Biology, B.S.

The Biology major offers scaffolded courses that provide students with essential knowledge and skills that prepare graduates for success in jobs, graduate school, or professional school in areas such as biotechnology, genomics, health-related fields, agriculture, field biology, ecology, and marine biology. The highly trained faculty are committed to student success, and provide opportunities for undergraduates to be involved in cutting-edge independent research, as well as service to the community. Many of the biology courses provide course-based research experiences that prepare graduates for admission to world-renowned graduate and professional schools.

The Biology major offers concentrations in:

Molecular Biology
Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Teacher Preparation

Required Courses

In order to graduate, you will also need to complete your General Education and university requirements , some of which are embedded within the major.

Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 and must earn a C- or above in each course that serves as a pre-requisite to a more advanced course.

Core Courses

Complete all of the following courses with a grade of C- or above, in order to fulfill pre-requisites for more advanced courses:
MATH 150 - Calculus I Units: 4
MATH 150 requires prior preparation for calculus (e.g. to a level provided by successful completion of MATH 130)
CHEM 110 - Chemistry I Units: 4
CHEM 110L - Chemistry I Lab Units: 1
CHEM 111 - Chemistry II Units: 4
CHEM 111L - Chemistry II Lab Units: 1
BIO 210 - Molecular and Cell Biology and Animal Physiology Units: 4
BIO 210L - Molecular and Cell Biology and Animal Physiology Lab Units: 1
BIO 211 - Ecology, Evolution, Biodiversity and Plants Units: 4
BIO 211L - Ecology, Evolution, Biodiversity and Plants Lab Units: 1
BIO 301 - Research and Technical Writing in Biology Units: 2
Complete all of the following courses:
CHEM 211 - Organic Chemistry I Units: 3
CHEM 211L - Organic Chemistry I Lab Units: 2
PHYS 220 - Physics I Units: 4
STAT 250 - Applied Stat:Sci Tech Units: 4
BIO 311 - Genetics Units: 4

Concentrations

Select one of the following concentrations and complete the coursework.

Please note: Twelve (12) of the units taken to complete a concentration (all of which are upper division) may not be used in fulfillment of other minors or concentrations.

Molecular Biology Concentration

Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Concentration

Biology Teacher Preparation Concentration

Learning Outcomes

MLO 1

All Biology graduates are able to develop research questions, test hypotheses, and display and analyze data to interpret and communicate biological patterns and processes in written and oral formats.

MLO 2

All Biology graduates are able to work professionally and ethically to promote equity in diverse communities

MLO 3

All Biology graduates can synthesize and connect knowledge, skills, and experiences across natural science disciplines, allowing them to address new and complex situations in the context of unity and diversity of life.

MLO 4

All Biology graduates demonstrate biology content knowledge appropriate to careers and graduate school.