Program Overview

Natural History, Associate of Science (AS)

Overview

The Natural History major is designed to provide a broad survey of the diversity of Earth’s life forms and their evolutionary and environmental relationships. By carefully choosing electives, a student may emphasize specialized areas for transfer, including aquatic biology, zoology, botany, ecology, and environmental biology.

Requirements

To achieve an Associate in Arts Degree, a student must complete a minimum of sixty (60) units of work, which must fulfill General Education, SBCC, and department requirements.

Department Requirements

• BIOL 112: Evolution and Adaptation (3 units)
• BIOL 120: Natural History (4 units)
• BIOL 122: Ecology (3 units)
• BIOL 123: Ecology Laboratory (1 unit)
• BIOL 140: Principles of Biology (3 units)
• BOT 121: Plant Diversity (4 units)
• ZOOL 122: Animal Diversity (3 units)
• Complete 6 units selected from the following:
  • BIOL 110: Natural Science
  • BIOL 126: Aquatic Ecosystems
  • BIOL 141: Biology Laboratory
  • BIOL 144: Biogeography
  • BIOL 150: Biodiversity
  • BIOL 172: Symbiosis
  • CHEM 110: Survey of Chemistry
  • ZOOL 110: Animal Physiology
  • ZOOL 124: Insect Biology
  • ZOOL 137: Ornithology
  • ZOOL 140: Animal Behavior

General Education Options

1. OPTION 1: A minimum of 18 units of SBCC General Education Requirements (Areas A-D) and Institutional Requirements (Area E) and Information Competency Requirement (Area F)
2. OPTION 2: IGETC Pattern
3. OPTION 3: CSU GE Breadth Pattern

Additional Requirements

• A total of 60 degree-applicable units (SBCC courses numbered 100 and higher)
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better in all units attempted at SBCC
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better in all college units attempted
• A minimum of 12 units through SBCC

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

1. Articulate the principles of evolutionary theory, the history of its development, and the role that evolution plays in the continuity and diversity of life.
2. Compare, contrast, and illustrate the life histories of a wide variety of life forms representing the diversity of life.
3. Examine the techniques for organizing biodiversity through nomenclature, taxonomy, systematics, and biological and ecological hierarchies.
4. Evaluate the various fundamental ecological principles, from populations to communities and ecosystems, that determine the geographical distribution of life on Earth.
5. Describe fundamental metabolic pathways, explain bioenergetics, and relate the interdependence of these pathways within an organism and between an organism and its environment.
6. Collect data to test hypotheses using basic methods, instrumentation, and quantitative analytical skills used to conduct biological research and analyze, graphically present, and interpret these data.
7. Produce original research reports and review papers in a standard scientific format based on laboratory, field experiments, and literature searches that include critical quantitative and qualitative evaluation of data to effectively communicate results, interpretations, and concepts.