Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Science
Nature of the Program
The Biology Program covers all aspects of the organism, from molecular and biochemical pathways through anatomy and physiology of organisms to the structure of populations, communities, landscapes and ecosystems. The program provides grounding in mathematics and other natural science disciplines necessary for the understanding of the organism, such as chemistry, organic chemistry and physics. By careful choice of biology and restricted electives, students can tailor their educational experience to prepare for professional school, graduate school or entry into the workforce upon graduation.
The program provides the student with the opportunity to select additional courses from the disciplines of biology, chemistry, physics, math, computer science, business, foreign language, psychology, health sciences, engineering or other disciplines which might be helpful in biologically oriented careers. In addition to traditional coursework, students also have the opportunity to engage in research projects selected from a variety of biological disciplines. (Students who select electives in any science or technical areas may need additional courses to meet prerequisites.) The restricted electives are selected by consulting with the assigned biology advisor. For students who have reached a more advanced level in mathematics upon graduation from high school and meet ACT score requirements, either Pre-Calculus and Calculus 1 or Calculus 1 and 2 may be substituted for College Algebra and Trigonometry. Biology majors must earn a “C” or better in the freshman biology courses to enter upper division BIOL courses. During the last semester of the program, students must take the exit exam in biology. Students are also expected to complete a program of volunteer work to fulfill the college requirement for citizenship/community service.
Program Objectives
Upon graduation, students will be prepared to:
- Pursue advanced degrees in biology and related fields or professional degrees, including medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy and other health related fields.
- Directly enter a broad range of career pathways in industry and federal or state governments which require a baccalaureate degree in science.
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.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 37 | |
| Program Requirements | 36 | |
| Biology Major Requirements | 47 | |
| 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 | |
| WVUE 191 | First Year Seminar | 1 |
| General Electives * | 18 | |
| Total Hours | 37 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| An overall GPA of 2.0 is required for all coursework contributing to Program and Major requirements. | ||
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| WRIT 305 | Technical Writing | 3 |
| Mathematics Requirements (select two of the following): | 6 | |
| College Algebra (GEF 3) | ||
| Plane Trigonometry | ||
| Pre-Calculus Mathematics | ||
| Applied Calculus | ||
| Calculus 1 | ||
| Calculus 2 | ||
| CHEM 115 & 115L | Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 Laboratory (GEF 2) | 4 |
| CHEM 116 & 116L | Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 and Fundamentals of Chemistry 2 Laboratory (GEF 8) | 4 |
| CHEM 233 & 233L | Organic Chemistry 1 and Organic Chemistry 1 Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 234 & 234L | Organic Chemistry 2 and Organic Chemistry 2 Laboratory | 4 |
| PHYS 101 & 101L | Introductory Physics 1 and Introductory Physics 1 Laboratory | 4 |
| PHYS 102 & 102L | Introductory Physics 2 and Introductory Physics 2 Laboratory | 4 |
| STAT 211 | Elementary Statistical Inference | 3 |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
Biology Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 111 & 111L | General Biology and General Biology Laboratory (GEF 8) | 4 |
| BIOL 112 & 112L | General Biology and General Biology Laboratory (GEF 8) | 4 |
| BIOL 225 | Biology Methods | 3 |
| BIOL 240 & 240L | Microbiology and Microbiology Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 303 & 303L | Genetics and Genetics Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 416 & 416L | Cell Biology and Cell Biology Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 461 | Principles of Evolution | 3 |
| BIOL 466 & 466L | Ecology and Ecology Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 494 | Seminar | 2 |
| Botany Electives ** | 4 | |
| Organismal Botany and Organismal Botany Laboratory | ||
| Plant Taxonomy and Plant Taxonomy Laboratory | ||
| Zoology Electives ** | 4 | |
| Vertebrate Embryology and Vertebrate Embryology Laboratory | ||
| Systematic Zoology and Systematic Zoology Laboratory | ||
| Comparative Anatomy | ||
| Biology Electives (any 300-level or higher BIOL course) | 7 | |
| Exit Examination | ||
| Community Service | ||
| Total Hours | 47 | |
- *
Students choosing to minor in Chemistry will need to take additional courses to ensure 9 unique Chemistry credits are applied toward the minor.
- **
Botany and Zoology Elective Requirement may be satisfied by courses with different prefix than BIOL, such as WMAN or FNRS, with the approval of the department. They can also be satisfied using a 3 credit course, such as Behavioral Ecology (BIOL 338) and Parasitology (BIOL 347) plus 1 credit of research related to animals.
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 111 & 111L (GEF 8) | 4 | BIOL 112 & 112L (GEF 8) | 4 |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| MATH 126 (GEF 3) | 3 | MATH 128 | 3 |
| WVUE 191 | 1 | GEF 5 | 3 |
| GEF 4 | 3 | GEF 6 | 3 |
| 14 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 225 | 3 | BIOL 240 & 240L | 4 |
| CHEM 115 & 115L (GEF 2) | 4 | CHEM 116 & 116L (GEF 8) | 4 |
| PHYS 101 & 101L | 4 | PHYS 102 & 102L | 4 |
| STAT 211 | 3 | WRIT 305 | 3 |
| GEF 7 | 3 | ||
| 17 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| CHEM 233 & 233L | 4 | BIOL 303 & 303L | 4 |
| Botany Elective | 4 | CHEM 234 & 234L | 4 |
| Zoology Elective | 4 | General Elective | 4 |
| General Elective | 3 | Biology Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BIOL 416 & 416L | 4 | BIOL 461 | 3 |
| BIOL 466 & 466L | 4 | Biology Elective | 4 |
| BIOL 494 | 2 | General Electives | 6 |
| General Elective | 5 | ||
| 15 | 13 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
Major Learning Outcomes
Biology
Upon graduation, students of the biology program will be able to:
- Apply scientific method to solving problems.
- Formulate a hypothesis and alternate hypotheses.
- Design experiments to test hypotheses.
- Collect data.
- Analyze data statistically and graphically.
- Interpret and report data.
- Communicate effectively in writing and orally.
- Evaluate sources of information through a scientific lens.
- Perform search of primary scientific literature.
- Interpret scientific papers.
- Summarize research results from primary sources.
- Synthesize information from a variety of sources into a coherent argument.
- Explain and apply basic concepts in cell and molecular biology, evolutionary theory, human biology, genetics and ecology.
- Demonstrate skills in the use of equipment and apply safety practices in the laboratory and field settings.