A minimum of 37 credits in biology courses is required for the major. (No more than 8 credits of 300-level electives can be applied to this total. In addition, two 400-level BIO courses with labs must be among the 37 credits). An additional requirement is 16 credits of chemistry, 8 credits of physics, and 3-4 credits of calculus or statistics. Pre- Health Professional students should refer to Pre-Health Profession: Biology Major Guidelines.
Recommended Courses in the Freshman Year
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NOTE: Math requirement (MTH 201 or MTH 243 or ENV 437) can be taken in either semester.
NOTE: Grades of at least a C must be obtained in BIO 201 and 202 to advance to the
upper division BIO courses.
Recommended Courses in the Sophomore Year
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NOTE: BIO 201, 202; CHM 205, 206 are prerequisites for BIO 310, 311 and BIO 302.
*Recommended courses to fulfill additional mathematics, chemistry, and physics requirements:
- One of the following: MTH 201 or MTH 243 or ENV 437
- PHS 205-210 or PHS 235-240
- CHM 306 or CHM 313
- BIO 315 Cell Biology (Fall only)
* It is highly recommended that these additional courses be completed by the end of the junior year.
Further Recommendations
Students need to be aware of the sequential nature of some courses in biology, chemistry and physics, and of the prerequisites for upper-division science courses. Care must be taken in planning the student’s program because not all courses are offered every semester.
Transfer Students
Transfer students in particular need to be aware of the sequential nature of some courses in biology, chemistry, and physics, and of the prerequisites for upper-division science courses. They should take the appropriate freshman and sophomore science courses so they can seamlessly transition into the upper-division curriculum.