Mar 28, 2024  
2011 - 2012 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2011 - 2012 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biology, B.S.


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All requirements for a biology major are outlined below. All majors must complete the same Required Core courses in Biology, Chemistry and Statistics, and must also complete additional requirements and/or electives in one of four concentrations.

Core Curriculum Requirements (43-45 credits)


All Biology majors are required to take the following courses and are advised to take them as part of the Core Curriculum requirements:

Note(s):


All freshman Biology majors must register for BIOL 160  in their first or second semester.

*Declared biology majors must earn a grade of “C” or better in BIOL 131 , BIOL 132 , BIOL 231 , or BIOL 232  before admission to biology electives requiring these courses as prerequisites.”

Note(s):


*Biology majors must take MATH 137 , MATH 138 , MATH 151 , or MATH 152 , whichever they are qualified to enroll in. MATH 137 , however, is not accepted for the Pre-Health Concentration. See below.

(Students concentrating in Medical Technology take a modification of the above requirements. See below.)

Concentration (26-36 credits)


All majors must choose one of the five concentrations described below and fulfill all additional requirements for their chosen concentration.

B.S. Requirements (8 credits)


All Biology majors are expected to complete CHEM 301 :CHEM 302  (8 hrs.) to fulfill their Bachelor of Science degree requirement.

Electives


Students should consult with their academic advisors in selecting elective courses to complete the 120 semester hours required for graduation.

Total Credits Needed for Degree: 120


Graduation Requirements


To graduate with a major in biology a student must attain an overall major grade point average of 2.0 or higher. Major GPA is calculated by using BIOL 131, BIOL 132, BIOL 160 all biology courses 200-level or higher, all courses outside of biology used as electives (including CHEM 471:472, Physics if used as an elective, Geography or Geology used as an environmental concentration elective), and any course used as an elective by academic petition.

Concentrations


General Biology Concentration


This concentration is appropriate for students desiring a broad foundation in biology, including those students planning to enter graduate school and those students planning to seek teacher licensure. Students planning to enter graduate school programs specifically in Molecular Biotechnology or Environmental Biology should consider those concentrations rather than the General Biology Concentration. Students planning to enter medical, dental, veterinary, or other health-related graduate programs should consider the Pre-Health Concentration.

Electives (26-30 credits)


Students must select either 26 credits of Biology courses or 22 credits of Biology courses and 8 hours of Physics courses. The additional Biology electives may be chosen from any of the Biology courses numbered 200 or higher. Students are advised to consider all the department’s electives and to choose those most appropriate to their goals.

Teaching Licensure


A biology major in the General Biology Concentration seeking teacher licensure should contact the College of Education and Human Development for information concerning the necessary courses. Students not majoring in biology who desire an endorsement to teach biology in secondary schools must complete 32 semester hours of biology coursework, including BIOL 131 :BIOL 132 :BIOL 231 :BIOL 232 . Preparation in chemistry, physics, and mathematics is also recommended. Students should contact the College of Education and Human Development to determine the most appropriate courses for this option.

Molecular Biology Concentration


Students electing the Molecular Biology concentration will learn how to study organisms and life processes at the molecular level. A concentration in Molecular Biology will prepare a student to answer questions about living organisms and living systems using a set of skills that focus on the molecules and molecular processes specific to living organisms. This concentration is recommended for students who are considering doing graduate research in almost any discipline in biology, students who are considering the medical profession, or students who are interested in pursuing careers in biological research.

Note(s):

To count towards the Concentration, BIOL 491  or BIOL 492  should be in a molecular or cellular area. Similarly, to count towards the concentration BIOL 495  must be an internship in the area of molecular or cellular biology or biotechnology. Note: A total of six credit hours of BIOL 491 /BIOL 492 /BIOL 495  may be applied to the Biology major; any additional credit hours will apply as university electives.

Environmental Biology Concentration


This concentration is recommended for students specifically interested in a career in environmental biology or related fields. It would also be appropriate for students planning to enter graduate school and to specialize specifically in environmental biology or related fields.

Interdisciplinary Environmental Issues: (3 credits)


Students must take one (1) course from the following list.

Note(s):

GEOG 140  is a prerequisite for GEOS 241  and for GEOS 340 . ECON 106  is a prerequisite for ECON 375 

Pre-Health Concentration


This concentration is rigorous and appropriate for students planning to enter graduate, medical, dental, veterinary, optometry, pharmacy, physician assistant or some other health-related school.

Mathematics Requirement

All Biology majors must take MATH 137 , MATH 138 , MATH 151 , or MATH 152 , whichever they are qualified to enroll in. However, MATH 137  is not accepted for the Pre-Health Concentration. Students in this concentration should select one of the other courses; MATH 151  or MATH 152  is highly recommended

Required Courses for Concentration (20-24 credits)


Physics Requirement (8 credits)

Choose one of the following two combinations:

Biochemistry Requirement (4 credits)

Microscopic Biology Requirement (4 credits)

Choose at least one of the following two options:

Note(s):

A maximum of six credit hours of BIOL 491 /BIOL 492 /BIOL 495  may be applied to the Biology major; any additional credit hours will apply as university electives.

Medical Technology Concentration


(Clinical Laboratory Sciences) Concentration

Biology majors concentrating in Medical Technology take three years of academic courses at Radford University and spend their senior year (12 months) interning and studying in the clinical facilities of one of the hospitals affiliated with Radford University.

For entrance into the clinical year of study (BIOL 401 , BIOL 402 , BIOL 403 ) students must apply to the hospital. Because the number of clinical spaces in the hospitals is limited and the number of applicants is large, students should have a GPA of 2.5 or higher to be considered competitive for this clinical internship.

Core Curriculum Requirements (43-45 credits)


All Biology majors are required to take the following courses and are advised to take them as part of the Core Curriculum requirements:

Note(s):

All freshman Biology majors must register for BIOL 160  in their first or second semester.

*Biology majors must take MATH 137 , MATH 138 , MATH 151 , or MATH 152 , whichever they are qualified to enroll in

Clinical Courses (33 credits)


BIOL 401 , BIOL 402 , BIOL 403 . Medical Technology Internship
Clinical Courses to be taken in hospital senior year and the preceding summer:
Blood Banking
Hematology and Coagulation
Chemistry (clinical)
Serology
Bacteriology
Parasitology/Clinical Microscopy

Affiliated Clinical Hospitals in Medical Technology, Program Directors, and Adjunct Faculty


Augusta Medical Center School of Clinical
Laboratory Science - Fishersville, VA

Julie A. Plumbley, M.D, Medical Director
Ellie Coggins, MLS (ASCP) MSHA, Program Director
Kathy Miller, CLS(NCA), MT(ASCP)BB, Clinical Coordinator
 

Carilion Medical Center School of Clinical
Laboratory Science-Roanoke, VA

Laura Link, M.S. Ed., MT (ASCP), CHES,Program Director
Maribeth Greenway, M.Ed., MT(ASCP) SH, Educator
Melanie Minnix, B.S. MT (ASCP), Educator
Kimberly White, MLS (ASCP), CM, Educator
Janet Hiler Bowman, M.Ed., MT (ASCP), CLS (NCA), Advisory Board
Randall Vandevander, B.A., MT(ASCP), Advisory Board
Robert White M. D., Advisory Board
 

Inova-Fairfax Hospital School of Clinical
Laboratory Science-Falls Church, VA

C. Barrie Cook, M.D., Medical Director
Amy Shoemaker, MBA, MT(ASCP), DLM, Program Director
Nancy Vandel, MPH MT(ASCP) SM, Coordinator of Medical Technology Rockingham Memorial Hospital School of Medical Technology - Harrisonburg, VA
Warren D. Bannister, M.D., Medical Advisor
Sue Lawton, MT (ASCP), M.A., M.S., Program Director
Cyndee Lowe, MT(ASCP), B.S., Education Coordinator

Associated Clinical Hospital Programs in Medical Technology, Medical Advisor, and Adjunct Faculty


Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center-Winston-Salem, NC
Marcus B. Simpson, M. D., Program Advisor
Beth Gaither, MBA, MT(ASCP)SM, Program Director
Judi Scaro, MT(ASCP)SC, Instructor
LuAnn Mascorro, MT(ASCP), SH, Instructor
Bettina Turner, MT(ASCP), SBB, Instructor

Affiliated Community College


Virginia Western Community College-Roanoke, VA
Jeffery Gillette, Ph.D., Medical Technology Program Advisor

Articulation Agreement Between Radford University and Medical College of Virginia


The Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Professions, Medical College of Virginia Campus/Virginia Commonwealth University agrees to guarantee admission into the Master of Science program in clinical laboratory sciences for students with the following criteria: Baccalaureate degree in Medical Technology (Clinical Laboratory Sciences) Biology or Chemistry, minimum GPA 3.25 and a minimum science GPA of 3.0. Minimum TOEFL of 570 is required for students whose native language is not English.

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