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The Biology Program:
Academic Requirements and Concentrations

B.A. Degree | B.S. Degree | Concentrations

B.A. Academic Requirements
There are two categories of requirements for all biology majors: biology courses and basic science support courses. General Biology I and II and the six upper-level electives in the “biology courses” category must be passed with a grade of C- or higher. Students must attain at least a 2.0 (C) GPA in courses used to satisfy the requirements for the major, including the “biology courses” category (excluding the senior project) and the “basic science support courses” category. Students majoring in biology may choose a concentration, but one is not required.

A total of 120 credits is required for the B.A. degree in biology. In addition to meeting general degree requirements, all B.A. majors in biology must complete the following courses:

Biology Courses

1. BIO 1550/General Biology I with lab
2. BIO 1560/General Biology II with lab
3. BIO 1880/Biology Freshman Seminar
4. BIO 2890/Biology Program Seminar
5. Six upper-level biology electives, as follows:
   1. BIO 3530/Cell Biology
   2. One of the following courses in biological mechanisms:
      BIO 3160/Genetics (lab not required)
      BIO 3170/Developmental Biology (lab not required)
      BIO 3250/Animal Physiology (lab not required)
      BIO 4620/Molecular Biology
      
   3. One of the following courses in biodiversity and ecology:
      BIO 3360/Microbiology
      BIO 3430/Vertebrate Zoology
      BIO 3440/Invertebrate Zoology
      ENV 3120/General Ecology
      
   4. Three additional upper-level biology course electives, which must include at least one at the 4000 level
6. BIO 3890/Biology Junior Seminar
7. BIO 4990/Senior Project
   If a student elects to conduct a senior project in an area other than the life sciences, two additional biology courses are required.

Note: The six upper-level biology electives must include at least four lab studies, taken either in conjunction with lecture courses or as separately registered lab courses.

Basic Science Support Courses

1. CHE 1550/General Chemistry I with lab
2. CHE 1560/General Chemistry II with lab
3. CHE 3310/Organic Chemistry I with lab
4. CHE 3320/Organic Chemistry II with lab
5. One of the following courses:
   MAT 1500/Calculus I
   MAT 1520/Computer Science I
   MAT 1600/Introductory Statistics
   MAT 3680/Informatics in Biology and Medicine
   PSY 2320/Behavioral Statistics

Additional notes for biology majors:

1. Many students will want to study additional mathematics. Graduate schools generally require Calculus I; professional schools may require either Calculus I or Statistics.
2. A year of physics is highly recommended (PHY 1510 and 1520/Introductory Physics I and II). Professional and graduate schools generally require physics.
3. Some professional and graduate schools may not accept high school AP courses as substitutes for college introductory science courses (e.g., General Biology, General Chemistry, Introductory Physics).

Updated July 11, 2011

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