2026-2027 Academic Catalog
Biological Sciences, BS
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 Return to: College of Engineering and Sciences
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About the Program
The biological sciences, which impact almost every aspect of our lives, are undergoing an extraordinary revolution. The curriculum for this program is designed to give students a broad basis for comprehending the diverse nature of the field and the complex systems that give rise to biodiversity. This basic biological knowledge can be applied to critical problems that affect human health, such as the nature of microbial communities and their relationship to the spread of disease, the conservation of native plant and animal populations and ecosystems, and the management of invasive species and natural resources. The curriculum begins with a four-semester biology core, which provides a solid foundation for all biology majors. In the first two semesters students take introductory Biology which introduces cellular, molecular, evolutionary, environmental, and organismal concepts, and examines relationships between development, structure and function and adaptational mechanisms. In the third and fourth semesters students take Cell Biology, which examines cellular organization and function, and Genetics, which includes an overview of molecular principles, critical to modern biology. In the second half of their degree, students continue to follow listed requirements, however there are options of choosing elective courses that are tailored to their interests. Throughout the curriculum students develop a holistic understanding of biological principles, gain practical lab skills and have opportunities to take advantage of research experiences. Students majoring in and graduating from general biology will be able to work in areas ranging from ecology to health related fields, and apply to graduate programs, or professional programs in areas such as medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, optometry, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine. Degree Requirements
- 120 Credit Hours
- Minimum grade of C- required for all Major Core courses
- Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation
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CES Exit Survey The College of Engineering and Sciences requires that all graduating students complete a student outcomes and career preparation survey. The survey helps the University meet state reporting requirements and understand the career outcomes of our graduates. All information is reported in aggregate and helps improve programs and career preparation for future students. Students will gain access to the survey after submitting the Application to Graduate with the Office of the Registrar.
PNW General Education Core (30 Credits Minimum)
Required Courses (72 Credits)
Mathematics, Statistics, & Computer Science (3 credits)
Humanities and Social Sciences (9 Credits)
Additional Biological Sciences Required Courses (14-15 Credits)
Biological Sciences Electives (20 Credits)
20 elective credits in BIOL OR courses approved by the Biological Sciences department (see list below). Please note a minimum of 12 credits must come from courses with the BIOL designator at 300-level or above: Free Electives (14-15 Credits)
Civics Literacy Proficiency
The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue Northwest students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths: - Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
- Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
- Earning a passing grade for one of the approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course)
For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website. Total 120 Credits Required
Requirements
Minimum Grade and Grade Point Average (GPA): Minimum grade of C- required for all Major Core courses (unless otherwise noted); 2.0 GPA Experiential Learning (EL): One EL course required, select from the Experiential Learning course list General Education Core: General Education notations can be found within the course description. Please click on a course to see if it meets a Gen Ed requirement. Milestone Courses noted by (m) next to the course title have been identified as being critical to your success in this field of study. Courses that are only offered on one campus will be noted by an (H) for Hammond, or (W) for Westville. Please see the Additional Information and Guidelines section below for more information. Semester 5 (13 Credits)
- PHYS 22000 - General Physics
- Biological Sciences Required Course
- Biological Sciences Elective - CHM 32400 or CHM 33300 is strongly recommended to all students who are interested in health science professions (See note 5)
- Free Elective
Semester 6 (14 Credits)
- PHYS 22100 - General Physics
- Biological Sciences Elective (See note 5)
- Biological Sciences Required Course
- Humanities and Social Science Elective (See note 4)
Semester 8 (15 Credits)
- BIOL 42600 - Senior Capstone
- Biological Sciences Elective (See note 5)
- Free Elective
- Free Elective
- Humanities and Social Science Elective (See note 4)
Additional Information and Guidelines
Note 1: Additional GPA Requirements for BS Biology Degree: Minimum 2.0 GPA for all biology core (BIOL 10100 , BIOL 10200 , BIOL 10700 , BIOL 24300 , BIOL 24400 , BIOL 31100 , BIOL 42800 , BIOL 58000 , and concentration required courses Note 2: Experiential Learning (EL): One Experiential Learning credit is required for graduation. EL courses are noted by (e) next to the course title. Most students fulfill this requirement by taking ENGL 10500. Courses meeting this requirement in Biology include BIOL 21000, BIOL 34200, BIOL 48800, and BIOL 48900. Other possible courses that can be used to fulfill this requirement include SCI 49100, and IDIS 10001. See the Experiential Learning Course List for additional courses meeting this requirement. Note 3: Gen Ed Technology Course Requirement CIS 20400 is recommended for students with limited experience using Microsoft Suite and can be replaced by BIOL 59500 Bioinformatics, or CS 12100 - Introduction to Python with applications in AI, or a different course approved by the department. If students choose a course that is not a Gen Ed Technology Core list course, they will have to fulfill this requirement with another course in this area as a free elective, General Education Core list. Note 4: Gen Ed requires a 3.0 credit Humanities and a 3.0 credit Social Science course. It is important that these be chosen from the approved Gen Ed course list. This degree also requires 9.0 credits of additional electives from these two subject areas that are not required to be chosen from the Gen Ed list. Some professional schools have specific Humanities and Social Sciences course requirements for admission. Please select recommended courses accordingly to fulfill this requirement or choose any courses of interest. Six credit hours of foreign languages may also be used to fulfill part of this requirement. Note 5: Biology Elective courses range from 1 to 5 credits. Maximum 3 credits of independent studies / research / internship (BIOL 34200, BIOL 39500, or BIOL 49500 can be used to fulfill the biology elective requirement. BIOL 33000 is not considered a Biology elective. College Scorecard
The U.S. Department of Education has created a scorecard for each university and its programs. The scorecard shows data for the university such as graduation rate, average annual cost, and median earnings. Then, when certain minimum standards have been met, data are available for a specific program. That data could include median earnings, median total debt, and number of graduates. The link below will help you learn more: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?490805-Purdue-University-Northwest&fos_code=2601&fos_credential=3 |
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