Apr 06, 2025  
2017-2018 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog 
    
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2017-2018 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biology, B.S.

About the Biology Bachelor’s Program

Students majoring in biology must complete a total of 120 credit hours for graduation, including a minimum of 39 hours taken from this department.

Requirements

Requirements for the B.S. in Biology are as follows:

Additional Hours

Additional hours at the junior or senior level to bring the total course hours from biological sciences to a minimum of 39, and may include

Specialization Requirements

Students majoring in biology for the B.S. degree may gain a specialization in ecology and environmental biology by completing a minimum of 39 semester hours from this department. Requirements for this specialization are as follows:

Group I

At least one course from:

Group II

At least one course from:

Group III

At least four courses from:

Group IV

Additional 3000- or 4000-level courses from BIOL, BOT, MBIO, or ZOOL as needed to bring the total to 39 hours. Either PHIL 3322  or PHIL 3325  may be substituted.

Recommended Sample Curriculum

NOTE: Students in specialty majors cell and molecular biology and microbiology take the identical courses that biology majors take during the first two years. For the third and fourth years, students in these majors should consult with departmental advisors about the appropriate 3000- and 4000-level biological sciences course requirements for their majors. All three majors require the same 39 total hours of biological science classes. Non-science courses required for all three majors are identical. The sample curriculum below assumes a chemistry minor.

First Year

Fall

Total: 16

Spring

Total: 16

Second Year

Fall

Total: 15

Spring

Total: 15

Third Year

Fall

Total: 16

Spring

Total: 16

Fourth Year

Fall

  • CHEM Elective (for minor) 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • Oral Communication Elective 3 Semester Credit Hours
  • Advanced BIOL Elective 4 Semester Credit Hours
    (Students should check with their academic advisor for complete listing of approved electives.)
  • 3 Semester Credit Hours
Total: 13

Spring

  • Advanced BIOL Electives 10 Semester Credit Hours
    (Students should check with their academic advisor for complete listing of approved electives.)
  • Multicultural Elective 3 Semester Credit Hours
Total: 13

Total Hours: 120

The university is implementing a new teacher education program that includes a full year of student teaching (two semesters of the senior year) for those beginning their teacher education program in spring 2013 or later. See Teacher Education .

* Students may have to take CHEM 1301  the first semester if they do not pass the Chemistry Placement Exam.
** Because cell and molecular biology majors are required to take calculus, some students may want to substitute MATH 1550 , Precalculus.

College of Arts and Sciences General Degree Requirements

Select from College of Arts and Sciences General Degree Requirements . When choosing a Creative Arts or a Social and Behavioral Sciences elective, choose a course that also fulfills the multicultural requirement of the university.

Foreign Language

A student must complete 6 hours at the sophomore level or above in a single language. The prerequisite for all sophomore language courses is credit for the freshman level. This credit can be determined through a credit by examination. The score attained on the exam will determine whether the student is placed in a second-year course, a 5-hour review course, or in some cases the first or second semester of a beginning (first-year) language course. See Arts and Sciences General Degree Requirements  for further explanation.