CurriculumIn addition to fulfilling all University and College requirements, students must fulfill the following requirements for the Biology Major. 1. Mathematics Some biological sciences majors require Math 222. 2. Chemistry Some medical schools require two semesters of inorganic chemistry. b. Organic ChemistryChem 343: Intro Organic Chemistry (3 cr) and Chem 344: Intro Organic Chemistry Lab (2 cr) and Chem 345: Intermediate Chemistry (3 cr) 3. Physics Some biological science majors require the calculus-based physics courses - 201/202 or 207/208. BIOLOGY COURSES 4. Introductory Biology Which Intro Biology Course is available as a guide for students choosing courses in selected biological sciences.
(Students who use Biocore/ Biology 302 and 304 to fufill the introductory biology requirement can use Biocore/ Biology 324 to fufill the intermediate lab or field course requirement described in part 5. Biocore courses fulfill both introductory and foundational course requirements.) Biocore is highly selective and based on applications due in mid-March. You may pick up an application from the Biocore office (345 Noland Hall), or call 262-5979 for more information. Foundational Courses
(Students are best prepared for graduate study or professional school by taking both a genetics course and a biochemistry course. A second course taken from this list will count toward requirement 5.) 5. Intermediate/advanced Biology (13 credits minimum) A minimum of three courses (at least 13 credits) at the intermediate/advanced level, selected from three of the five areas listed below, are needed to satisfy the biology breadth requirement. These courses must include at least one lab or field course with 3 hours or more per week of laboratory/field instruction. At least one course must be from category "a" or "b" and at least one course must be from category "c" or "d." The third required course may be selected from any of the five categories not previously chosen. The course or courses used to satisfy any category must be at least, or add up to, 2 credits. Overall, the courses taken should span plant, animal and microbial biology topics. In accumulating other biology credits toward the total credits required for their degrees (120 in L&S and 124 in CALS), students, in consultation with their advisors, will have the opportunity to specialize or to take many biology intermediate/advanced courses of interest to them. All courses listed below have prerequisites that would be satisfied by the general requirements of the Biology Major. Other courses may also be appropriate and can be approved on a case-by-case basis. NOTE: The following lists of courses are subject to modification. Please consult with your advisor. a.Cellular and Subcellular Biology c.Ecology e.Applied Biology, Agriculture and Natural Resources 6. A Laboratory or Field Research Experience (2 credits minimum) Additional laboratory or field research experience is required. Any directed study or research-based senior thesis in a biological science discipline can count, but at least two credits must be taken after completing one year of college biology. This requirement can also be fulfilled with one or more intermediate/advanced laboratory or field biology courses involving a total of at least of 3 hours/week of lab or field instruction beyond that done for requirement 5. "Hours/week" refers to a normal 16-week semester and courses taken in other formats may be substituted where the total time commitment is equivalent. This requirement also meets the CALS capstone experience. The credits taken for requirements 5 and 6 must equal at least 15 and satisfy college requirements for 15 course credits in the major in residence. |
