Program Overview

Biology, BS Program Overview

The Biology, BS program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of biological concepts, including molecular, cellular, organismal, ecological, and evolutionary biology. The program offers a core of foundation courses and options for specialization in various areas, such as biotechnology and genetic engineering, molecular and cellular biology, genetics, immunology, chemical biology, physiology and biophysics, neurobiology and animal behavior, developmental biology, population biology, ecology, and environmental science.

Program Requirements

To complete the Biology, BS program, students must meet the general requirements for bachelor's degrees and the Unified General Education Requirements. The program consists of:

• Biology Core Courses:
  • BIOL 214: Genes, Evolution and Ecology
  • BIOL 215: Cells and Proteins
  • BIOL 214L and BIOL 215L: Genes, Evolution and Ecology Lab and Cells and Proteins Laboratory
  • BIOL 216: Development and Physiology
  • BIOL 216L: Development and Physiology Lab
  • BIOL 326: Genetics
• Breadth Requirement: Choose one course from any two of the following three subject areas:
  • Cell and Molecular Biology Electives
  • Organismal Biology Electives
  • Population Biology and Ecology Electives
• Quantitative Biology Laboratory Course: Choose one of the following:
  • BIOL 300: Dynamics of Biological Systems: A Quantitative Introduction to Biology
  • BIOL 304: Fitting Models to Data: Maximum Likelihood Methods and Model Selection
  • BIOL 315: Quantitative Biology Laboratory
  • BIOL 321: Design and Analysis of Biological Experiments
  • BIOL 327: Functional Genomics
  • BIOL 352: Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases
  • BIOL 354: Evolutionary Game Theory
  • BIOL 373: Introduction to Neurobiology
• Additional Laboratory Course: Choose one of the following:
  • BIOL 223: Vertebrate Biology
  • BIOL 301: Biotechnology Laboratory: Genes and Genetic Engineering
  • BIOL 305L: Herpetology Lab
  • BIOL 309: Biology Field Studies
  • BIOL 314: Taming the Tree of Life: Phylogenetic Comparative Methods-from Concept to Practical Application
  • BIOL 318: Introductory Entomology
  • BIOL 338: Ichthyology
  • BIOL 339: Aquatic Biology Laboratory
  • BIOL 344: Laboratory for Microbiology
  • BIOL 345: Mammal Diversity and Evolution
  • BIOL 351L: Principles of Ecology Laboratory
  • BIOL 353: Ecophysiology of Global Change
  • BIOL 354: Evolutionary Game Theory
  • BIOL 358L: Animal Behavior Lab
  • BIOL 360: Experimental Lab in Genetics, Cell or Developmental Biology
• BIOL Electives: 3-6 credit hours
• Undergraduate Research:
  • BIOL 388S: Undergraduate Research - SAGES Capstone
  • BIOL 390: Advanced Undergraduate Research
• Mathematics Core Courses:
  • MATH 125: Math and Calculus Applications for Life, Managerial, and Social Sci I
  • MATH 126: Math and Calculus Applications for Life, Managerial, and Social Sci II
• Chemistry Core Courses:
  • CHEM 105: Principles of Chemistry I
  • CHEM 106: Principles of Chemistry II
  • CHEM 113: Principles of Chemistry Laboratory
  • CHEM 223: Introductory Organic Chemistry I
  • CHEM 224: Introductory Organic Chemistry II
  • CHEM 233: Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
  • CHEM 301: Introductory Physical Chemistry I
• Physics Core Courses:
  • PHYS 115: Introductory Physics I
  • PHYS 116: Introductory Physics II
• Advanced Mathematics or Statistics Course: Choose one of the following:
  • MATH 201: Introduction to Linear Algebra for Applications
  • MATH 304: Discrete Mathematics
  • STAT 312: Basic Statistics for Engineering and Science
  • STAT 312R: Basic Statistics for Engineering and Science Using R Programming
  • STAT 313: Statistics for Experimenters
• Computer Programming Course: Choose one of the following:
  • ENGR 131: Elementary Computer Programming
  • CSDS 132: Programming in Java

Learning Outcomes

Upon completing the Biology, BS program, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate and apply knowledge of fundamental biological concepts
• Make key observations, propose hypotheses, design experiments, collect and analyze data, and draw appropriate conclusions
• Critically analyze published scientific research in the biological sciences
• Communicate biological ideas, arguments, and experimental data in oral and written forms to diverse audiences
• Synthesize biological principles across other fields of science to arrive at holistic conclusions
• Develop models to generate predictions or collect and analyze data and use mathematical or statistical skills to draw appropriate conclusions

Advising

Biology faculty advisors are assigned to students at the time of major or minor declaration. Students are required to meet with their departmental advisors at least once each semester to discuss their academic program and receive clearance for electronic course registration.

Departmental Honors

To receive a bachelor's degree "with Honors in Biology," students must:

• Maintain a 3.6 overall grade point average, with a 3.8 in BIOL courses
• Sign an attestation of their record of academic integrity
• Carry out 6 credit hours of independent research
• Write a senior honors thesis with the approval of the Research Sponsor and the Biology Sponsor
• Submit the thesis for review by an ad hoc honors committee
• Successfully defend the thesis at an oral examination

Sample Plan of Study

A sample plan of study for the Biology, BS program is provided, outlining the courses to be taken each semester for four years. The plan includes:

• First Year: BIOL 214, BIOL 214L, MATH 125, CHEM 105, and Academic Inquiry Seminar
• Second Year: BIOL 215, BIOL 215L, MATH 126, CHEM 106, CHEM 113, and Breadth or Elective courses
• Third Year: BIOL 216, BIOL 216L, CHEM 223, CHEM 233, Breadth or Elective courses, and Advanced Mathematics or Statistics Course
• Fourth Year: BIOL 388S, CHEM 301, BIOL 390, and Electives

Focus Areas in the Biological Sciences

Students can utilize their elective courses to take advantage of various specialized focus areas, including:

• Biotechnology and genetic engineering
• Computational biology
• Developmental biology
• Genetics
• Cell and molecular biology
• Neurobiology and animal behavior
• Population biology, ecology, and environmental science

These focus areas are informal and do not appear on the student's diploma or transcript.