Program Overview
University of Florida Microbiology and Cell Science Program
The Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Cell Science offers students flexibility in a curriculum that develops an excellent knowledge base and an understanding of concepts in microbiology, cell biology, and the biomolecular sciences. Emphasis is placed on the application of the scientific method to gain an understanding of the biological world at the cellular and molecular levels. Students learn to evaluate hypotheses, interpret experimental data, and communicate results effectively.
About this Program
- College: Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Degree: Bachelor of Science
- Credits for Degree: 120
To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college, and major requirements.
Department Information
The Department of Microbiology & Cell Science is committed to excellence in education, research, and service to the community. The curriculum provides an excellent preparation for students who wish to enter the workforce or continue their education in professional programs such as medical, dental, pharmacy, veterinary programs, graduate school, or public health degrees. BS degrees are offered through both the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the MS and PhD degrees are offered through the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Combination degrees are available.
Curriculum
- Overview
- Critical Tracking
- Model Semester Plan
- Academic Learning Compact
This major prepares students for entry into professional programs in medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine and provides a strong foundation for graduate studies in microbiology, cell biology, and related cellular and biomedical sciences. The major also provides a background for entry into government, industrial research, and diagnostic laboratories.
The curriculum develops fundamental knowledge of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and viruses. Courses include the physiology and genetics of microorganisms, mechanisms of pathogenesis and innate immunity systems, astrobiology, bacterial and genome sequencing, and bioinformatics.
Requirements for the Major
All majors must complete 28 credits: 18 credits of core requirements, at least 6 credits of department electives, at least 1 credit in an advanced laboratory, and 3 credits for the quantitative requirement. In addition, students must complete 35-38 credits of required foundation coursework.
Minimum grades of C within two attempts, including withdrawals, are required in all critical-tracking courses, major courses, department core requirements, department electives, and the quantitative requirement. Second attempts must be completed the next semester of enrollment. A cumulative 2.0 GPA is also required.
Required Foundation Coursework
- Course List Code | Title | Credits
- BSC 2010 & 2010L | Integrated Principles of Biology 1 and Integrated Principles of Biology Laboratory | 4
- BSC 2011 & 2011L | Integrated Principles of Biology 2 and Integrated Principles of Biology Laboratory 2 | 4
- CHM 2045 & 2045L | General Chemistry 1 and General Chemistry Laboratory | 4
- CHM 2046 & 2046L | General Chemistry 2 and General Chemistry 2 Laboratory | 4
- MAC 2311 | Analytic Geometry and Calculus 1 | 4
- CHM 2210 | Organic Chemistry 1 | 3
- CHM 2211 & 2211L | Organic Chemistry 2 and Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 5
- Select one: | 8-10
- Option One:
- PHY 2053 & 2053L | Physics 1 and Laboratory for PHY 2053
- PHY 2054 & 2054L | Physics 2 and Laboratory for PHY 2054
- Option Two:
- PHY 2048 & 2048L | Physics with Calculus 1 and Laboratory for PHY 2048
- PHY 2049 & 2049L | Physics with Calculus 2 and Laboratory for PHY 2049
- Option One:
- Total Credits | 36-38
All majors must complete the biology and general chemistry sequences and calculus by the end of the sophomore year. Organic Chemistry, CHM 2210, must be completed by the end of tracking term five. To continue in the major, students must attain a cumulative GPA in these graded courses of no less than 2.5 and with no grade lower than a C.
Required Major Coursework
- Course List Code | Title | Credits
- BCH 4024 | Introduction to Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 1 | 4
- or CHM 3218 | Organic Chemistry/Biochemistry 2
- MCB 3023 & 3023L | Principles of Microbiology and Principles of Microbiology Laboratory | 5
- MCB 4203 | Bacterial Pathogens 1 | 3
- or PCB 4233 | Immunology
- MCB 4304 | Genetics of Microorganisms 1 | 3
- or PCB 4522 | Molecular Genetics
- MCB 4403 | Prokaryotic Cell Structure and Function 1 | 3
- or PCB 3134 | Eukaryotic Cell Structure and Function
- Microbiology Major Department Electives | 6
- Advanced Laboratory course | 1
- Quantitative Requirement – Programming or Biostatistics | 3
- Select one:
- BSC 2891 | Python Programming for Biology
- MCB 4325C | R for Functional Genomics
- Similar Programming or Biostatistics course (approved by department)
- Total Credits | 28
If students take both "or" courses, one will count as a core course and the other will roll over into the department elective requirement.
Major Electives
A total of 6 credits of approved department electives, and additionally one credit in an advanced lab, are required. The list of approved department electives is available on the department website.
Programming or Biostatistics Courses
A total of 3 credits of approved courses meets this requirement. Select from BSC 2891, MCB 4325C, or an equivalent biostatistics programming class. Several of these courses are also department electives and cannot be used to fulfill both the quantitative and the department elective requirements. No overlap is allowed. STA 2023 will not fulfill this requirement.
Course Details
MCB 4911 may be taken for a maximum of three credits per semester and six credits total. This policy also applies to microbiology and cell science majors registered for undergraduate research in other departments' undergraduate research courses, such as BCH 4905, BMS 4905, ZOO 4911, etc.
MCB 4934 is often used for TA positions as “Supervised Teaching." TA positions may be repeated for a total of two semesters.
Enrollment in MCB 4911, MCB 4905, and MCB 4934 (Supervised Teaching) will not fulfill any credits toward the microbiology major requirements; they will count only as general elective credit toward the 120 credits for the BS degree.
Relevant Minors and Certificates
The Microbiology and Cell Science Department also offers an undergraduate minor in bioinformatics to students majoring in any biology-related subject, including and not limited to microbiology, biology, or biochemistry.
So integrated is bioinformatics with biology that it is difficult to find an active research program that does not rely on bioinformatic analysis to achieve results. Unfortunately, the integration of bioinformatic and traditional methods is not stressed in many undergraduate programs, leaving the next generation of biologists without the skills they need to succeed in tomorrow’s research environment. The undergraduate minor in bioinformatics provides this critical training to future professionals in the biological disciplines.
Research
A majority of majors are actively involved in undergraduate research for credit with mentors throughout the university. Preprofessional and graduate school-bound majors are encouraged to do a minimum of two semesters of undergraduate research. The department has a comprehensive list of mentors across campus who allow undergraduate students to do valuable research under their guidance.
Enrollment in MCB 4911 will not fulfill any credits toward the microbiology major requirements; they will count only as general elective credit toward the 120 credits for the BS degree.
Critical Tracking records each student’s progress in courses that are required for entry to each major. Please note the critical-tracking requirements below on a per-semester basis.
Equivalent critical-tracking courses as determined by the State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites may be used for transfer students.
Semester 1
- Complete CHM 1025 or CHM 2045/CHM 2045L
- 2.5 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
- 2.0 UF GPA required
Semester 2
- Complete CHM 2045/CHM 2045L and MAC 2311
- 2.5 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
- 2.0 UF GPA required
Semester 3
- Complete CHM 2046/CHM 2046L and BSC 2010/BSC 2010L
- 2.5 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
- 2.0 UF GPA required
Semester 4
- Complete BSC 2011/BSC 2011L
- 2.5 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
- 2.0 UF GPA required
Semester 5
- Complete CHM 2210
- 2.5 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
- 2.0 UF GPA required
Semester 6
- Complete MCB 3023
- 2.5 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
- 2.0 UF GPA required
Semester 7
- Complete MCB 4203 (Fall) or PCB 4233 (Spring) or PCB 3134 (Fall/Spring) or MCB 4403 (Fall)
- 2.5 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
- 2.0 UF GPA required
Semester 8
- Complete MCB 4034L
- 2.5 GPA required for all critical-tracking courses
- 2.0 UF GPA required
Students are expected to complete the Writing, Civic Literacy, summer enrollment, and Quest requirements while in the process of taking the courses below. Students are also expected to complete the general education international (GE-N) requirements concurrently with another general education requirement (typically, GE-C, H, or S) as part of the CLAS Basic Distribution requirements. One of the two general education mathematics courses must be a pure math course.
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences allows students additional flexibility in its Distribution Requirements. Students may count a maximum of 6 credits TOTAL from the CLAS Distribution course lists towards Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, or Biological and Physical Sciences, with no more than 3 credits of Humanities, 3 credits of Social and Behavioral Sciences, or 6 credits of Biological or Physical Sciences.
The full list of major-specific requirements for this major can be found on the Overview tab. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences degree requirements can be found on the College’s degree requirements page.
Microbiology electives outside of the department may not count towards the 3000 level or above electives outside of the major requirement. CHM 2211, CHM 2211L, BCH 4024, PHY 2054, PHY 2054L, PHY 2049, and PHY 2049L may count towards 3000 level or above electives outside of the major.
Degree Comparison between the Colleges
CALS-CLAS MCB Comparison
- CALS | MCB | CLAS | MCY
- Effective Oral Communication (AEC 3030C or SPC 2608) | College-level Foreign Language Sequence (8-10 credits)
- Technical Writing (ENC 2210 or ENC 3254 or AEC 3033C) | 1 additional Humanities course
- Economics (ECO 2013 or ECO 2023 or AEB 2014) | 1 additional Social and Behavioral Sciences course
To remain on track, students must complete the appropriate critical-tracking courses, which appear in bold. These courses must be completed by the terms as listed above in the Critical Tracking criteria.
Plan of Study Grid
Semester One | Credits
- Quest 1 (Gen Ed Humanities) | 3
- CHM 2045 & 2045L | General Chemistry 1 and General Chemistry Laboratory (Critical Tracking; State Core Gen Ed Physical Sciences) 1 | 4
- MAC 2311 | Analytic Geometry and Calculus 1 (Critical Tracking; State Core Gen Ed Mathematics) | 4
- State Core Gen Ed Composition; Writing Requirement | 3
- | Credits | 14
Semester Two
- BSC 2010 & 2010L | Integrated Principles of Biology 1 and Integrated Principles of Biology Laboratory (Critical Tracking; Gen Ed Biological Sciences) | 4
- CHM 2046 & 2046L | General Chemistry 2 and General Chemistry 2 Laboratory (Critical Tracking; Gen Ed Physical Sciences) | 4
- BSC 2891 | Python Programming for Biology (or similar quantitative elective) | 3
- Gen Ed Composition; Writing Requirement | 3
- | Credits | 14
Semester Three
- BSC 2011 & 2011L | Integrated Principles of Biology 2 and Integrated Principles of Biology Laboratory 2 (Critical Tracking; Gen Ed Biological Sciences) | 4
- CHM 2210 | Organic Chemistry 1 (Critical Tracking) | 3
- Departmental elective | 3
- Quest 2 | 3
- CLAS Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement 1 | 4-5
- | Credits | 17-18
Semester Four
- CHM 2211 & 2211L | Organic Chemistry 2 and Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 5
- MCB 3023 & 3023L | Principles of Microbiology and Principles of Microbiology Laboratory (Critical Tracking) | 5
- State Core Gen Ed Humanities | 3
- CLAS Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement 1 | 3-5
- | Credits | 16-18
Semester Five
- A 2.5 GPA with minimum grades of C in the Critical Tracking science and math courses listed above is required to continue in the major after Semester Four.
- MCB 4203 or PCB 4233 | Bacterial Pathogens (Critical Tracking) 2 or Immunology | 3
- MCB 4403 or PCB 3134 | Prokaryotic Cell Structure and Function (Critical Tracking) or Eukaryotic Cell Structure and Function | 3
- Gen Ed Humanities | 3
- Electives (3000 level or higher; not in major) | 3
- Elective (or CLAS Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement if 4-3-3 language option) 1 | 3
- | Credits | 15
Semester Six
- MCB 4304 or PCB 4522 | Genetics of Microorganisms (Critical Tracking) or Molecular Genetics | 3
- BCH 4024 or CHM 3218 | Introduction to Biochemistry and Molecular Biology or Organic Chemistry/Biochemistry 2 | 4
- MCB 4034L | Advanced Microbiology Laboratory (Critical Tracking) | 1
- Gen Ed Mathematics | 3
- Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3
- | Credits | 14
Semester Seven
- Select one: | 4-5
- PHY 2048 & 2048L | Physics with Calculus 1 and Laboratory for PHY 2048
- PHY 2053 & 2053L | Physics 1 and Laboratory for PHY 2053
- State Core Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3
- Gen Ed Humanities | 3
- Electives (3000 level or higher; not in major) | 4
- | Credits | 14-15
Semester Eight
- Select one: | 4-5
- PHY 2049 & 2049L | Physics with Calculus 2 and Laboratory for PHY 2049
- PHY 2054 & 2054L | Physics 2 and Laboratory for PHY 2054
- Department elective | 3
- Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3
- Electives | 6
- | Credits | 16-17
- | Total Credits | 120
Student Learning Outcomes
Content
- Describe fundamental concepts, skills, and processes in microbiology, molecular biology, and in host/pathogen interactions.
- Apply fundamental concepts, skills, and protocols used to conduct research in fields of microbiology, molecular biology, and in host/pathogen.
Critical Thinking
- Evaluate information and data in the general areas of microbiology and the cellular and molecular biological sciences.
- Solve typical problems that are encountered in general areas of microbiology and cellular and molecular biological sciences.
Communication
- Communicate effectively in written form in a manner appropriate in microbiology and the cellular and molecular biological sciences.
- Communicate orally (including visual aids) in an effective manner appropriate in microbiology and the cellular and molecular biological sciences.
Curriculum Map
I = Introduced; R = Reinforced; A = Assessed
Academic Learning Compact 6 Courses | SLO 1 | SLO 2 | SLO 3 | SLO 4 | SLO 5 | SLO 6 ---|---|---|---|---|---|--- AEC 3030C | | | | | | I, R, A AEC 3033C | | | | | I, R, A | MCB 3023 | I, A | | I | I | | MCB 3023L | I, R | I, R | R | I, R, A | | R MCB 4034L | I, R | I, R, A | I, R, A | I, R | R | I, R MCB 4203 or PCB 4233 | I, R, A | I, R | I, R | I, R | I, R | I, R MCB 4304 or PCB 4522 | I, R, A | I, R | R, A | R | R | R
Assessment Types
- Genome and lab projects
- Presentations
- Exams
- Final grades
The Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Cell Science, offered by both the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, offers students flexibility in a curriculum that develops an excellent knowledge base and an understanding of concepts in microbiology, cell biology, and the biomolecular sciences. Emphasis will be placed on the application of the scientific method to gain an understanding of the biological world at the cellular and molecular levels. Students will learn to evaluate hypotheses, interpret experimental data, and communicate results effectively.
Before Graduating Students Must
Complete requirements for the baccalaureate degree, as determined by faculty.
Students in the Major Will Learn to
Student Learning Outcomes | SLOs
Content
- Describe fundamental concepts, skills, and processes in microbiology, molecular biology, and in host/pathogen interactions.
- Apply fundamental concepts, skills, and protocols used to conduct research in fields of microbiology, molecular biology, and in host/pathogen.
Critical Thinking
- Evaluate information and data in the general areas of microbiology and the cellular and molecular biological sciences.
- Solve typical problems that are encountered in general areas of microbiology and cellular and molecular biological sciences.
Communication
- Communicate effectively in written form in a manner appropriate in microbiology and the cellular and molecular biological sciences.
- Communicate orally (including visual aids) in an effective manner appropriate in microbiology and the cellular and molecular biological sciences.
Curriculum Map
I = Introduced; R = Reinforced; A = Assessed
Academic Learning Compact 6 Courses | SLO 1 | SLO 2 | SLO 3 | SLO 4 | SLO 5 | SLO 6 ---|---|---|---|---|---|--- AEC 3030C | | | | | | I, R, A AEC 3033C | | | | | I, R, A | MCB 3023 | I, A | | I | I | | MCB 3023L | I, R | I, R | R | I, R, A | | R MCB 4034L | I, R | I, R, A | I, R, A | I, R | R | I, R MCB 4203 or PCB 4233 | I, R, A | I, R | I, R | I, R | I, R | I, R MCB 4304 or PCB 4522 | I, R, A | I, R | R, A | R | R | R
Assessment Types
- Genome and lab projects
- Presentations
- Exams
- Final grades
The University of Florida Microbiology and Cell Science Program provides students with a comprehensive education in microbiology, cell biology, and the biomolecular sciences, preparing them for careers in research, healthcare, and industry. The program emphasizes the application of the scientific method, critical thinking, and effective communication, ensuring that graduates are well-equipped to succeed in their chosen fields.