Department of Biological Sciences

Biology Program

General Option

The biology general option is designed for students who wish to pursue a broadly defined degree program that emphasizes the major areas of biology and provides a solid foundation for further study in any graduate or professional program associated with the life sciences.

With guidance from their academic advisor, the general biology student can create a personalized biology degree tailored for their career goals and interests. The biology general option also encourages undergraduate research and internship opportunities to foster skills needed in a biology-oriented career. Graduates of this option have entered professional programs such as medical and pharmacy school as well as diverse graduate programs.

Curriculum

The matrix below is a sample plan for all coursework required for this program.

•  Freshman

  Fall		Spring
  ENGL 1013 Composition I1	3	ENGL 1023 Composition II1	3
  Social Sciences1	3	Social Sciences1	3
  MATH 1113 College Algebra	3	Physical Activity	2
  BIOL 1011 Orientation to the Biological Sciences	1	BIOL 2124 Principles of Zoology or BIOL 2134 Principles of Botany	4
  BIOL 1114 Principles of Biology	4	Any COMS	3
  Total Hours	14	Total Hours	15

•  Sophomore

  Fall		Spring
  U.S. History/Government1	3	COMM 2003 Public Speaking	3
  CHEM 2124 General Chemistry I	4	CHEM 2134 General Chemistry II	4
  BIOL 2124 Principles of Zoology or BIOL 2134 Principles of Botany	4	BIOL 3034 Genetics	4
  Math Elective2	3	Biology Elective	4
  Elective5	3
  Total Hours	17	Total Hours	15

•  Junior

  Fall		Spring
  CHEM 3254 Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry	4	CHEM 3264 Mechanistic Organic Chemistry	4
  PHYS 2014 Algebra-Based Physics I	4	PHYS 2024 Algebra-Based Physics II	4
  BIOL 3114 Principles of Ecology3	4	Biology Elective (3000-4000 level)	4
  Math Elective2	3	Elective5	4
  Total Hours	15	Total Hours	16

•  Senior

  Fall		Spring
  Fine Arts & Humanities1	3	Fine Arts & Humanities1	3
  Physiology or Cellular Elective4	3-4	Physiology or Cellular Elective4	3-4
  Biology Elective4	3-4	BIOL 4891 Seminar in Biology	1
  Elective5	5	Biology Elective4	3-4
  		Elective5	2
  Total Hours	15	Total Hours	13

¹See appropriate alternatives or substitutions in "General Education Requirements".
²Six hours of mathematics above MATH 1113 College Algebra. Courses in the areas of statistics, biostatistics, and/or calculus are recommended (e.g. STAT 2163 Introduction to Statistical Methods, PSY/SOC 2053 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences,FW 3173 Biostatistics, MATH 2243 Calculus for Business and Economics and/or MATH 2914 Calculus I).
³BIOL 4094 Coastal Ecology which is offered during the May mini-term can serve as an alternative to BIOL 3114 Principles of Ecology in the Biology major.
⁴The physiology choices include: BIOL 3074 Human Physiology, BIOL 3124 General Physiology, BIOL 3174 Physiological Ecology, BIOL 4014 Endocrinology; whereas, choices in the area of cell or molecular biology include: BIOL 4033 Cell Biology,BIOL 4074 Molecular Genetics, BIOL 3054 Microbiology, BIOL 4023 Immunology. One in each area is required. Other alternatives must be approved by your advisor and Department Head. Each 3-hour selection in one of these areas must be balanced by 4-hours (rather than 3-hours) of biology electives.
⁵Sufficient courses at 3000-4000 level to constitute a total of 40 hours. At least 2 credit-hours of biology research or internship is recommended (BIOL 4112-4 Biology Internship or BIOL 4951-4 Undergraduate Research in Biology).