The Bachelor of Science in Biology degree provides students with a rigorous general background in the field of biology to prepare for graduate or professional school or science-related jobs requiring bachelor's-level training. The requirements in chemistry, mathematics, and physics have been selected to optimize the student's future opportunities. The degree provides a solid foundation in fundamental biology and cognate areas.

Requirements

Students must take the following sequence of classes in the major discipline (Group Va courses):

• BIOL-L 101 (4 cr.)
• BIOL-L 102 (4 cr.) prerequisite* of BIOL-L 101
• BIOL-L 211 (3 cr.) prerequisite* of BIOL-L 101,CHEM-C 105, and CHEM-C 125; CHEM-C 106 and CHEM-C 126 may be taken as prerequisites or co-requisites
• BIOL-L 311 (4 cr.) prerequisite* of BIOL-L 211

*=passing with a grade of C- or better

• At least 25 additional credit hours in Biology upper-level (300-400) courses must be completed.
• Students must complete at least four additional upper level labs.
• BIOL-L 403 (Senior Seminar, 1cr.) must be completed during the senior year. 
• A course such as BIOL-L 331, BIOL-L 420, BIOL-Z 466 or BIOL-L 473 will satisfy the capstone requirement.

A minimum of one course must be taken from the three areas listed below (each with example courses):

• Molecular and Cellular Biology
  • BIOL-L 312 (3-4 cr.)
  • BIOL-M 310 (3-4 cr.)
  • BIOL-L 321 (3 cr.)
  • BIOL-L 323 (3 cr.)
• Genetics, Development, Evolutionary Biology
  • BIOL-L 318 (3 cr.)
  • BIOL-L 331 (3 cr.)
  • BIOL-Z 317 (3 cr.)
• Ecology, Physiology, and Organismal Biology
  • BIOL-B 351 (3 cr.)
  • BIOL-B 352 (2 cr.)
  • BIOL-Z 406 (3-4 cr.)
  • BIOL-L 473 (3-4 cr.)
  • PHSL-P 431 (4 cr.)

Students should consult with the Biology faculty for additional information concerning prerequisites and course content.

In addition to the required biology courses, the student must complete the following courses outside the major discipline (Group Vb courses):

• The following courses are required:
  • CHEM-C 105 (3 cr.)
  • CHEM-C 125 (2 cr.)
  • CHEM-C 106 (3 cr.)
  • CHEM-C 126 (2 cr.)
  • CHEM-C 341 - Organic Chemistry I (3 cr.)
  • CHEM-C 343 - Organic Chemistry I lab (2 cr.)
  • CHEM-C 342 - Organic Chemistry II (3 cr.)
  • Select one of the following 
    • CHEM-C344 - Organic Chemistry II lab (2 cr.)
    • BIOL-L 323 - Molecular Biology lab (3 cr.)
  • Select one of the following series of physics classes
    • PHYS-P 201 (5 cr.) and PHYS-P 202 (5 cr.)
    • PHYS-P 221 (5 cr.) and PHYS-P 222 (5 cr.)
  • Math-M215 - Calculus (5 cr.)
  • PSY-K 300 - Statistics (3 cr.)
  • select one of the following computer science classes:
    • CSCI-A 106 (3 cr.)
    • CSCI-C 106 (3 cr.)
    • CSCI-A 201 (4 cr.)
    • CSCI-C 201 (4 cr.) 

In addition to the above courses, the student is resposible for fullfilling the general requirements of the Bachelor of Science degree as established bye the College of Arts and Sciences.