular Endocrinology | ||
Medical Genetics | ||
Developmental Genetics | ||
General Animal Physiology | ||
Animal Behavior | ||
Neuroethology | ||
Comparative Anatomy (*) | ||
Plant Systematics and Plant Systematics Laboratory (*) | ||
Microbial Symbiosis | ||
Neurogenetics and Behavior | ||
Neurobiological Diseases | ||
Sensory Neural Systems and Behavior | ||
Principles of Systems Neuroscience | ||
General Microbiology (*) | ||
Physiological Psychology | ||
3- Evolution and Ecology | ||
History of Biology | ||
Behavioral Ecology | ||
Animal Communication | ||
Plant Ecology and Plant Ecology Laboratory (*) | ||
Plant Geography | ||
Conservation Biology | ||
Conservation Biology Laboratory | ||
Genomics | ||
Plant-Microbial Interactions | ||
Evolution of Infectious Diseases | ||
Microbial Symbiosis | ||
Ecology of Parasites | ||
Principles of Evolution | ||
Ecosystem Models | ||
Global Ecology | ||
Population and Quantitative Genetics and Population Genetics Laboratory (*) | ||
Population Genetics Laboratory | ||
Central Nervous System Evolution and Development | ||
Environmental Microbiology (*) | ||
Paleontology (*) | ||
Freshwater Ecology | ||
Freshwater Ecology Laboratory | ||
4- Integrative Biology | ||
Biometry | ||
Communicating Natural Science | ||
Animal Communication | ||
Research Methods Laboratory | ||
Bioinformatics | ||
Microbial Symbiosis | ||
Population and Quantitative Genetics and Population Genetics Laboratory (*) | ||
Neurogenetics and Behavior | ||
Computational Neuroscience and Computational Neuroscience Laboratory | ||
Introductory Biochemistry | ||
Introduction to Human Biochemistry | ||
CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE | 3 | |
Select one of the following options: | ||
The Total Science Experience: Genomics | ||
Total Science Experience Lab | ||
or 2 semesters of the following: | ||
Honors Investigation and Thesis (9 hours) *** | ||
AND 1 semester of the following: | ||
Undergraduate Research | ||
Or 3 semesters of the following: | ||
Honors Investigation and Thesis | ||
Total Hours | 68 |
- *
STEM foundation courses are common to most STEM majors and excluded from the calculation of the percentage of upper-division courses.
- **
Permission of the department must be obtained to enroll in BIOL 386, 486, 490, and 491. Only four credit hours of 386/486 may be used towards the fourteen hour elective requirement. BIOL 490 and BIOL 491 do not satisfy the required fourteen hours of electives in biology. These can serve as general 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 | General Elective | 3 |
GEF 4 | 3 | General Elective | 1 |
15 | 15 | ||
Second Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
BIOL 219 & 219L | 4 | BIOL 221 | 3 |
CHEM 233 & 233L | 4 | BIOL 327 | 1 |
PHYS 101 & 101L (B.S. Third Area 1) | 4 | CHEM 234 & 234L | 4 |
ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | PHYS 102 & 102L (B.S. Third Area 2) | 4 |
GEF 5 | 3 | ||
15 | 15 | ||
Third Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
BIOL 387 | 1 | BIOL Elective Lab 1** | 4 |
BIOL Elective Group I*** | 3 | BIOL Elective Group III | 3 |
BIOL Elective Group II | 3 | STAT Requirement | 3 |
GEF 6 | 3 | ECAS Global Studies and Diversity Requirement (GEF 7) | 3 |
General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 1 |
General Elective | 3 | ||
16 | 14 | ||
Fourth Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
BIOL 487 | 1 | BIOL Elective Group IV*** | 3 |
BIOL Elective Lab 2** | 4 | BIOL Capstone | 3 |
General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 1 | ||
15 | 15 | ||
Total credit hours: 120 |
- *
BIOL 321 / BIOL 320 (capstone) may be replaced with three semesters of BIOL 486 (research).
- **
At least two upper division lab courses must be taken, one of which can be 386 or 486.
- ***
At least one 300-level or above course must be taken in each biology sub-discipline (1-4).
B.S. Biology: Pre-Medical track
The following information is included for advising purposes only and is not an approved curriculum. Completing the stipulations suggested below will not result in an additional designation on any official record.
- Independent Research: Students with aspirations to attend top-rank medical schools should include at least three hours of independent research (BIOL 386 or BIOL 486) in their program of study if they are to be competitive. The three semester, BIOL 486, may be counted as the Biology Capstone in place of BIOL 320 or BIOL 321. Six hours of BIOL 386 and BIOL 486 may be used to satisfy upper division electives. One semester of BIOL 386 or will satisfy one lab course.
- MCAT and Medical School admission requirements: Students who will take the MCAT in 2015 or later should take PSYC 101, SOC 101, ANTH 105, and one further course in Psychology and Sociology in order to be prepared for the new social sciences section of the MCAT - consult with your adviser for more detailed information. The course of study outlined below is recommended for students interested in attending medical school. However, admission requirements will vary from one medical school to another, so a review of specific requirements for each school of interest is recommended.
Note: The list of electives and recommendations outlined below are recommended for students interested in attending medical school. However, admission requirements will vary from one medical school to another, so a review of specific requirements for each school of interest is recommended. B.S. Biology students should select their biology electives from the list below. "General Requirements" and "Biochemistry Requirements" are strongly recommended for a competitive medical school application. Students interested in Graduate School and Research are strongly encouraged to take MATH 156. Please consult your adviser.
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
General Requirements | 10 | |
Advanced Cellular/Molecular Biology | ||
General Animal Physiology | ||
Comparative Anatomy | ||
Biochemistry Requirement | 3 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
Introductory Biochemistry | ||
Introduction to Human Biochemistry | ||
Ecology and Evolution Requirement | 3 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
Behavioral Ecology | ||
Principles of Evolution | ||
Population and Quantitative Genetics | ||
Laboratory Requirement | 4 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
General Microbiology | ||
Environmental Microbiology | ||
Electives | 3 | |
Select remaining hours from the following: | ||
Biometry | ||
Introduction to Virology | ||
Molecular Basis of Cellular Growth | ||
Developmental Biology | ||
Molecular Genetics | ||
Molecular Genetics Laboratory | ||
Cell Physiology | ||
Neuroscience 1 | ||
Undergraduate Research | ||
Cell and Molecular Biology Methods | ||
Introduction to Recombinant DNA Laboratory | ||
Molecular Endocrinology | ||
Epigenetics | ||
Developmental Genetics | ||
Molecular Biology of Cancer | ||
Animal Behavior | ||
Molecular Basis of Disease | ||
Immunology | ||
Evolution of Infectious Diseases | ||
Microbial Symbiosis | ||
Physiological Psychology | ||
Total Hours | 23 |
Areas of Emphasis Offered:
Bachelor of Arts or Sciences in Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology Area of Emphasis
A biology degree with an emphasis in cellular and molecular biology provides the student with all the preparation necessary for the health professions, pharmacy and pharmacology, and graduate school in cellular or molecular biology, virology, genetics, immunology and a variety of related fields. Biology majors pursuing the area of emphasis in Cellular and Molecular Biology take two introductory courses to learn about the processes within cells and the mechanisms for communication between cells. They then take a further concentration of courses in Biology that are related to cellular and molecular biology.
Cellular and Molecular Biology Area of Emphasis Requirements:
Students wishing to complete a Cellular and Molecular Biology Area of Emphasis must take the following selection of courses as part of their required Biology electives, either for the B.A. or the B.S.
Curriculum Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
BIOL 310 | Advanced Cellular/Molecular Biology | 3 |
BIOL 324 | Molecular Genetics | 3 |
Select two of the following: | 6 | |
Introduction to Virology | ||
Molecular Basis of Cellular Growth | ||
Developmental Biology | ||
Cell Physiology | ||
Neuroscience 1 | ||
Biochemical Basis of Therapeutics | ||
Cell and Molecular Biology Methods | ||
Introduction to Recombinant DNA Laboratory | ||
Molecular Endocrinology | ||
Epigenetics | ||
Medical Genetics | ||
Genomics | ||
Biochemistry of Nucleic Acids and Proteins | ||
Protein Structure and Function | ||
Developmental Genetics | ||
Molecular Biology of Cancer | ||
Bioinformatics | ||
General Animal Physiology | ||
Molecular Basis of Disease | ||
Immunology | ||
Evolution of Infectious Diseases | ||
Microbial Symbiosis | ||
Population and Quantitative Genetics and Population Genetics Laboratory | ||
Forensic Biology | ||
Total Hours | 12 |
Suggested Plan of Study for the B.A. in Biology with an Area of Emphasis in Cellular and Molecular Biology
First Year | |||
---|---|---|---|
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
BIOL 191 | 1 | ENGL 101 | 3 |
BIOL 115 & 115L | 4 | BIOL 117 & 117L | 4 |
CHEM 115 & 115L | 4 | CHEM 116 & 116L | 4 |
MATH 150 | 3 | Language 102 | 3 |
Language 101 | 3 | General Elective | 1 |
15 | 15 | ||
Second Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
BIOL 219 & 219L | 4 | BIOL 221 | 3 |
CHEM 233 & 233L | 4 | BIOL 327 | 1 |
ENGL 102 | 3 | CHEM 234 & 234L | 4 |
Language 203 | 3 | Language 204 | 3 |
General Elective | 1 | General Elective | 1 |
GEF 4 | 3 | ||
15 | 15 | ||
Third Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
GEF 5 | 3 | GEF 6 | 3 |
BIOL 310 | 3 | Biology Capstone | 2 |
BIOL 387 | 1 | PHYS 102 & 102L | 4 |
PHYS 101 & 101L | 4 | BIOL 324 | 3 |
STAT 211 | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 1 | ||
15 | 15 | ||
Fourth Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
BIOL 478 | 3 | CMB AoE Elective 2 | 3 |
GEF 7 | 3 | Biology Elective | 3 |
CMB AoE Elective 1 (with lab) | 4 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 2 | General Elective | 3 |
15 | 15 | ||
Total credit hours: 120 |
Suggested Plan of Study for the B.S. in Biology with an Area of Emphasis in Cellular and Molecular Biology
First Year | |||
---|---|---|---|
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
BIOL 191 | 1 | ENGL 101 | 3 |
GEF 4 | 3 | BIOL 117 & 117L | 4 |
BIOL 115 & 115L | 4 | CHEM 116 & 116L | 4 |
CHEM 115 & 115L | 4 | General Elective | 3 |
MATH 155 | 4 | ||
16 | 14 | ||
Second Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
ENGL 102 | 3 | BIOL 221 | 3 |
BIOL 219 & 219L | 4 | BIOL 327 | 1 |
CHEM 233 & 233L | 4 | CHEM 234 & 234L | 4 |
PHYS 101 & 101L | 4 | PHYS 102 & 102L | 4 |
STAT 211 | 3 | ||
15 | 15 | ||
Third Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
BIOL 310 (Group I elective) | 3 | BIOL 324 (Group II) | 3 |
BIOL 387 | 1 | General Elective | 3 |
GEF 5 | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
GEF 6 | 3 | Biology Elective, Lab 1 | 4 |
GEF 7 | 3 | Biology Capstone | 2 |
Biology Elective, Group III, AoE Elective 1 | 3 | ||
16 | 15 | ||
Fourth Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
BIOL 487 | 1 | Biology Elective, Group IV, AoE Elective 2 | 3 |
Biology Elective, Lab 2 | 4 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 2 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 1 | ||
14 | 15 | ||
Total credit hours: 120 |
Bachelor of Arts or Science in Biology: Ecology and Environmental Biology Area of Emphasis
Ecology and Environmental Biology Area of Emphasis:
Curriculum Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Core Courses | 6 | |
Biometry | ||
Principles of Evolution | ||
Ecology Electives | 6 | |
Select 2 of the following: | ||
Behavioral Ecology | ||
Plant Ecology and Plant Ecology Laboratory | ||
Plant Geography | ||
Conservation Biology and Conservation Biology Laboratory | ||
Microbial Symbiosis | ||
Ecology of Parasites | ||
Global Ecology | ||
Freshwater Ecology and Freshwater Ecology Laboratory | ||
Total Hours | 12 |
Suggested Plan of Study for the B.A. in Biology with an Area of Emphasis in Ecology/Environmental Biology
First Year | |||
---|---|---|---|
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
BIOL 191 | 1 | ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 |
Foreign Language 101 | 3 | Foreign Language 102 | 3 |
BIOL 115 & 115L (GEF 2) | 4 | BIOL 117 & 117L (GEF 8) | 4 |
MATH 150 (GEF 3) | 3 | CHEM 116 & 116L (GEF 8) | 4 |
CHEM 115 & 115L (GEF 8) | 4 | General Elective | 1 |
15 | 15 | ||
Second Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | Foreign Language 204 | 3 |
Foreign Language 203 | 3 | BIOL 221 | 3 |
BIOL 219 & 219L | 4 | BIOL 327 | 1 |
CHEM 233 & 233L | 4 | CHEM 234 & 234L | 4 |
General Elective | 1 | STAT 211 | 3 |
General Elective | 1 | ||
15 | 15 | ||
Third Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
BIOL 387 | 1 | GEF 6 (ECAS Fine Arts Requirement) | 3 |
GEF 4 | 3 | Biology Capstone | 2 |
GEF 5 | 3 | BIOL 461 | 3 |
BIOL 302 | 3 | PHYS 102 & 102L | 4 |
PHYS 101 & 101L | 4 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 1 | ||
15 | 15 | ||
Fourth Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
BIOL 487 | 1 | BIOL Elective with Laboratory | 4 |
ECAS Global Studies and Diversity Requirement (GEF 7) | 3 | Ecology AoE Elective 2 | 3 |
Ecology AoE Elective 1 | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 2 |
General Elective | 2 | ||
15 | 15 | ||
Total credit hours: 120 |
Suggested Plan of Study for the B.S. in Biology with an Area of Emphasis in Ecology/Environmental Biology
First Year | |||
---|---|---|---|
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
BIOL 191 | 1 | ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 |
GEF 4 | 3 | 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 | STAT 211 | 3 |
MATH 155 (GEF 3) | 4 | ||
16 | 14 | ||
Second Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | BIOL 221 | 3 |
BIOL 219 & 219L | 4 | BIOL 327 | 1 |
CHEM 233 & 233L | 4 | CHEM 234 & 234L | 4 |
PHYS 101 & 101L (B.S. Third Area 1) | 4 | PHYS 102 & 102L (B.S. Third Area 2) | 4 |
General Elective | 3 | ||
15 | 15 | ||
Third Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
BIOL 387 | 1 | BIOL 461 (Group III elective) | 3 |
GEF 5 | 3 | Biology Capstone | 2 |
GEF 6 | 3 | General Elective | 4 |
ECAS Global Studies and Diversity Requirement (GEF 7) | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
BIOL 302 (Group IV elective) | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 2 | ||
15 | 15 | ||
Fourth Year | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
BIOL 487 | 1 | Ecology AoE Elective Course 2 | 3 |
Ecology AoE Elective Course 1 | 3 | BIOL Elective with Lab (Group II)* | 4 |
Biology Elective with lab (Group I)* | 4 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
General Elective | 2 | General Elective | 2 |
General Elective | 2 | ||
15 | 15 | ||
Total credit hours: 120 |
- *
Maybe fulfilled by a course selected in Area of Emphasis.
Major Learning Outcomes
Biology
Upon successful completion of the B.A. or B.S. degree, Biology majors will demonstrate competency in these areas:
1. Students will demonstrate competency in five content areas (listed below) at three biological levels - cellular/molecular, organismal/physiological, ecological and populations)
- Information flow
- Transformations of energy and matter
- Structure-function relationships
- Evolution
- Systems and interactions
2. Students will be able to apply science process skills, including: reading the primary literature, developing a testable hypothesis, designing and experiment, collecting and analyzing data statistically.
3. Students will be able to communicate effectively with both fellow scientists and non-scientists in both written and oral forms.
4. Students will be able to synthesize knowledge and skills from across the curriculum and apply them to societal issues and problems.