Biology Department

Biology Electives

B.S. and B.A. MAJORS

Biology B.S. and B.A. majors are required to complete upper-division biology electives as part of their major and the following is a complete listing of all the electives in the Biology Department.  Please note that not all of these electives are offered each semester. 

2009-10 Biology Electives

For a link to our elective offerings for the coming year, please follow the Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 links.

The Biology Department separates their elective course offerings into the following categories:

Category 1: 

Molecular Biology, Genetics and Biochemistry

BI-404 Biotechnology Research Topics

BI-416

Nuclear Cell Biology
BI-420 Introduction to Bioinformatics
BI-424 Computational Foundations of Bioinformatics
BI-429 Medical Biochemistry and Metabolism
BI-435 Biological Chemistry
BI-440 Molecular Biology
BI-454 Literature of Biochemistry
BI-480 Biochemistry Lab
BI-483 Research in Molecular Biology
BI-484 Research in Biochemistry
BI-502 Literature of Neurochemistry
BI-503 Current Topics in Cancer Research
BI-506 Recombinant DNA Technology

BI-508

Algorithms in Computational Biology
BI-557 Neurochemical Genetics
BI-561 Molecular Evolution
BI-570 Biology of the Nucleus
CH-461 Biochemistry (Chemistry Majors)
CH-561 Biochemistry 1 (fall)
CH-562 Biochemistry 2 (spring)
CH-570 Introduction to Biological Membranes

Category 2: 

Cellular, Developmental and Organismal Biology

BI-409 Virology
BI-411 Mammalian Cell Culture Lab
BI-412 Bacteriology
BI-414 Microbiology
BI-426 Vertebrate Anatomy - may count as either a Category 2 or Category 3
BI-430 Functional Histology
BI-437 Developmental Neuroscience and Behavior 
BI-439 Literature of Cell Biology
BI-451 Cancer Biology
BI-453 Bacteriophages and their Therapeutic Uses
BI-481 Introduction to Neuroscience
BI-482 Research in Cell Biology

BI-485

Research in Neuroscience
BI-509 Vertebrate Cell Biology
BI-510 General Endocrinology

BI-513

Environmental Disruptors of Development
BI-517 Human Parasitology
BI-540 Immunology
BI-551 Cell Biology of the Nervous System
BI-554 Physiology
BI-556 Developmental Biology
BI-572 Neuroscience I
BI-573 Neuroscience II

Category 3: 

Ecology and Environmental Biology

BI-401 Environmental Biology
BI-405 Aquatic Ecology
BI-407 Plant Biology
BI-426 Vertebrate Anatomy - may count as either a Category 2 or Category 3 elective
BI-442 Principles of Ecology
BI-443 Coastal Field Ecology
BI-445 Animal Behavior
BI-446 Marine Biology
BI-449 Methods in Environmental Field Research
BI-458 Evolution

BI-486

Methods in Ecology:  Coastal Wetland Communites

Approved Biology B.A. Electives

Students in the Biology B.A. program are allowed to take a maximum of three electives from the following list of B.A. electives and apply them towards the elective requirement for their major.  The list of courses is as follows:

Geology Courses:

  • GE-330  Paleontology
  • GE-380  Environmental Oceanography
  • GE-392  Environmental Geochemistry
  • GE-465  Biogeochemistry of the Planet

Political Science Courses:

  • PO-307 or PO-270  Environmental Law

Philosophy Courses:

  • PL-541  Philosophy of Health Science:  East & West
  • PL-583  Philosophy of Biology
  • PL-593  Philosophy of Science

Psychology Courses:

  • PS-271  Sensory Psychology
  • PS-285  Behavioral Neuroscience
  • PS-386  Psychopharmacology
  • PS-387  Developmental Psychobiology
  • PS-389  Hormones and Behavior

Theology Courses:

  • TH-224  HIV, AIDS & Ethics
  • TH-598  Law, Medicine & Ethics