Nov 21, 2024

2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Biology, B.S.

To address the breadth and depth essential to educating biologists, the biology major is structured to include both a broad foundation through core courses and opportunity for specialization within a biological subfield through biology electives. The major is designed to prepare the student for a post-baccalaureate profession in biology, for advanced professional training in the health sciences, or for graduate study in basic and applied areas of the biological sciences.

120 hours (minimum)

Any student earning a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree must complete a minimum of 60 hours in natural, physical, mathematical, and computer science. See the complete description of College requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree , including a specific listing of courses applicable to the 60-hour requirement.

UK Core Requirements

See the UK Core section of this Catalog for the complete UK Core requirements . The courses listed below are (a) recommended by the college, or (b) required courses that also fulfill UK Core areas. Students should work closely with their advisor to complete the UK Core requirements.

UK Core hours: 33

Graduation Composition and Communication Requirement (GCCR)

In order to meet the Graduation Composition and Communication Requirement (GCCR), students must successfully complete both BIO 425 to fulfill the oral communication requirement and one course from the list below to fulfill the written communication requirement. In order to receive GCCR credit a student must:

Earn an average grade of C or better on all GCCR assignments; and
Have completed at least 30 credit hours of college-level course work prior to registering for the course.

Oral Communication Requirement

BIO 425 - BIOLOGY SEMINAR: SUBTITLE REQUIRED Credit(s): 1

Written Communication Requirement

Choose one course from the following 8 options:

BIO 398 - RESEARCH AND WRITING IN BIOLOGY Credit(s): 1 - 3 (Variable)
BIO 404 - ADVANCED GENETICS Credit(s): 3
BIO 405 - HUMAN GENETICS Credit(s): 3
BIO 418 - ECOLOGICAL GENETICS Credit(s): 3
BIO 430G - PLANT PHYSIOLOGY Credit(s): 4
BIO 445 - THE BIOLOGY OF SEX Credit(s): 3
WRD 305 - WRITING PUBLIC SCIENCE Credit(s): 3
WRD 310 - WRITING IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES Credit(s): 3

Subtotal: Graduation Composition and Communication Requirement hours (GCCR): 2-5

College Requirements

Humanities - one course Credit(s): 3
Social Science - one course Credit(s): 3
Third and fourth semesters of language Credit(s): 6
Free Electives Credit(s): 6
Race and Ethnicity Requirement Credit(s): 0-3
Lab or Field Experience - satisfied by major
Graduation Writing Requirement (choose any GWR Humanities 300-level course; this will also count as one of the two Humanities courses in the College Requirements)

General Education and College hours: 49-52 (39-42)

Premajor Requirements

†The CHE 105 requirement can be satisfied with CHE 109 and CHE 110 .

BIO 148 - INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY I Credit(s): 3
BIO 152 - INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY II Credit(s): 3
BIO 155 - BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH SKILLS LAB Credit(s): 1
OR
BIO 198 - SCHOLARS BIOLOGY RESEARCH Credit(s): 2
CHE 105 - GENERAL COLLEGE CHEMISTRY I Credit(s): 4 †
CHE 111 - GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY Credit(s): 1
CHE 107 - GENERAL COLLEGE CHEMISTRY II Credit(s): 3
CHE 113 - GENERAL CHEMISTRY II LABORATORY Credit(s): 2
MA 137 - CALCULUS I WITH LIFE SCIENCE APPLICATION Credit(s): 4
MA 138 - CALCULUS II WITH LIFE SCIENCE APPLICATIONS Credit(s): 4
OR
MA 113 - CALCULUS I Credit(s): 4
MA 114 - CALCULUS II Credit(s): 4

Premajor hours: 25-26

Major Requirements

Minimum major requirement for graduation is 56 credit hours in courses not open to freshmen. The minimum GPA of all major and premajor courses must be at least 2.0.

Major Core

First Tier Core

BIO 303 - INTRODUCTION TO EVOLUTION Credit(s): 4
BIO 304 - PRINCIPLES OF GENETICS Credit(s): 4

Second Tier Core

To be taken after completion of First Tier Core.

BIO 315 - INTRODUCTION TO CELL BIOLOGY Credit(s): 4
BIO 325 - ECOLOGY Credit(s): 4
BIO 350 - ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY Credit(s): 4
OR
BIO 430G - PLANT PHYSIOLOGY Credit(s): 4
STA 296 - STATISTICAL METHODS AND MOTIVATIONS Credit(s): 3
BIO 425 - BIOLOGY SEMINAR: SUBTITLE REQUIRED Credit(s): 1
OR
BIO 499 - BIOLOGY RESEARCH SEMINAR Credit(s): 1

Core hours: 24

Other Course Work Required for the Major

From Outside the Major Department

CHE 230 - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I Credit(s): 3
CHE 231 - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY I Credit(s): 1
CHE 232 - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II Credit(s): 3
PHY 211 - GENERAL PHYSICS Credit(s): 5
OR
PHY 231 - GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS Credit(s): 4
PHY 241 - GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS LABORATORY Credit(s): 1 AND
PHY 213 - GENERAL PHYSICS Credit(s): 5
OR
PHY 232 - GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS Credit(s): 4
PHY 242 - GENERAL UNIVERSITY PHYSICS LABORATORY Credit(s): 1
Biology Electives Credit(s): 15

Choose 15 hours of acceptable biology electives:

15 hours to be chosen from 300+ level BIO courses or the list below. At least 9 of the 15 hours must be BIO courses. A maximum of 6 hours of Independent Research course work from biological sciences departments may be counted within the 15 hour requirement. NOTE: ANA 209 , BIO 208 , BIO 209 and PGY 206 CANNOT be used for this requirement. A maximum of 1 credit hour of seminar course work (ex. BIO 425 , BIO 426 , BIO 427 ) may be counted within the 15 hour requirement.

Other Major hours: 32

Tracks

Complete one of the following tracks. If an alternative track is not declared, the default track will be General Biology.

Biology, B.S.

UK Core Requirements

I. Intellectual Inquiry in Arts and Creativity

II. Intellectual Inquiry in the Humanities

III. Intellectual Inquiry in the Social Sciences

IV. Intellectual Inquiry in the Natural, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences

V. Composition and Communication I

VI. Composition and Communication II

VII. Quantitative Foundations

VIII. Statistical Inferential Reasoning

IX. Community, Culture and Citizenship in the USA

X. Global Dynamics