Program Overview

University Catalog

The University Catalog provides information on the various programs offered by the university.

B.A. in Biology/Physician Assistant

The B.A. in Biology/Physician Assistant program is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in biology and prepare them for a career as a physician assistant.

Academic Advisor

The academic advisor for this program is Karen Roach.

Plan of Study Grid

The plan of study grid for this program is as follows:

• First Year:
  • 1st Semester:
    • BIOL 200: Concepts in Biology (4 credits)
    • CHEM 125 or CHEM 121: General Chemistry I or Fundamentals of Chemical Principles I (3 credits)
    • CHEM 125A: General Chemistry Lab I (1 credit)
    • MATH 138: General Calculus I (3 credits)
    • ENGL 101: English Composition: Introduction to Academic Writing (3 credits)
    • BNFO 135 or CS 101: Programming for Bioinformatics or Computer Programming and Problem Solving (3 credits)
    • FYS SEM: First-Year Student Seminar (0 credits)
  • 2nd Semester:
    • BIOL 205: Foundations of Biology: Ecology and Evolution Lecture (3 credits)
    • BIOL 206: Foundations of Biology: Ecology and Evolution Lab (1 credit)
    • CHEM 126 or CHEM 122: General Chemistry II or Fundamentals of Chemical Principles II (3 credits)
    • CHEM 126A: Gen Chemistry Lab II (1 credit)
    • ENGL 102: English Composition: Introduction to Writing for Research (3 credits)
    • MATH 105: Elementary Probability and Statistics (3 credits)
    • PSY 210: Introduction to Psychology (3 credits)
• Second Year:
  • 1st Semester:
    • BIOL 201: Found of Biol: Cell & Molecula (3 credits)
    • BIOL 202: Found of Biol: Cell & Molecula (1 credit)
    • CHEM 243: Organic Chemistry I (3 credits)
    • Social Science GER (3 credits)
    • History and Humanities GER 300+ level (3 credits)
    • Free Elective 2 (3 credits)
  • 2nd Semester:
    • BIOL 340: Mammalian Physiology (4 credits)
    • BIOL 352 or R120 352: Genetics or Genetics (3 credits)
    • CHEM 244: Organic Chemistry II (3 credits)
    • CHEM 244A: Organic Chemistry I Laboratory (2 credits)
    • History and Humanities GER 300+ level (3 credits)
    • Free Elective 2 (3 credits)
• Third Year:
  • 1st Semester:
    • BIOL 421: Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy (4 credits)
    • R120 335: General Microbiology (4 credits)
    • Biology Ecology & Evolution Cluster Elective 3 (3 credits)
    • PHYS 102: General Physics I (3 credits)
    • PHYS 102A: General Physics I Lab (1 credit)
    • Humanities and Social Science Senior Seminar GER (3 credits)
  • 2nd Semester:
    • Biology Elective (3 credits)
    • Biology Elective 400 level (3 credits)
    • CHEM 473 or R120 360: Biochemistry or Biochemistry (3 credits)
    • PHYS 103: General Physics II (3 credits)
    • PHYS 103A: General Physics II Lab (1 credit)
    • Biology Elective (3 credits)

Notes

• CHEM 121 and CHEM 122 require permission from the academic adviser.
• Free Elective: Any course at any level except MATH 107, 108, 110, HUM 099, 100.
• Choice of Evolution (Biol 222 or R120:222), Ecology (R120:280), Animal Behavior (BIOL 382), Plant Ecology (R120:370)

Course List

The following courses are part of the program:

• Physical Assistant Courses Transferred to NJIT:
  • PHYA 4139: Microbiology and Immunology (3 credits)
  • PHYA 4120: Anatomy and Physiology I (3 credits)
  • PHYA 4180: Biochemistry (3 credits)
  • PHYA 4161: Cell Biology & Histology (3 credits)
  • PHYA 4150: Macromolecules and Cellular Components (3 credits)
  • PHYA 4151: Cells and Tissues (3 credits)

Total Credits

The total credits required for the program are 120 credits, consisting of:

• NJIT Credits: 102 credits
• Transfer Credits: 18 credits
• Biology Credits: 42 credits

Biology Electives

The following biology electives are available:

• BIOL 222: Evolution (3 credits)
• BIOL 280: Ecology (3 credits)
• BIOL 315: Principles of Neurobiology (3 credits)
• BIOL 320: Discovering Biological Research (3 credits)
• BIOL 337: Collective Intel in Biol Syst (3 credits)
• BIOL 338: Ecology of the Dining Hall (3 credits)
• BIOL 342: Developmental Biology (Embryology) (3 credits)
• BIOL 350: Immunology (3 credits)
• BIOL 352: Genetics (3 credits)
• R120 355: Cell Biology (3 credits)
• R120 356: Molecular Biology (3 credits)
• R216 365: Evolutions of Humans (3 credits)
• R120 370: Plant Ecology (3 credits)
• BIOL 375: Conservation Biology (3 credits)
• BIOL 376: Biological Applications of Geographic Information Systems (3 credits)
• BIOL 382: Animal Behavior (3 credits)
• BIOL 383: Neural Basis of Behavior (3 credits)
• BIOL 400: Biology in Science Fiction (3 credits)
• R120 402: Biology of Cancer (3 credits)
• R216 422: Biological Invasions (3 credits)
• BIOL 423: Physiological Mechanisms (3 credits)
• BIOL 424: Comparative Physiology (3 credits)
• BIOL 432: Intro to Comp Neuroscience (3 credits)
• BIOL 436: Advanced Neuroscience Modeling (3 credits)
• BIOL 440: Cell Biology of Disease: Cells gone Bad! (3 credits)
• BIOL 441: Neurophysiology (3 credits)
• BIOL 443: Biology of Addiction (3 credits)
• BIOL 445: Endocrinology (3 credits)
• BIOL 447: Systems Neurobiology (3 credits)
• BIOL 448: Neuropathophysiology: Nervous System Gone Bad! (3 credits)
• BIOL 453: Applied Genetics & Genomics (3 credits)
• R120 456: Virology (3 credits)
• BIOL 462: Comparative Biomechanics (3 credits)
• BIOL 468: Disease Ecology & Evolution (3 credits)
• BIOL 470: Dynamic Princ in Systems BIOL (3 credits)
• R120 472: Environmental Assessment (3 credits)
• BIOL 475: Ecological Field Methods and Analysis (3 credits)
• BIOL 491: Research and Independent Study (3 credits)
• BIOL 492: Research and Independent Study (3 credits)
• BIOL 495: Honors Seminar in Biology (3 credits)
• BIOL 498: Special Topics in Biology (3 credits)