Bachelor of Science Degree

Admission Requirements

Requirements for admission to all undergraduate degree programs in biology include:

• completion of BIOL 115, BIOL 117, and CHEM 115 with a minimum of C in each
• minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0
• minimum GPA of 2.0 in all attempted biology courses.

Bachelor of Science Requirements in Biology

The B.S. in biology requires a minimum of 38 hours in biology or approved courses in the biological sciences with 128 hours total required for graduation. Required courses include:

• Biology: BIOL 115, 117, 219, 221, 321, and 327 which must be taken in this sequence. (Biol 327 should be taken in the fall semester of the junior year.)

• Chemistry: CHEM 115 or 117 (which should be taken concurrently with BIOL 115, if possible); CHEM 116 or 118; CHEM 233, 234, 235, and 236.

• Mathematics: MATH 155 (or MATH 153 and 154), STAT 211, MATH 156 (optional).

• Physics: PHYS 101 or 111 and 102 or 112.

The inclusion of MATH 156 and PHYS 111 and 112 is strongly recommended.

Bachelor of Science Electives

Bachelor of Science candidates must take 20 hours of electives selected from any of the following four groups of courses. At least two of the selected courses must have a laboratory (L) and at least one course must be selected from each of the four groups.

• Courses that are listed in more than one group may be used to satisfy either group but may only be counted once. For example, BIOL 316 may satisfy either Group 1 or Group 2 requirements but not both.

• Group I. Cell and Molecular Biology: BIOL 310, 311(L), 312, 313, 316, 317(L), 324, 325(L), 335, 410, 411(L), 412, 413, 414(L), 415, 420, 424, 425, 432(L), 434, 441(L), 453, 454, 455 & 456.

• Group II. Organismal Biology: BIOL 316, 317(L), 324, 325(L), 336, 337, 340(L), 341(L), 348, 350(L), 351(L), 352(L), 353(L), 363, 364, 413, 414(L), 415(L), 425, 433, 436, 437, 438(L), 439, 440(L), 441(L), 450(L), and AEM 341(L).

• Group III. Evolution and Ecology: BIOL 301, 338, 351(L), 361(L), 362(L), 363, 364, 420, 455, 461, 462, 463, 464, AEM 401(L), GEOL 331(L).

• Group IV. Integrative Biology: BIOL 302, 464, PHYS 225, AGBI 410 or BIOC 339 or BIOC 531.

Only two of the non-BIOL courses listed above can be used to fulfill the 20-hour elective requirement. With permission from the department, students may enroll in BIOL 386 and 486 for credit; however, only six hours of BIOL 386 and 486 may be used towards the 21-hour elective requirement. Graduate (500-level) courses in biology may be taken if approved by the dean and department.

BIOL 235, 293, and 491 do not satisfy the required 20 hours of electives in biology. They can serve as general electives.

Note: Program requirements are subject to change, please consult with the biology advisor for requirements.