Departments & Programs
Department of Biology
Other Programs
Bachelor of Arts with Secondary Teaching Certification
Students planning to teach biology at the secondary school level usually enter the Bachelor of Arts degree
Pre-Medical Studies
Most students interested in a career in medicine follow the Biology B.A. or B.S. program of study. For those who major in another discipline consult with the basic pre-medical requirements listed in the School of Science section on pre-medical preparation program. Elective hours within this program will be used to satisfy the requirements of the School of Education and the State of Indiana.
Pre-Pharmacy
The prepharmacy program comprises two years of study at IUPUI during which time students will apply to a Pharm.D. program at a school of pharmacy. The following scheme provides the course preparation for application to the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences at Purdue University, West Lafayette. A similar program has been designed to interface with the Butler University School of Pharmacy; consult the prepharmacy advisor in the Department of Biology.
Pre-Pharmacy Sample Program (Purdue University)
Freshman Year
| First Semester | |
| BIOL-K101 Concepts of Biology I | 5 |
| CHEM-C105 Principles of Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM-C125 Experimental Chemistry I | 2 |
| ENG-W131 Elementary Composition I | 3 |
| MATH 23100 Calculus for the Life Sciences I | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| Second Semester | |
| BIOL-K103 Concepts of Biology II | 5 |
| CHEM-C106 Principles of Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM-C126 Experimental Chemistry II | 2 |
| ENG-W132 Elementary Composition II | 3 |
| MATH 23200 Calculus for the Life Sciences II | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| Summer Session | |
| Humanities and Behavioral Sciences (Group 1) Elective | 3 |
| Business and Administration (Group 2) Elective | 3 |
| Total | 6 |
Sophomore Year
| Third Semester | |
| CHEM-C341 Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM-C343 Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 2 |
| ECON-E101 Survey of Current Economic Issues and Problems | 3 |
| PHYS-P201 General Physics I | 5 |
| Science and Technology (Group III) Elective | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| Fourth Semester | |
| BIOL-K356 Microbiology | 3 |
| BIOL-K357 Microbiology Laboratory | 2 |
| CHEM-C342 Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM-C344 Organic Chemistry Laboratory II | 2 |
| BIOL-N261 Human Anatomy | 5 |
| Total | 15 |
| Summer Session | |
| BIOL-N217 Human Physiology | 5 |
| Total | 5 |
Years Three and Beyond
The Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree is now required to obtain a license to practice pharmacy. This program encompasses six years of study (two prepharmacy and four professional). Years three through six for the Pharm.D. degree are to be completed at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette.
Pre-Dental, Pre-Veterinary, and Pre-Optometry Programs
Admission to professional schools is highly competitive. The pre-professional student is therefore urged to elect a degree program rather than fulfilling the minimum requirements of these schools. Students who choose pre-dental, pre-veterinary medicine, and pre-optometry are usually placed in the Department of Biology, where pre-professional advising is available. However, as long as prerequisites are met, students can choose to major in any program. Pre-dental students are also encouraged to meet with the health professions advisor in the School of Science to plan for the testing and admission process required by dental schools. Refer to the “Department of Biology” section of this bulletin for the required courses for the Indiana University School of Optometry and Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine.
Graduate students holding non-science degrees who are electing courses in the School of Science to prepare for medical or dental school are also invited to use the health professions advising service for help with the admission process.
Pre-Optometry
This program is specifically designed for transfer to the professional program at Indiana University Bloomington. Typically, three preoptometry years are spent at IUPUI.
Pre-Optometry Program Requirements
- Inorganic Chemistry
- CHEM-C105 / CHEM-C125 and CHEM-C106 / CHEM-C126 (10 cr.)
- Organic Chemistry
- CHEM-C341 and CHEM-C342 or CHEM-C343 (5-6 cr.)
- Mathematics
- MATH 16500 (4 cr.)
- Physics
- PHYS-P201 / PHYS-P202 (10 cr.)
- Psychology
- PSY-B104 and PSY-B105 (6 cr.)
- Statistical techniques
- PSY-B305 or STAT 30100 or ECON-E 27000 (3 cr.)
- Biology
- BIOL-K101 and BIOL-K103 (10 cr.)
- Microbiology
- BIOL-K356 and BIOL-K357 (5 cr.)
- Genetics or Cell Biology
- BIOL-K322 or BIOL-K324 (3 cr.)
- English Composition
- ENG-W131 (3 cr.)
- Arts and humanities
- Variable (6 cr.)
- Social and behavioral sciences
- Variable (6 cr.)
- Foreign language (6-8 cr.)
- (Note: waived with 2 years of high school foreign language with grades or C or better)
- Electives
- BIOL-N261 and BIOL-N217 recommended as needed
90 credit hours
Pre-Veterinary Medicine
IUPUI offers an organized two-year (including summers) preveterinary curriculum for students who want to meet the requirements for admission to the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine. This curriculum provides for a rigorous program in the biological and physical sciences that may be used as a basis for achieving a Bachelor of Science if the student is not admitted to veterinary school or wants to complete the undergraduate degree. Most students complete a Bachelor of Arts or Science degree before being admitted to the School of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University.
Students who have successfully completed two or more years of preveterinary instruction (including all required courses) at IUPUI are eligible to apply for admission to the School of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University, West Lafayette. Admission to the School of Veterinary Medicine is highly competitive. Students are selected on the basis of college course work and grades, Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores (General Aptitude Test only), and the extent and nature of the applicant’s experience with animals and practicing veterinarians. The selection committee is also concerned with the individual’s level of motivation, degree of maturity, and general character.
The requirements for admission to the preveterinary curriculum also serve as general requirements for admission to many College of Agriculture programs at Purdue.
Pre-Veterinary Medicine Sample Program
Freshman Year
| First Semester | |
| BIOL-K101 Concepts of Biology I | 5 |
| CHEM-C105 Principles of Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM-C125 Experimental Chemistry I | 2 |
| MATH 23100 Calculus for the Life Sciences I | 3 |
| ENG-W131 Elementary Composition I | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| Second Semester | |
| BIOL-K103 Concepts of Biology II | 5 |
| CHEM-C106 Principles of Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM-C126 Experimental Chemistry II | 2 |
| MATH 23200 Calculus for the Life Sciences II | 3 |
| ENG-W132 Elementary Composition II | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| Summer Sessions | |
| Humanities and Social Science Electives | 6 |
| Total | 6 |
Sophomore Year
| Third Semester | |
| BIOL-K322 Genetics and Molecular Biology | 3 |
| BIOL-K323 Genetics and Molecular Biology Laboratory | 2 |
| CHEM-C341 Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM-C343 Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 2 |
| PHYS-P201 General Physics I | 5 |
| Total | 15 |
| Fourth Semester | |
| CHEM-C342 Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM-C344 Organic Chemistry Laboratory II | 2 |
| COMM-R110 Fundamentals of Speech Communication | 3 |
| PHYS-P202 General Physics II | 5 |
| STAT 30100 Elementary Statistical Methods I | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| Summer Sessions | |
| Humanities, Social Science Electives | 6 |
| BIOC-B500 Introductory Biochemistry | 3 |
| Total | 9 |
NOTE: Students must also take Animal Science on-line from Purdue University West Lafayette.
Junior and Senior Years
Transfer to School of Veterinary Science and Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette.