Departments & Programs
Department of Biology
Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements
Degree Requirements
First-Year Experience Course Beginning freshmen and transfer students with fewer than 19 credit hours are required to take SCI-I120 Windows on Science (1 cr.) or an equivalent first-year experience course.Area Requirements
Area I English Composition and Communication Competency
See the School of Science requirements under “Undergraduate Programs” in this bulletin.
Written Communication (6 cr.)
ENG-W131 Reading, Writing and Inquiry (3 cr.)
A second writing course with ENG-W131 as a prerequisite, e.g. ENG-W270 (or ENG-W150), ENG-W231, ENG-W320, ENG-W350, TCM 22000, or TCM 32000.
Oral communication
COMM-R110 Fundamentals of Speech Communication (3 cr.)
Area II World Language Competency
See School of Science requirements under “Undergraduate Programs.” Students must have first-year proficiency in a world language (8 cr.): exam placement, or two 4-credit courses.
Area IIIA Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Cultural Understanding Competencies (12 cr.)
- List H course: Choose one course (3cr.) from this list. The list of course choices is located under the School of Science requirements “Undergraduate Programs” in this bulletin.
- List S course: Choose one course (3cr.) from this list. The list of course choices is located under the School of Science requirements “Undergraduate Programs” in this bulletin.
- One additional course from either List H or List S
- List C course: Choose one course (3cr.) from this list. The list of course choices is located under the School of Science requirements “Undergraduate Programs” in this bulletin.
For the most current list of courses in the areas of Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Understanding, please refer to the IUPUI General Education Curriculum.
Area IIIC Life and Physical Sciences Competency
Physics Two semesters of basic physics (PHYS-P201 / PHYS-P202 or PHYS 15200 / PHYS 25100).
Chemistry Two semesters of Principles of Chemistry with laboratories (CHEM-C105/CHEM-C125 3/2 cr.; CHEM-C106/CHEM-C126 3/2 cr.), two semesters of organic chemistry lecture and one semester of laboratory (CHEM-C341, CHEM-C342, CHEM-C343), plus prerequisite basic sequence or background to enter sequence above. The second laboratory in organic chemistry (CHEM-C344) is required for admission to some medical schools and is strongly recommended for students in most other programs. Consult a departmental advisor.
Area IIID Analytical Reasoning Competency
MATH 15900 or MATH 15300 / MATH 15400. (Starting point for mathematics courses should be worked out with a departmental advisor based on the math placement test and/or background of the student.) The computer programming requirement may be satisfied with CSCI-N200, CSCI-N201, CSCI-N207, or CSCI-N211.
Note: Computer Science CSCI-N241 and CSCI-N299 do not count in Area IIID, but may count as general electives.
Area IV Biology Major Requirements
Required Core Sequence
- BIOL-K101 / BIOL-K103 Concepts of Biology I and II
- BIOL-K322 Genetics and Molecular Biology
- BIOL-K324 Cell Biology
- BIOL-K341 Principles of Ecology and Evolution
Upper-Level Courses
- At least one lecture course from each of areas I-II listed below.
- Three laboratory courses beyond BIOL-K101 / BIOL-K103 selected from areas below. To receive credit for a laboratory, an accompanying pre- or co-requisite lecture must be completed with a minimum grade of C-. BIOL-K493 will count as one laboratory course only if BIOL-K490 is also taken.
- Capstone Experience. This requirement is met by taking either BIOL-K493 Independent Research (1 cr.) or BIOL-K490 Capstone (1 cr.) in the senior year. BIOL-K493 cannot be used as both a third laboratory and as a Capstone. BIOL-K490 addresses the integration of knowledge in the principles of undergraduate education as well as values and ethics as they relate to the student’s major. The capstone is an independent, creative effort by the student that is integrative and builds on the student’s previous work in the major; it may include research projects, independent study and projects, a practicum, a seminar, and/or a field experience.
- Electives consisting of sufficient lecture and laboratory course work to total 30 credit hours (including core sequence credit hours). These credits may be selected from any of the areas listed below.
- Residency Credits. In order to graduate students must have a minimum of 32 credit hours at the 300-level or above at IUPUI. B.A. students usually need at least one 300-level course in addition to their biology and chemistry courses to meet this requirement.
A maximum of 15 credit hours of biology earned previously at other institutions is applicable toward the major for the B.A. degree.
Unless approved as part of the major, note that all courses taken outside the Schools of Science and Liberal Arts must receive approval from the student's major department and the School of Science Academic Dean's Office. Consult with your major department or the School of Science Academic Dean's Office for additional course restrictions.
A minimum 2.00 GPA must be earned in BIOL-K courses; No grade lower than a C-.
Once admitted, students are expected to fulfill their course requirements within the major at IUPUI.
Areas/Electives
I. Molecular/Cellular Area
- Undergraduate Level
- BIOL-K338 Introductory Immunology
- BIOL-K416 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
- BIOL-K483 Biological Chemistry
- BIOL-K484 Cellular Biochemistry
- Undergraduate and Graduate Level
- BIOL 50700 Principles of Molecular Biology
- BIOL 51600 Molecular Biology of Cancer
- BIOL 55000 Plant Molecular Biology
- BIOL 55900 Endocrinology
- BIOL 56100 Immunology
- BIOL 56400 Molecular Genetics of Development
II. Organismal Area
- Undergraduate Level
- BIOL-K331 Embryology
- BIOL-K350 Comparative Animal Physiology
- BIOL-K356 Microbiology
- BIOL-K411 Global Change Biology
- FIS 43000 Population Genetics (P: STAT 30100)
- Undergraduate and Graduate Level
- BIOL 55600 Physiology I
- BIOL 55700 Physiology II
Laboratory Courses (select 3)
- BIOL-K323 Genetics
- BIOL-K325 Cell Biology
- BIOL-K333 Embryology
- BIOL-K339 Immunology
- BIOL-K342 Ecology
- BIOL-K357 Microbiology