Biology (BS in Biology)
The Biology Program
The program of the Department of Biology is organized to provide majors with a sound introduction to the principles of biology and to develop an appreciation for the unity, diversity and complexity of living things. The department attempts to provide majors both breadth and depth of training as well as a variety of approaches to the study of life, while allowing flexibility in the development of programs consistent with the interests and needs of individual students. The major requirements below have been designed with these objectives in mind.
Given the increasing intersection of modern biology with other sciences, majors may wish to enhance their training through a minor in other programs. In addition to those programs offering undergraduate majors, minors are also available in Biochemistry, Environment and Sustainability Program, Marine Science, Public Health, CAMS Mathematical Biology and, through the Applied Science program, in Computational Biology.
Graduate Program
The department offers the degrees of Master of Science and Master of Arts. For degree requirements and a description of graduate courses, see the Biology section of the Graduate Arts & Sciences catalog.
Course Requirements
Biology majors are required to take:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 103 | General Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 103L | General Chemistry Lab I | 1 |
| CHEM 206 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 206L | Organic Chemistry Lab I | 1 |
| MATH 131 | Calculus I for Life Sciences | 4 |
| or MATH 111 | Calculus I | |
| MATH 132 | Calculus II for Life Sciences | 4 |
| or MATH 112 | Calculus II | |
| or BIOL 327 | Intro to Biostatistics | |
| Principles of Biology | ||
| BIOL 203 | Introduction to Molecules, Cells, Development | 3 |
| BIOL 203L | Introduction to Molecules, Cells, Development Laboratory (fulfills MCR) | 1 |
| or BIOL 298 | Freshman Honors Biology Laboratory I | |
| BIOL 204 | Introduction to Organisms, Ecology, Evolution | 3 |
| BIOL 204L | Introduction to Organisms, Ecology, Evolution Laboratory | 1 |
| or BIOL 299 | Freshman Honors Biology Laboratory II | |
| Integrative and Comparative Biology Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following courses, with their integrated labs: | 4 | |
| Integrative Biology: Animals | ||
| Integrative Biology: Plants | ||
| Microbiology | ||
| Molecular/Cellular Biology Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Molecular Cell Biology | ||
| Genetic Analysis | ||
| Developmental Biology | ||
| Molecular Genetics | ||
| Population Processes Biology Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Ecology | ||
| Evolution of Organisms | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Vascular Plant Systematics | ||
| Population and Community Ecology | ||
| Aquatic Ecology | ||
| Wetland Ecosystems | ||
| Advanced Lab Requirement | ||
| Laboratory work in at least one 400 level course. Successful completion of Biology Honors Research (BIOL 495 Honors-BIOL 496 Honors) can satisfy this requirement. BIOL 403 Research in Biology cannot substitute for the laboratory requirement. | 1 | |
| Advanced Seminar Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Advanced Seminar in Biology (fulfills MWR) | ||
Course specifically designated as a seminar course | ||
| Additional Credits | ||
| Remaining credits can be completed by any additional 300 or 400 level BIOL courses unless taken pass/fail or specifically noted as not counting toward minimum requirements in the course description. In addition, up to 3 credits of BIOL240 can count towards the major. BIOL 303 Introduction to Biological Research (always taken pass/fail) cannot be applied to the minimum requirements. Up to 3 credits of BIOL 403 Research in Biology can be counted toward the minimum requirements. | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 53-54 | |
The biology courses (BIOL 325, BIOL 327, BIOL 422, BIOL 422L) count as biology electives. Biology majors, especially those planning on pursuing advanced degrees, are strongly recommended to take two semesters of physics and two additional semesters of chemistry. Students who received a score of 5 on the Advanced Placement Examination should consult the catalog section on Requirements for Degrees in regards to credit and exemption options.
Additional Information
100 level biology courses and BIOL 201 Freshman Research are not applicable towards the minimum requirements.