The Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological and Physical Sciences centers on a traditional core of courses in the natural sciences. Through academic advising and proper course selection, students may choose a curriculum that is uniquely suited to their specific needs in the biological and physical sciences. Students may follow a very specific curriculum or they may elect to pursue a more general science education. Graduates of the program are prepared to continue their education at the graduate level of certain disciplines or to enter a health-related profession such as occupational therapy or physical therapy. They may also choose to work in environmental and earth sciences or in laboratories.

Degree Requirements

1.  Students must complete a minimum of 120 credit hours with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher.

2.  Entering freshmen must take HSS-A 101 Student Success Seminar (1 cr.)

3.  General Education. Students must complete all of the requirements of the campus general education curriculum and of the B.A. general education curriculum.

4.  Mathematics. Students must take MATH-K 310 Statistical Techniques and one additional mathematics course (MATH-M 119 (3 cr.) or MATH-M 215 (5 cr.)

5.  Natural Sciences. Students must take BIOL-L 121 (5 cr.), BIOL-L 122 (5 cr.), CHEM-C 105/125 (5 cr.), and CHEM—C 106/126 (5 cr.). CHEM-C 128 Problem solving skills in chemistry (3 cr.) is required for students who have an ALEKS placement test of 60 or below prior to taking CHEM-C 105. Students must complete at least 20 credit hours at the 300-/400-level and at least 10 credit hours at the 200-level (or above) in courses from the core areas of the natural sciences – biology, chemistry, geology/physical geography, physics, sustainability. At the 200-level, courses must be selected from the following list and must include at least one lab course (prerequisties must be met):

• BIOL-L 203 Evolution and Diversity of Life (3 cr.)
• CHEM-C 250 Introduction to genomics, proteomics and transcriptomics (3 cr.)
• PHYS-P 201 General Physics I with Lab (5 cr.)
• PHYS-P 202 General Physics II with Lab (5 cr.)

At the 300-/400-level, at least one additional course with a lab (4-5 cr.) must be selected from any of the natural sciences core areas and at least one lab courses at the 300-/400-level must be in-person. Students must take the Interdisciplinary BA Seminar (HSS-S 410) (3 cr.) and one of the following: a research course (3 cr.) or an internship (3 cr.). 

6.  Students must take CSCI-C 106, Introduction to Computers (3 cr.) or INFO-I 101, Introduction to Informatics (4 cr.). All School of Sciences students must complete ENG-W 221 Writing in the Disciplines (3 cr.)

7.  30 of the last 60 credit hours must be completed at Indiana University Kokomo.

8.  Students enrolled in this degree shall complete no more than 75% of their program requirements through online courses.