Nov 21, 2024

2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

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2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Biological Sciences, A.S.

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The overall mission of the department is to provide students with a solid and rigorous foundation in biology. While attempting to find order in life through comparisons and classifications, the biologist looks at the underlying principles involved in energy transformation, evolutionary mechanisms and regulatory forces. How is each individual unique and how does it function as part of a larger population in a community of different species? In the broadest sense, biologists take a worldview of living organisms and their roles in the global ecosystem.

Towards this end, it is imperative that students be subjected to scientific diversity and realizes the far-reaching implications of this field of study. It is equally critical for students to develop strong communication and presentation skills if they are to succeed. Therefore, the Biology program provides students exposure to many specific areas of study that can subsequently enable them to pursue an unlimited number of vocational directions. Moreover, the Biology curriculum is designed to cultivate effective communication and presentation skills.

Degree Requirements

Institutional Degree Requirements

General Education Requirement

First Year Seminar

FYS 100 First-Year Seminar 3 credit hours
FYS 102 Common Hour 0 credit hours

Foundations Requirements

Communication course:

FCO 105 Rhetorical Communication 3 credit hours

Advanced Communication course:

FCO 215 Technical and Scientific Communication 3 credit hours

Quantitative Fluency course:

Satisfied by major (MAT 120 or MAT 171 )

Choose 3 credits of the following American Citizenship courses:

ECO 201 Principles of Economics (Micro) 3 credit hours
HIS 111 American History from Colonization to Civil War 3 credit hours
HIS 112 American History from Civil War to Global Power 3 credit hours
PS 101 American Government and Citizenship 3 credit hours

Choose 3 credits of the following Global Citizenship courses or students have the option to complete this requirement by successfully completing 6 credits of the same foreign language:

ECO 200 Principles of Economics (Macro) 3 credit hours
G 100 World Regional Geography 3 credit hours
HIS 102 The West in the World 3 credit hours
PS 102 Contemporary Global Issues 3 credit hours

Disciplinary Perspectives Requirement

Choose 3 credits of the following Humanities courses:

FLM 216 Introduction to Film 3 credit hours
HIS 101 The Foundation of the West 3 credit hours
LIT 200 Introduction to Literary and Textual Studies 3 credit hours
PHL 221 Introduction to Philosophy 3 credit hours
PHL 238 Race, Gender, and Sexuality 3 credit hours crosslisted as WGS 238 Race, Gender, and Sexuality 3 credit hours

Choose 3 credits of the following Arts courses:

ART 101 Art and Visual Culture 3 credit hours
CRW 272 Introduction to Creative Writing 3 credit hours
MUS 186 Listening to Music 3 credit hours
THE 154 Introduction to Theatre 3 credit hours

Choose 3 credits of the following Social and Behavioral Sciences courses:

ECO 205 Economic Perspectives 3 credit hours
ENT 150 Introduction to Entrepreneurship 3 credit hours
MKT 100 Principles of Marketing 3 credit hours
PS 110 Introduction to Political Science 3 credit hours
PSY 100 General Psychology 3 credit hours
REC 101 Recreation and Leisure in Modern Society 3 credit hours
SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology 3 credit hours

Natural and Physical Sciences course:

Satisfied by major (BIO 142 )

Required Courses

Required Major Courses

BIO 142 Molecules, Genes and Cells 4 credit hours
BIO 152 Evolution, Ecology and Diversity 4 credit hours
BIO 240 Genetics 4 credit hours
BIO 241 Genetics Lab 0 credit hours
BIO 290 Biostatistics 3 credit hours
CHM 134 General Chemistry I 4 credit hours
CHM 135 General Chemistry I Lab 0 credit hours
CHM 136 General Chemistry II 4 credit hours
CHM 137 General Chemistry II Lab 0 credit hours
CHM 234 Organic Chemistry I 4 credit hours
CHM 235 Organic Chemistry I Lab 0 credit hours
MAT 120 Applied Calculus 3 credit hours
OR
MAT 171 Calculus I 4 credit hours

General Elective Courses

Students must complete 6 credits of free elective courses.

Suggested Course Sequence

Freshmen Year (31 credits)

BIO 142 Molecules, Genes and Cells 4 credit hours
BIO 152 Evolution, Ecology and Diversity 4 credit hours
CHM 134 General Chemistry I 4 credit hours
CHM 135 General Chemistry I Lab 0 credit hours
CHM 136 General Chemistry II 4 credit hours
CHM 137 General Chemistry II Lab 0 credit hours
FCO 105 Rhetorical Communication 3 credit hours
FCO 215 Technical and Scientific Communication 3 credit hours
FYS 100 First-Year Seminar 3 credit hours
FYS 102 Common Hour 0 credit hours
MAT 120 Applied Calculus 3 credit hours
OR
MAT 171 Calculus I 4 credit hours
Disciplinary Perspectives Course 3 credit hours

Sophomore Year (29 credits)

BIO 240 Genetics 4 credit hours
BIO 241 Genetics Lab 0 credit hours
BIO 290 Biostatistics 3 credit hours
CHM 234 Organic Chemistry I 4 credit hours
CHM 235 Organic Chemistry I Lab 0 credit hours
Elective course 3 credit hours
Elective course 3 credit hours
Foundations - American Citizenship 3 credit hours
Foundations - Global Citizenship 3 credit hours
Disciplinary Perspective Course 3 credit hours
Disciplinary Perspective Course 3 credit hours