Bachelor of Science Program
The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biology is a structured program for biology majors who are interested in pursuing those aspects of the field that require a strong background knowledge in physics, chemistry, and mathematics and for students who want to fulfill pre-medical/pre-dental requirements.
Biology B.S. Program Requirements
BI 200 Molecules & Cells (3 credits)
BI 201 Ecology & Evolution (3 credits)
BI 204 Investigations in Molecular Cell Biology Lab (3 credits)
Category A: Genes and Genomes (3 credits)
One course from the following:
Category B: Organismal and Systems Biology (3 credits)
One course from the following:
- BI 303 Introduction to Physiology
- BI 321 Plant Biology
- BI 432 Developmental Biology
- BI 433 Human Physiology with Lab
- BI 481 Introduction to Neuroscience
One Advanced Experience course (minimum of 2 credits)
Additional Biology Electives to reach a total of 30 credits for all biology courses (courses numbered 300 and above)
Co-Requisite Courses
CHEMISTRY
(15-16 credits)
- General Chemistry 1 and 2 with Labs (CH 109-110; CH 111-112)
- Organic Chemistry 1 with Lab (CH 231-232)
- Organic Chemistry 2 with Lab (CH 233-234) or
Biological Chemistry (BI 435) or Biochemistry 1 (CH 561) *
NOTE: Biochemistry (BI 435 or CH 561) cannot count towards both the Organic Chemistry 2 requirement and as a biology elective.
* Pre-Medical students should check medical school programs and/or the pre-medical office for specific requirements regarding organic chemistry and biochemistry.
QUANTITATIVE COURSES
(4 course equivalents, 6-19 credits)
- Calculus 1 (MT 100)
- Calculus 2 (MT 101) or Biostatistics (BI 230 or equivalent)
Two additional courses from the following list:
- Physics 1 (calculus-based) with Lab (PH 211)
- Physics 2 (calculus-based) with Lab (PH 212) +
- Biostatistics (BI 230, BI 231, or another departmentally-approved course in statistics)
- Algorithms in Computational Biology (BI 508) *
- Computational Foundations of Bioinformatics * +
- Biomolecules: Molecular Driving Forces (BI 529) * +
- Computer Science 1 (CS 101)
- Computer Science 2 (CS 102)
- Calculus 2 (MT 101)
- MT courses numbered 200 or higher +
Notes About Quantitative Requirements
* BI 508 and BI 529 cannot be used to satisfy both a quantitative co-requisite and a biology elective.
+ Requires Calculus 2.
Pre-medical students should take Physics 1 and 2 with Labs and consider adding a statistics course.
Calculus Placement and Course Sequencing
Calculus 1 requirement is satisfied by completing MT 100 or an AP score of 4 or 5 on the AB Calculus exam, or a score of 3 on the BC exam.
Calculus 1 & 2 can be satisfied by completing MT 101 or with an AP score of 4 or 5 on the BC exam.
Calculus 2 (or the AP option) and Biostatistics can both be applied to the four course requirement, but each course can only be applied once.
NOTE: Biology majors typically begin and/or complete calculus courses during their freshman year.