The program in biology prepares students for admission into graduate and professional programs. The program is designed to enhance performance on standardized entrance exams for graduate or professional programs.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students should be able:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental concepts of Cell Biology, specifically membrane transport, cell structure/ function, and signaling.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental concepts of Genetics, specifically Mendelian, mitosis/ meiosis, mutagenesis, and the central dogma.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental concepts of Biochemistry, specifically protein structure, enzymes, and metabolic energy.
- Demonstrate skills in analytical reasoning.
- Critically review, synthesize and present-scientific literature and laboratory experiments using written and oral communication skills.
- Utilize appropriate laboratory skills, technology, and computational resources to conduct experiments and discuss research data.
Major Requirements
For the program in biology, students must successfully complete 34 credit hours of biology courses above the introductory courses (BIO 2301 and BIO 2302). These courses must include BIO 3137, 3166, 3231, 3232, 3337, 3366, 4164, 4276, 4277 or 3201, 4364, and fourteen credit hours of biology electives. In addition, students must complete 1) the following science courses (12 credit hours): CHE 3126, CHE 3127, CHE 3326, CHE 3327, PHY 2122, and PHY 2322 and 2) one year of a foreign language. For the foreign language requirement, the first semester is a pre-requisite and helps fulfill general education requirements and the second semester counts as a major course.
Students seeking careers in health professions should take the following courses as biology or other electives: BIO 3111, 3143, 3311, 3343, 4123, 4176, 4323, 4352, and 4376.
A minimum grade of C- or better in each biology or chemistry course is required. Students are required to complete a minimum of 120 credit hours of course work to qualify for graduation. After fulfilling general education and major requirements, students may take courses from any department to reach the required 120 hours; at least 40 of the 120 total hours must be at the 3000-level or higher.
Pre-Requisite Courses (26 credit hours)
BIO 2101 Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory (recommended during freshman year)
BIO 2301 Intorduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology (recommended during freshman year)
BIO 2102 Introduction to Organismal Biology Laboratory (recommended during freshman year)
BIO 2302 Introduciton to Organismal Biology (recommended during freshman year)
BIO 2303 Scientific Writing (recommended during sophomore year)
CHE 2111 General Chemistry I Laboratory (recommended during sophomore year)
CHE 2112 General Chemistry II Laboratory (recommended during sophomore year)
CHE 2311 General Chemistry I (recommended during sophomore year)
CHE 2312 General Chemistry II (recommended during sophomore year)
MAT 2317 Calculus I (recommended during freshman year)
PHY 2121 Physics I Laboratory
PHY 2321 Physics I
One semester of foreign language
Major Courses (49 credit hours)
BIO 3137 Biomolecules Laboratory
BIO 3166 Genetics Laboratory (recommended during sophomore year)
BIO 3231 Microbiology (recommended during sophomore year)
BIO 3232 Microbiology Laboratory (recommended during sophomore year)
BIO 3337 Biomolecules
BIO 3366 Genetics (recommended during sophomore year)
BIO 4164 Cell Biology Laboratory
BIO 4276 Biology Seminar
BIO 4277 Investigation and Research III or BIO 3201 Tissue Culture
BIO 4364 Cell Biology
14 credit hours of biology electives (see below)
CHE 3126 Organic Chemistry I Laboratory
CHE 3127 Organic Chemistry II Laboratory
CHE 3326 Organic Chemistry I
CHE 3327 Organic Chemistry II
PHY 2122 Physics II Laboratory
PHY 2322 Physics II
Second semester of a foreign language
Biology Electives (14 credits hours required)
All courses with biology prefix (BIO) and not part of the core requirements count toward biology electives. Please note that all biotechnology courses also may be used to fulfill biology electives.
BIO 2110 Zoology Laboratory
BIO 2111 Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory
BIO 2112 Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory
BIO 2116 Botany Laboratory
BIO 2277 Investigation and Research II
BIO 2310 Zoology
BIO 2311 Anatomy and Physiology I
BIO 2312 Anatomy and Physiology II
BIO 2316 Botany
BIO 3111 Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory
BIO 3115 Introduction to Neuroscience Laboratory
BIO 3126 Parasitology Laboratory
BIO 3136 Developmental Biology Laboratory
BIO 3143 Histology Laboratory
BIO 3161 Human Physiology Laboratory
BIO 3171 Ecology and Evolution Laboratory
BIO 3225 Neuroscience Seminar
BIO 3277 Investigation and Research II
BIO 3305 Topics in Bioinformatics
BIO 3310 Biology of Aging
BIO 3311 Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology
BIO 3315 Introduction to Neuroscience
BIO 3326 Parasitology
BIO 3333 Field Biology
BIO 3336 Developmental Biology
BIO 3343 Histology
BIO 3361 Human Physiology
BIO 3371 Ecology and Evolution
BIO 3647 Research in Microbiology
BIO 41XX Integrative Metabolism Laboratory
BIO 4123 Immunology Laboratory
BIO 4146 Plant Physiology Laboratory
BIO 4176 Biochemistry Laboratory
BIO 4281 Mycology and Plant Pathology
BIO 4282 Mycology and Plant Physiology Laboratory
BIO 43XX Integrative Metabolism Laboratory
BIO 4308 Virology
BIO 4323 Immunology
BIO 4346 Plant Physiology
BIO 4347 Molecular Genetics
BIO 4352 Introduction to Medical Physiology & Pharmacology I
BIO 4356 Economic Botany
BIO 4373 Toxicology
BIO 4374 Proteomics
BIO 4376 Biochemistry
BIO 4382 Cancer Biology
Course Notes
Students planning on taking the Biology GRE should take BIO 3371 Ecology and Evolution and BIO 3311 Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology as either biology or other electives.
Students planning on taking the Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology GRE should take BIO 4376 Biochemistry and BIO 4347 Molecular Genetics as either biology or other electives.
The following courses are suggested as possible courses for open elective courses, but do not count toward the biology electives. These or other courses may be used to complete the required 120 total credit hours. Students must meet any prerequisites for these courses prior to enrolling.
ART 2311 3-D Computer Modeling
CHE 3121/3321 Quantitative Analysis with laboratory
CLS 2102 Medical Terminology
ECO 2310 Concepts of Health Economics
FIN 2356 Personal Finance
HED 2301 Nutrition
HIS 3351 History of Science
JUS 2320 Introduction to Forensic Science
MAT 2326 Elementary Statistics
MIS 1380 Microcomputer Applications
MGT 3321 Principles of Management
PED 2321 Physiological Basis for Human Movement
PED 3321 Exercise Physiology
PED 3411 Kinesiological Basis of Human Movement
PSY 2326 Statistics for Social and Behavioral Science
PSY 3301 Biological Psychology
PSY 3306 Abnormal Psychology
SOC 3315 Medical Sociology
SPH 2343 Voice and Diction
SPH 2346 Professional Presentations
Major Course Sequence
BIO 2101 Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory
BIO 2301 Introduction to Cellular and Molecular
BIO 2102 Organismal Biology Laboratory
BIO 2302 Organismal Biology
MAT 2317 Calculus I
CHE 2111 General Chemistry I Laboratory
CHE 2311 General Chemistry I
BIO 3166 Genetics Laboratory (fall semester only)
BIO 3366 Genetics (fall semester only)
CHE 2112 General Chemistry II Laboratory
CHE 2312 General Chemistry II
BIO 2303 Scientific Writing (spring semester only)
BIO 3231 Microbiology (spring semester only)
BIO 3232 Microbiology Laboratory (spring semester only)
PHY 2121 Physics I Laboratory
PHY 2321 Physics I
CHE 3126 Organic Chemistry I Laboratory
CHE 3326 Organic Chemistry I
BIO 3137 Biomolecules Laboratory (fall semester only)
BIO 3337 Biomolecules (fall semester only)
Foreign Language II
PHY 2122 Physics II Laboratory
PHY 2322 Physics II
CHE 3127 Organic Chemistry II Laboratory
CHE 3327 Organic Chemistry II
BIO Biology Elective I
BIO 4277 or BIO 3201
BIO Biology Elective II Laboratory
BIO Biology Elective II
BIO Biology Elective III
BIO 4276 Biology Seminar
BIO Biology Elective IV Laboratory
BIO Biology Elective IV
BIO 4166 Cell Biology Laboratory (spring semester only)
BIO 4366 Cell Biology (spring semester only)
Major Course Sequence with a Neuroscience Minor
* Courses marked with an asterisk (*) are in a different sequence than the B.S. in Biology without the Neuroscience Minor.
WFU = Courses to be taken at Wake Forest University.
BIO 2101 Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory
BIO 2301 Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology
BIO 2102 Introduction to Organismal Biology Laboratory
BIO 2302 Introduction to Organismal Biology
MAT 2317 Calculus I
CHE 2111 General Chemistry I Laboratory
CHE 2311 General Chemistry I
BIO 3166 Genetics Laboratory (fall semester only)
BIO 3366 Genetics (fall semester only)
*BIO 2311 Anatomy and Physiology I
*BIO 2111 Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory
CHE 2112 General Chemistry II Laboratory
CHE 2312 General Chemistry II
BIO 2303 Scientific Writing (spring semester only)
BIO 3231 Microbiology (spring semester only)
BIO 3232 Microbiology Laboratory (spring semester only)
Foreign Language II
*BIO 2312 Anatomy and Physiology II
*BIO 2112 Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory
PHY 2121 Physics I Laboratory
PHY 2321 Physics I
CHE 3126 Organic Chemistry I Laboratory
CHE 3326 Organic Chemistry I
BIO 3137 Biomolecules Laboratory (fall semester only)
BIO 3337 Biomolecules (fall semester only)
*NEU 200 Intro to Neuroscience (WFU)
*NEU 201 Intro to Neuroscience Laboratory (WFU)
PHY 2122 Physics II Laboratory
PHY 2322 Physics II
CHE 3127 Organic Chemistry II Laboratory
CHE 3327 Organic Chemistry II
*NEU 300 Neuroscience Seminar (WFU)
*NEU 391 Research in Neuroscience (WFU)
*BIO 4176 Biochemistry Laboratory
*BIO 4376 Biochemistry
*NEU Neuroscience Elective (WFU)
Minor Requirements
Biology Minor
BIO 2101, BIO 2102, 2302, and a minimum of ten additional semester hours of biology courses at the 3000- or 4000-level. To satisfy this requirement, a C or better must be earned in each biology course taken.
Neuroscience Minor
The Department of Life Sciences offers students a track that allows them to complete a neuroscience minor at Wake Forest University (WFU) in conjunction with their B.S. in Biology at WSSU. In addition to completing the requirements for the biology major, students must complete a total of 18 hours of courses related to physiology and neuroscience. Neuroscience minor students are required to take the following courses at WFU (in sequence): NEU 200 (Introduction to Neuroscience, 3 credit hours); NEU 201 (Neuroscience Laboratory, 1 credit hour; NEU 300 (Neuroscience Seminar, 3 credit hours); NEU 391 (Research in Neuroscience, 2 credit hours, and may be taken concurrently with BIO4277); one WFU Elective Course (3 or 4 credit hours); and two WSSU Elective Courses (4 or 5 credit hours). WFU course credits will be transferred back to WSSU as part of the B.S. in Biology with Neuroscience Minor degree track from the department of Life Sciences.
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