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.
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. EL courses are noted by (e) next to the course title.
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 (11-15 Credits)
Semester 6 (13-14 Credits)
Semester 7 (11-19 Credits)
Semester 8 (11-16 Credits)
Additional Information and Guidelines
Note 1: Additional GPA Requirements for BS Biology Degree: Minimum 2.0 GPA for all biology core (BIOL 10700, BIOL 10100, BIOL 10200, BIOL 24300, BIOL 24400, BIOL 31100 (58000) and BIOL 42600) and concentration required courses.
Note 2: 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 a different course approved by the department. If students choose a course that is not a Gen Ed Technology course, they will have to fulfill this requirement with another course in this area as a free elective. See http://catalog.pnw.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=4&poid=1002 for a list of suitable courses.
Note 3: 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 4: Biology required courses: See attachments for choices of required courses.
Note 5: Biology Elective courses range from 1 to 5 credits. Maximum 3 credits of independent studies / research / internship (BIOL 34200, BIOL 39500, BIOL 49500 can be used to fulfill the biology elective requirement. BIOL 33000 is not considered a Biology elective. At least one of the courses in this category must be a 50000 level class.
Note 6: Other chemistry courses can be used with departmental permission.
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