Biology Major, BS

Program Description
The Department of Biological Sciences program provides a strong foundation in biology and is ideal for students desiring a liberal education emphasizing an interdisciplinary approach to a thorough understanding of the life sciences. The program offers a major in Biology and minors in Biology, Biotechnology, and Neuroscience. The Biological Sciences’ majors study life, living organisms, and vital processes. Within this broad context, students will have an individualized learning experience in their selection of customized course concentrations in the areas of biotechnology, cell and molecular biology, microbiology, neuroscience, and pre- health professional. Students completing the biological sciences program will be equipped with the tools needed to be successful and competitive in diverse areas of biology, including teaching; governmental, industrial, and biomedical research laboratories; or graduate or professional studies in any of several concentrations within the biological sciences as well as the health professions.

Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, the student will:
• Demonstrate both in-depth and broad knowledge of the concepts comprising the biological sciences.
• Integrate knowledge across sub-disciplines of biology.
• Demonstrate basic laboratory skills, including quantitative (and qualitative) skills.
• Demonstrate critical thinking skills, including developing hypotheses and designing, conducting, analyzing, and interpreting experiments.
• Communicate biological knowledge effectively in written and oral form.
• Find, select, and evaluate various types of scientific information.

General Major Requirements
Students majoring in biology must satisfy the general education course requirements, complete the required major courses outlined, and take electives for a minimum total of 120 semester hours (SH) in order to graduate. Where noted by an asterisk (*), a particular course can be taken as part of the general education requirements. A minimum grade of C− or better is required in each biology and chemistry course. Required major courses include 25 SH of Foundation courses, 14 SH of Breadth courses and 14 SH of depth courses within a declared concentration; as part of the 14 SH, all concentrations must complete BIO 4276 and BIO 4277.  In addition, during the senior year, all students must complete and present a Senior Reflection Project. This project provides a “capstone” experience and would be in the form of an e-portfolio.

Major Curriculum

Foundation Courses (22 Semester Hours)
The following courses are required to lay the foundation for both breadth and depth study.

BIO 2301/2101 Gen Biology I and Lab*
BIO 2302/2102 Gen Biology II and Lab*
BIO 2303 Scientific Writing*
CHE 1313/1113 Gen Chem I and Lab*
[Pre-requisite: MAT 1311 College Algebra] (GE)
CHE 1314/1114 Gen Chem II and Lab*
CHE 2326 Organic Chemistry I
MAT/PSY/SOC 2326* Statistics, MAT 3312 Biostatistics, or EXS 2310* Demystifying the Statistics of the Health Sciences

Breadth (14 Semester Hours minimum)
Students must take one course in each area and additional laboratory courses to complete at least 14 total credit hours. The additional laboratory courses can be an Area I course or any of the optional laboratory courses from Areas II, III, and IV. Students must also complete PHY 1321/1121 College Physics I lecture/lab. Courses used to fulfill the breadth areas may not also be used toward to fulfill depth concentration requirements.

Area I (2–4 SH): Biotechniques and Lab Skills
BIO 1115/1315 Intro to Biotech with lab
BIO 3201 Tissue Culture
BIO 2277 Investigation & Research I
BIO 3277 Investigation & Research II
BIO 3333 Field Biology

Depth (14 Semester Hours)

The biological sciences program allows students the opportunity to take one area of the discipline and to go more in depth by taking additional courses (minimum 14 SH). Based on the expertise of the faculty the program offers five areas of depth or concentration. Each scholar will select from among General Biology, Biotechnology, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Neuroscience, and Pre-Professional.

The General Biology Concentration allows students to explore several biological disciplines instead of concentrating on one specific area. Students will obtain a greater breadth of knowledge by completing additional coursework in the four breadth areas. This concentration is designed for students seeking a more general education in the biological sciences and for students who do not have immediate plans to enter graduate or professional schools. This depth concentration would be particularly suited for those students pursuing a career in education.

The Biotechnology Concentration is designed for individuals seeking work in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry and allows students to gain hands-on experience using several cutting-edge molecular techniques and research instrumentation. Additionally, this concentration focuses on developing the technical and entrepreneurship skills that are essential for career success.

The Cellular and Molecular Biology Concentration prepares students to be at the cutting edge in modern cell and molecular biology and to be fully prepared to be competitive in applications for entry into graduate degree programs; medical, veterinary, or dental programs; or technical industrial jobs.

The Microbiology Concentration provides excellent preparation for graduate study in many areas of biological science, as well as for professional study in medical, veterinary, or dental school. Graduates with bachelor’s degrees can pursue careers in biotechnology or industrial microbiology, environmental microbiology, clinical microbiology, food microbiology, or pharmaceutical microbiology, and can also work as technicians in university, government, industrial, or hospital research laboratories.

The Neuroscience Concentration will use methods and theories spanning disciplines from biochemistry to psychology to investigate the function of the nervous system. This concentration prepares students for advanced study in neuroscience or careers in biotechnology, governmental, pharmaceutical, health care, and social service organizations.

The Pre-Health Professional Concentration is well designed to assist a student in gaining admission to and succeeding in a professional health program, including, but not limited to Allopathic 
Medicine,  Chiropractic  Medicine,  Dentistry,  Veterinary  Medicine,  Optometry,  Osteopathic Medicine, Pharmacy, Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, and Podiatric Medicine.
 

Recommendations

Students who want to attend graduate, professional, or medical school may have additional requirements that are not required for the biology major, including a full year of organic chemistry with lab, a full year of physics with lab, and other courses. Some programs, including physician’s assistants or physical therapy, require a full-year sequence of anatomy and physiology with labs. As requirements vary by school and program, students are strongly advised to investigate the requirements early, consult with their advisors, and plan their schedules accordingly. In addition, many courses have prerequisites of which students need to be aware.

Minor Curriculum

Minor programs in the Department of Biological Sciences are designed for students pursuing major degrees outside of the Biological Sciences. These programs provide students with an interest in the biological sciences either a broad-based exposure to biology or a more focused exposure to the areas of biotechnology or neuroscience. Each minor program requires a minimum of 18 SH, with a required grade of “C−” or better in all required courses. Requirements for each specific program are described below.

Biology Minor
A minor in Biology requires 18 semester hours. This includes BIO 2301, BIO 2101, BIO 2302, BIO 2102, and a minimum of 10 additional semester hours of biology courses at the 3000- or 4000-level.

Biotechnology Minor