Every student considering a major in the Biology Department must consult the Chairperson of the Division of Natural Sciences, preferably before the end of their first year, and be assigned an academic advisor in the major.

Requirements | Electives | Concentrations

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees in Biology (126 credits):

The Biology core curriculum (15 credits) is built around several courses whose content is central to the discipline. This core includes two semesters of General Biology (BIOL 111 and 112), Genetics (BIOL 217), Ecology (BIOL 223) , and Colloquium (BIOL 404).

Students may then choose, with the aid of their academic advisor, a program of study that will prepare them for the career of their choice. However, their course of study must include at least one course (three credits) from the Structure course category, two courses (six credits) from the Function category, and two courses (six credits) from the Integration category.

Students pursuing the B.S. degree choose four additional biology elective courses (12 credits) and free electives totaling seven credits.

Students pursuing the B.A. degree choose two additional biology electives (six credits) and free electives totaling 20 credits. Students should use these free electives to either minor or concentrate in any of the humanities, social sciences or business disciplines.

Biology Colloquium (BIOL 404) Is also required of all students pursuing a B.S. or a B.A in Biology, and is taken by all Biology majors in their senior year

Cognate Requirements

MAJOR IN B.S. BIOLOGY
General Chemistry I and II (CHEM 101-102), Organic Chemistry I and II (CHEM 319- 320), and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I and II (CHEM 323-324); Calculus I and II (MATH 131-132); and Introductory Physics I and II (PHYS 107-108) are required. Probability Distributions and Statistical Inference (MATH 311) may be substituted for MATH 132 with permission of the Director of the Division of Natural Sciences. 
 
MAJOR IN B.A. BIOLOGY
General Chemistry I and II (CHEM 101-102), Organic Chemistry I and II (CHEM 319- 320); Pre-calculus Mathematics (MATH 100) Statistics (Math 119) and Introductory Physics I and II (PHYS 107-108) are required.

Grade Requirements
Majors and minors must attain a minimum grade of C in all Biology courses. Biology 111 and 112 are pre-requisites for all 200, 300, and 400-level biology courses (except those biology courses required for the Nursing major). Students who take a science course at another college must have earned at least a B in the course to transfer credits.

Electives
Biology electives may be selected from any of the three categories of courses.

Structure Courses
Anatomy and Physiology I [BIOL 207]
Comparative Chordate Anatomy [BIOL 301]
Invertebrate Zoology [BIOL 304]
Histology [BIOL 401]
Cell Biology [BIOL 331]

Function Courses
Anatomy and Physiology II [BIOL 208]
Microbiology and Human Disease [BIOL 211]
Plant Science [BIOL 305]
Biochemistry I and II [CHEM 433,434]
Systemic Physiology [BIOL 320]
Molecular Biology {BIOL 321]
Human Pathophysiology [BIOL 333]
Pharmaco-physiology [BIOL 334]

Integration Courses
Developmental Biology [BIOL 302]
Biology Research [BIOL 310, 311, 410, 411] (6 credits maximum for the major or minor)
Animal Behavior [BIOL 326]
Forensic Science [BIOL 328]
Independent Study [BIOL 360, 460] (3 credits maximum for the major or minor)
Biology Internship [BIOL 375, 475] (3 credits maximum for the major or minor)
Neurobiology [BIOL 405]
Marine Biology [BIOL 409]
Tissue Culture [BIOL 416}
Immunology [BIOL 426]

All biology majors and minors are strongly encouraged to participate in Internship and/or Research.