Apr 13, 2025  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biology, B.S.

 

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

Core Curriculum Requirements (30-36 credits)

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

Required Biology Courses (14 credits)

Note(s):

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

In the General Biology Concentration transfer students, and any other students, who do not take BIOL 160  must take either an additional BIOL 460  or one additional Biology elective at the 300 or 400 level of equal or greater credit hours (excluding BIOL 310 , BIOL 311 , BIOL 322 , BIOL 334 , BIOL 491 , BIOL 492  and BIOL 495 ).  Students in the Medical Laboratory Sciences Concentration who do not take BIOL 160  must take BIOL 460  instead.

Biology majors must complete the four Core courses, BIOL 131 , BIOL 132 , BIOL 231  and BIOL 232  with grades of C or better before registering for any 300- or 400-level Biology electives.  (Exception:  Students in the Medical Laboratory Sciences Concentration do not need to take BIOL 232 .)

Students are allowed only one repeat or retake for each of the four Core courses, BIOL 131 , BIOL 132 , BIOL 231  and BIOL 232 .

Students who change their majors to Biology may substitute BIOL 105  for BIOL 132 .  Transfer students who transfer in credit for BIOL 105  may similarly substitute the transferred course for BIOL 132  .  Transfer students who transfer in BIOL 102 from a Virginia Community College, or an equivalent course from another institution, may substitute that course for BIOL 232 .

All Biology (BIOL) courses that have prerequisites, with the exception of those cross-listed with Chemistry (CHEM), require a grade of “C” or better in all courses listed as prerequisites for admission to the course, unless otherwise stated.

Other Courses Required for the Major (22 credits)

 

Note(s):

*Qualified students may substitute MATH 138 , MATH 168 , or MATH 171 .

Concentration (26-36 credits)

All majors must choose one of the two 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, CHEM 471:472 (cross-listed as BIOL 471:472) all courses outside of biology used as electives (see electives below), and any course used as an elective by academic petition.

Concentrations

 

General Biology Concentration

The General Biology Concentration provides students with a strong, broadly-based foundation in biology. This concentration is appropriate for all Biology majors, including those students planning to enter graduate school and those planning to seek teacher licensure.

Additional Required Biology Courses (6 credits)

Electives (26-31 credits)

Students must select either 26 credits of Biology elective courses or 22 credits of Biology electives courses and 6-9 credits hours of approved non-biology courses listed below. Biology electives may be chosen from any of the Biology courses numbered 200 or higher except those listed as not counting for the Biology major (e.g., BIOL 310 , BIOL 311 , BIOL 322 , BIOL 334 ). Students are advised to consider all the department’s electives and to choose those most appropriate to their goals.

The following approved non-biology courses may be used to fulfill 6-9 credits of Biology electives, in combination with 22 credits of BIOL electives:

*These courses have prerequisites which do not count towards the Biology major, but may satisfy Core elective requirements.

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.