Program Overview

Biology Undergraduate Major (BS, HBS)

The Biology Undergraduate Major is designed for students seeking an interdisciplinary background in the life sciences. The major couples a comprehensive biological, physical, and quantitative sciences core with a variety of electives that can be catered to meet diverse professional goals.

Program Overview

The undergraduate BS degree in Biology is administered by the Department of Integrative Biology under the School of Life Sciences. Undergraduate research, internship, teaching, and study abroad experience are strongly recommended, and credits can be integrated with major requirements. Biology majors receive excellent training for graduate and professional programs.

Locations and Options

This program is available at the following locations:

• Corvallis
• OSU-Cascades Options available:
• Ecology
• Genetics
• Marine Biology and Ecology
• Physiology and Behavior
• Pre-Dentistry/Biology
• Pre-Education Biology
• Pre-Medicine/Biology
• Pre-Veterinary Medicine

Major Code

Major Code: 509

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, students will meet the following learning outcomes:

1. Explain and apply the fundamental concepts of the biological sciences, including biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and genetics; physiology and organismal biology; and ecology and evolution.
2. Identify and access information (from primary literature and other relevant works) for a particular topic and evaluate the scientific content and context of these sources.
3. Generate relevant and testable scientific questions, formulate testable hypotheses, and identify measurable predictions based on observations or previous research.
4. Design and implement observational or experimental investigations to collect relevant data, and employ appropriate analytical methods to analyze that data.
5. Interpret data and/or observations to support or refute hypotheses, draw conclusions, put findings in the context of current scientific knowledge and literature, and/or suggest future avenues of research.
6. Use effective formal and informal communication (i.e., written, oral, graphical, multimedia) to convey scientific information in ways that are appropriate for scientific and non-scientific audiences for a particular topic and evaluating the scientific content and context of these sources.
7. Integrate and analyze information within and across spatial and temporal scales as well as levels of biological organization.
8. Identify, reflect upon, and evaluate assumptions, biases, and alternative hypotheses or interpretations for their own scientific claims or those of others.
9. Justify the importance of science and science literacy for individuals and society.
10. Integrate biology with other disciplines to make evidence-based decisions on socio-scientific issues.
11. Explain how biases and societal factors affect the processes of science (and vice versa), access to participation in science, and the differential outcomes and impacts (both positive and negative) of science on individuals.
12. Explain and justify the ethical standards of their discipline, evaluate the ethics of published science, and articulate their personal code of ethics.
13. Use effective and appropriate forms of collaboration.
14. Produce a self-assessment of interpersonal and academic behaviors needed to achieve their individual career goals.

Requirements

Students in the Biology major must complete BI 221, BI 222, and BI 223 (or the honors version of this series) with a C or better to continue on to upper-division Biology (BI) and Zoology (Z) coursework. Students must also complete CH 231/CH 261, CH 232/CH 262, and CH 233/CH 263 and CH 331 and CH 332 with a C or better to continue on to upper-division Chemistry (CH) coursework.

Course List

• Biology Core Courses
  • Biology Seminars
    • BI 197: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT I: HEALTH PROFESSIONS (1 credit)
    • BI 198: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT I: BIOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY (1 credit)
    • BI 298: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR BIOLOGISTS II (1 credit)
• Baccalaureate Core Communications
  • COMM 111Z: *PUBLIC SPEAKING (4 credits)
• Baccalaureate Core Writing II
  • WR 227Z: *TECHNICAL WRITING (3-4 credits)
  • WR 362: *SCIENCE WRITING (3-4 credits)
• Mathematics and Statistics Core
  • MTH 251 & MTH 252: *DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS and INTEGRAL CALCULUS (8 credits)
  • MTH 227 & MTH 228: *CALCULUS AND PROBABILITY FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES I and CALCULUS AND PROBABILTITY FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES II (8 credits)
  • ST 351 & ST 352: INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS and INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS (8-12 credits)
• Chemistry Core
  • CH 231 & CH 261: GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 231 (5 credits)
  • CH 232 & CH 262: GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 232 (5 credits)
  • CH 233 & CH 263: GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 233 (5 credits)
  • CH 331 & CH 332 & CH 337: ORGANIC CHEMISTRY and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY (12 credits)
  • BB 450 & BB 451: GENERAL BIOCHEMISTRY and GENERAL BIOCHEMISTRY (7 credits)
• Biological Sciences Core
  • BI 221 & BI 222 & BI 223: *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY: CELLS and *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY: ORGANISMS and *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY: POPULATIONS (12 credits)
  • BI 370: ECOLOGY (3 credits)
  • BI 311: GENETICS (4 credits)
  • BB 314: CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (4 credits)
  • BI 445: EVOLUTION (3 credits)
  • MB 302: GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY (3 credits)
  • MB 303: GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY (2 credits)
• Senior Biology Major Field Test
  • BI 498: SENIOR ASSESSMENT AND SURVEY (0 credits)

Electives

• Biology and Society: Select one BCC course from the list or complete an option (3-4 credits)
• Physics or Computational and Quantitative Applications: Select one of the following tracks or complete an option (13-15 credits)
• Organismal Biology: Select one course from the list or complete an option (3-5 credits)
• Physiology: Select one course from the list or complete an option (3-5 credits)
• Writing Intensive Course (WIC): Select one course from the list or complete an option (3 credits)
• Experiential Learning or Integrative Biology Elective: Select one of the two tracks or complete an option (3-4 credits)

Total Credits

Total Credits: 180

Plan of Study

The plan of study is subject to change, and the following is only an example of how students may complete their degree in four years. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best degree plan for them.

Tracks

There are three tracks available:

1. Track I
2. Track II
3. Track III

Each track has a different plan of study, and students should choose the one that best fits their needs and goals.

Conclusion

The Biology Undergraduate Major (BS, HBS) at Oregon State University is a comprehensive program that provides students with a strong foundation in the life sciences. With a variety of options and electives available, students can tailor their degree to meet their individual career goals. Upon completion of the program, students will be well-prepared for graduate and professional programs, as well as careers in the life sciences.