Undergraduate Degrees
Beginning in the 2020-2021 academic year, the Department of Biology offers a B.S. degree and a minor, and a certificate in biotechnology. Honors in biology may be confirmed upon students who successfully complete an approved independent research project and maintain a 3.5 grade point average. We also offer a M.S. graduate degree.
Prior to Fall 2020, the Department also offered a B.A. degree and several different B.S. tracks; these have all been phased out. Students who are already in those tracks may remain in them, although in general we strongly advise most students to switch to the current B.S. degree (catalog year 2020 or later). The current B.S. in Biology has several changes that provide students greater flexibility in tailoring their degree. For more detailed information about these changes, please see information on the Roadmap to Degree.
Degree Requirements
All students obtaining the B.S. degree are required to complete the following:
- BIOL 2010 and BIOL 2020 core series
- CHEM 2100/2100L and CHEM 2200/2200L
- MATH 2210
- Two semesters of 2nd year CHEM courses, including organic chemistry, biochemistry, and/or quantitative analysis
- PHYS 2000/2000L and PHYS 2010/2010L
- BIOL 5000 seminar
- 29 units of BIOL electives to include at least one class in each of the following categories: cell/molecular biology, zoology, botany, and evolution/population biology
All students must pass BIOL 2010 and BIOL 2020 with a grade of 'C' or better and (in most cases) be co-enrolled in one semester of organic chemistry before they may enroll in any other upper-division Biology class. This information is provided here for your convenience; see the University Catalog for official documentation.
Advising
Although information about the requirements of the degree and options offered through the Biology Department is available through the various links on this page, students are strongly urged to speak with an advisor to help you navigate through your university career. Attempting to navigate this complex maze usually causes unexpected problems for students.
In general, all Department of Biology faculty are available to advise Biology majors for any and all reasons and purposes. However, we encourage freshmen and sophomores to reach out to Advising with the Office of Undergraduate Studies for your advising needs. Information on sample plans for completing a Biology degree in a timely manner are available through Roadmaps to Degree.
Information about general admission requirements of medical and professional schools is available from the Health Professions Advising Center (HPAC).