Undergraduate Program

A Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology will provide you with a solid background to succeed in a number of fields.

With an undergraduate Biology degree you might consider a career in Biology Education or research, or you could pursue additional study in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, podiatry, optometry, physical therapy, or veterinary science.  If this seems like a long list, don’t worry. The Department provides professional assistance that will help you develop your research as well as your future plans to join the work force or enter graduate school.

The Department of Biology also offers graduate programs leading to the Master's degree in biology. For courses open to graduate students, see the course listing link.

Degree Requirements

The curriculum for a Bachelor of Science in Biology requires a minimum of 120 credits, with at least 33 of those credits in biology or other approved courses.

Biology core courses: The following courses must be taken by all biology majors. A minimum grade of C in BIOL 120, 121, 201, 205, 241 320, and 324 is required for enrollment in all courses for which they are prerequisites and to successfully complete the B.S. in Biology.

  • BIOL 120, 121 Principles of Biology I, II
  • BIOL 130 Professional Practices in Biology
  • BIOL 201 Cell & Molecular Biology
  • BIOL 205 Integrative Organismal Biology
  • BIOL 241 Introduction to Microbiology
  • BIOL 320 Principles of Genetics
  • BIOL 324 Ecology

Biology capstone courses: These courses are required of all Biology majors and are taken in the final two semesters at the University.

  • BIOL 446 Investigations and Research
  • BIOL 447 Seminar

Biology electives: Select from all biology (BIOL) courses applicable to the biology major and biochemistry (CHEM 422).

Additional requirements: The following requirements must be fulfilled by all majors:

  1. Mathematics: Majors must take at least 2 Mathematics courses at the level of MATH 120 or above and take STAT 210 Elementary Statistics I. All students enrolling in a mathematics or statistics course must satisfy the prerequisites for the course before enrolling in the course.

General education: Majors must satisfy the University's General Education requirements. These include:

  • ENGL 110 Composition I
  • ENGL 111 Composition II
  • One humanities course
  • One history course
  • One global studies course
  • One literature course
  • One social science course
  • Two activities courses from the Department of Health, PE, and Recreation

GPA Requirements: All Biology majors must pass BIOL 120, 121, 201, 205, 241, 320, and 324 (the BIOLOGY CORE COURSES) with a grade of C- or better in order to graduate.