Major in Biological Science, Biological Science Concentration

This curriculum provides a broad background in the basic biological sciences, and permits students to select courses in areas of particular interest. The major is especially useful in meeting the pre-professional requirements in the biosciences. Students desiring this preparation should also check the appropriate pre-professional requirements.

The curriculum includes a two-semester introductory biology sequence, cell biology, developmental biology, ecology, evolution, and genetics. Required courses in the physical sciences include a minimum of one year in introductory chemistry and in physics (with labs), and at least one course in organic chemistry (with lab), and one in biochemistry. A calculus course and a statistics course are also required. In addition, students must complete a minimum of 18 upper-division credits of which 9 credits must be from "BZ" courses.

Learning Objectives

Students completing the Major in Biological Science with a concentration in Biological Science will attain a well-rounded education grounded in the natural sciences, with emphasis on the current state of knowledge in biology. Upon successfully completing the degree, they will be able to:

1. Attain a solid foundation in the natural sciences, with emphasis on biological processes and phenomena;
2. Demonstrate a fundamental understanding of biological concepts, processes, and phenomena that are broadly applicable to organisms, and a detailed understanding of knowledge relevant to specific fields of biology of interest to the student;
3. Demonstrate strong analytical, mathematical, and statistical skills, and the ability to apply these appropriately in biological contexts;
4. Demonstrate the ability to analyze, synthesize, integrate, and evaluate material from biology and related fields, and effectively communicate such information.

Department of Biology Undergraduate Programs

Effective Fall 2025

To be qualified for graduation, students must have a minimum grade of C- in all BZ, LIFE, and major electives courses used to meet program requirements.

¹

CHEM 341, CHEM 343, and CHEM 344 may substitute for CHEM 245 and CHEM 246.

²

Select enough elective credits to bring the program total to a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level).

Upper-Division Biological Sciences Concentration Electives (minimum of 9 credits from BZ courses)

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
AB 303	General Entomology Laboratory	2
AB 340	Insect Biotechnology	3
AB 523	Advanced Evolution/Classification of Insects	5
ANEQ 310	Animal Reproduction	3
ANEQ 320	Principles of Animal Nutrition	3
ANEQ 322	Pet Nutrition	2
ANEQ 323	Zoo Nutrition	2
ANEQ 330	Principles of Animal Breeding	3
ANTH 370	Primates	3
ANTH 373	Human Evolution	3
ANTH 374	Human Biological Variation	3
ANTH 470	Paleontology Field School	4
BC 353	Pre-Health Genetics	4
BC 401	Comprehensive Biochemistry I	3
BC 403	Comprehensive Biochemistry II	3
BC 404	Comprehensive Biochemistry Laboratory	2
BC 463	Molecular Genetics	3
BMS 300	Principles of Human Physiology	4
BMS 301	Human Gross Anatomy	5
BMS 302	Laboratory in Principles of Physiology	2
BMS 305	Domestic Animal Gross Anatomy	4
BMS 310	Anatomy for the Health Professions	4
BMS 320	Virtual Laboratory in Physiology	2
BMS 325	Cellular Neurobiology	3
BMS 330	Microscopic Anatomy	4
BMS 345	Functional Neuroanatomy	4
BMS 400	Neuroanatomy Through Clinical Case Studies	1
BMS 405	Nerve and Muscle-Toxins, Trauma and Disease	3
BMS 409	Human and Animal Reproductive Biology	3
BMS 420	Cardiopulmonary Physiology	3
BMS 421	Perspectives in Cardiopulmonary Diseases	2
BMS 425	Introduction to Systems Neurobiology	3
BMS 430	Endocrinology	3
BMS 450	Pharmacology	3
BMS 460	Essentials of Pathophysiology	3
BMS 461	Pathophysiology Perspectives	2
BSPM 302	Applied and General Entomology	2
BZ 212	Animal Biology-Invertebrates	4
BZ 214	Animal Biology-Vertebrates	4
BZ 223	Plant Identification	3
BZ 240	Synthetic Biology-Principles and Applications	3
BZ 300	Animal Behavior	3
BZ 320	Biogeographic Approaches to Conservation	3
BZ 325	Plant Systematics	4
BZ 329	Herpetology	4
BZ 330	Mammalogy	4
BZ 331	Developmental Plant Anatomy	4
BZ 333	Introductory Mycology	4
BZ 335	Ornithology	4
BZ 339	Biology Field Practicum	3
BZ 340	Field Mammalogy	4
BZ 342	Exploring Range Shifts in a Changing World	3
BZ 348/MATH 348	Theory of Population and Evolutionary Ecology	4
BZ 349	Tropical Ecology and Evolution	3
BZ 360	Bioinformatics and Genomics	4
BZ 390	Biology of Sex	3
BZ 401	Comparative Animal Physiology	3
BZ 414	Vertebrate Climate Change Responses	3
BZ 415	Marine Biology	4
BZ 418	Ecology of Infectious Diseases	4
BZ 420	Evolutionary Medicine	3
BZ 424/BSPM 424	Principles of Systematic Science	3
BZ 425	Conservation and Population Genomics	3
BZ 430	Animal Behavior and Conservation	3
BZ 433	Behavioral Genetics	3
BZ 435A	Study Abroad--Honduras: Field Course--Dolphin Behavior and Physiology	2
BZ 435B	Study Abroad--Mexico: Practices in Marine Biology and Ecology	3
BZ 435C	Study Abroad--Kenya: Biology and Behavior of African Mammals	3
BZ 435D	Study Abroad--Madagascar: Biology and Behavior of Primates	3
BZ 440	Plant Physiology	3
BZ 441	Plant Physiology Laboratory	2
BZ 449A	Study Abroad--Ecuador: Ecology/Conservation–Ecuadorian Biodiversity	4
BZ 450	Plant Ecology	4
BZ 455	Human Heredity and Birth Defects	3
BZ 460	Genome Evolution	4
BZ 462/BSPM 462/MIP 462	Parasitology and Vector Biology	5
BZ 471	Stream Biology and Ecology	3
BZ 472	Stream Biology and Ecology Laboratory	1
BZ 475	Marine Mammalogy	3
BZ 476/BZ 576	Genetics of Model Organisms	3
BZ 477	Genome Editing Laboratory	2
BZ 478/VS 478	Biology and Behavior of Cats	3
BZ 479/VS 479	Biology and Behavior of Dogs	3
BZ 482A	Study Abroad: Field Marine Biology	4
BZ 482F	Study Abroad--French Polynesia: Environmental and Cultural Studies	3
BZ 492A	Seminar: Behavior	1-3
BZ 492B	Seminar: Ecology	1-3
BZ 492C	Seminar: Genetics	1-3
BZ 492D	Seminar: Ornithology	1-3
BZ 492E	Seminar: Herpetology	1-3
BZ 492F	Seminar: Evolution	1-3
BZ 492G	Seminar: Departmental	1-3
BZ 515	Physiological Ecology of Marine Vertebrates	3
BZ 525	Advanced Conservation & Evolutionary Genomics	4
BZ 535	Behavioral and Cognitive Ecology	3
BZ 541	Hemp Biology	3
BZ 560	Teaching and Communicating Science	3
BZ 562	Computational Approaches in Molecular Ecology	2
BZ 565/MIP 565	Next Generation Sequencing Platform/Libraries	1
BZ 568/FW 568	Sustaining River Ecosystems in Changing World	3
BZ 570	Molecular Aspects of Plant Development	3
BZ 572	Phytoremediation	3
ERHS 332	Principles of Epidemiology	3
ERHS 340	Cancer Biology, Medicine, and Society	2
ERHS 450	Introduction to Radiation Biology	3
F 311	Forest Ecology	3
FSHN 350	Human Nutrition	3
FW 300	Biology and Diversity of Fishes	2
FW 301	Ichthyology Laboratory	1
FW 400	Conservation of Fish in Aquatic Ecosystems	3
FW 405	Fish Physiology	3
HES 403	Physiology of Exercise	3
HORT 460/SOCR 460	Plant Breeding and Biotechnology	3
MIP 300	General Microbiology	3
MIP 302	General Microbiology Laboratory	2
MIP 315	Pathology of Human and Animal Disease	3
MIP 334	Food Microbiology	3
MIP 335	Food Microbiology Laboratory	2
MIP 342	Immunology	4
MIP 343	Immunology Laboratory	2
MIP 351	Medical Bacteriology	3
MIP 352	Medical Bacteriology Laboratory	3
MIP 420	Medical and Molecular Virology	4
MIP 425	Virology and Cell Culture Laboratory	2
MIP 432/ESS 432	Microbial Ecology	3
MIP 433/ESS 433	Microbial Ecology Laboratory	1
MIP 443	Microbial Physiology	3
MIP 450	Microbial Genetics	3
NR 370	Coastal Environmental Ecology	3
PHIL 325	Philosophy of Natural Science	3
PHIL 326	Philosophy of Biology	3
PSY 352	Learning and Memory	3
PSY 454	Biological Psychology	3
RS 331	Wildland Plants and Plant Communities	3
RS 351	Wildland Ecosystems in a Changing World	3
RS 478	Ecological Restoration	3
SOCR 455	Microbiomes of Soil Systems	3
SOCR 456	Soil Microbiology Laboratory	1
VS 331	Histology	4
VS 333	Domestic Animal Anatomy	4
A maximum of 3 credits may be selected from the following courses:
BZ 384	Supervised College Teaching
BZ 487	Internship
BZ 495	Independent Study
BZ 498	Laboratory or Field Research

Distinctive Requirements for Degree Program:
TO PREPARE FOR FIRST SEMESTER: The curriculum for the Biological Sciences major ‐Biological Sciences concentration assumes students enter college prepared to take calculus.  Entering students who are not prepared to take calculus will need to fulfill pre‐calculus requirements in the first semester.  LIFE 102 requires high school chemistry as a prerequisite; CHEM 111 requires Algebra II as a prerequisite (this prerequisite is met by having Algebra II by test credit, transfer credit, or placement out of MATH 117 and MATH 118 on Math Placement Exam). To be qualified for graduation, students must have a minimum grade of C- in all BZ, LIFE, and major electives courses used to meet program requirements. It is recommended that you do not take BZ 310 and BZ 350 together.