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 Professions students should refer to Pre-Health Profession: Biology Major
Guidelines.
Sequence #1 – For students placed into MTH111
Recommended Courses in the Freshman Year
First Semester |
Second Semester |
|
- BIO 202 General Biology II
- CHM205 General Chemistry I*
- MTH122 Precalculus
|
Recommended Courses in the Sophomore Year
First Semester |
Second Semester |
|
- BIO322 or 303 or 323
- PHS210 General Physics II
- CHM206 General Chemistry II
|
NOTE: BIO 201, 202; CHM 205, 206 are prerequisites for BIO 310, 311 and BIO 302.
Sequence #2 – For students placed into MTH122
Recommended Courses in the Freshman Year
First Semester
|
Second Semester
|
- BIO 201 General Biology I
- CHM205 General Chemistry I
|
- BIO 202 General Biology II
- CHM206 General Chemistry II
- MTH122 Precalculus
|
Recommended Courses in the Sophomore Year
First Semester
|
Second Semester
|
- BIO302 Genetics
- CHM305 Organic Chemistry I
- MTH201 Calc I or MTH243 Stats
|
- BIO310 Biological Chemistry
- BIO311 Biological Chemistry Lab
- CHM306 Organic Chemistry II
|
Sequence #3 – For students placed into MTH201 Calc or MTH243 Stats
Recommended Courses in the Freshman Year
First Semester
|
Second Semester
|
- BIO 201 General Biology I
- CHM205 General Chemistry I
|
- BIO 202 General Biology II
- CHM206 General Chemistry II
- MTH201 Calc I or MTH243 Stats
|
Recommended Courses in the Sophomore Year
First Semester
|
Second Semester
|
- BIO302 Genetics
- CHM305 Organic Chemistry I
|
- BIO310 Biological Chemistry
- BIO311 Biological Chemistry Lab
- CHM306 Organic Chemistry II
|
NOTE: Grades of at least a C must be obtained in BIO 201 and 202 to advance to BIO302,
310 and 311.
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.
Last Updated 10/27/20