Mission Statement and Student Learning Goals for a B.S. in General Biology
Within the framework of a liberal arts core in which the main focus is education of undergraduates, the Department of Biological Sciences is committed to quality education in different disciplines of biology.
In a departmental setting that emphasizes academic excellence and direct dialogue between the professor and the students through small class size and accessibility of the professor, all students taking courses in the biological sciences are taught scientific reasoning, quantitative analysis, and the powers of observation and critical thinking.
The curriculum has been designed to provide students a broad base of understanding of principles governing life processes from molecular to ecosystem levels of organization.
Students are taught respect for life, the environment and the place of humans in the biosphere. They are made aware of biological issues that have an impact on their lives, regardless of their major or career aspirations. The mission of the Department of Biological Sciences is, in summary, to provide quality education with emphasis on critical thinking and biological relevance to all students--majors and non-majors--within the context of a larger liberal arts setting
By graduation, general biology majors should possess or have demonstrated
- a basic knowledge of fundamental concepts in cell and molecular biology, and genetics
- a general knowledge of organismal biology and biodiversity
- a clear conceptual knowledge of ecological and evolutionary principles
- a basic knowledge of statistical analysis.
Requirements for a Major in General Biology (B.S.)
A minimum of 18 units with the following distribution:
Foundation requirements - 4 units as follows:
BI213/L Cells, Genes, & Evolution; BI215/L Biodiversity & ecology; BI217/L Forms and Functions of Life; BI221/L Biostatistics and Experimental Design (with recitation)
Upper-level requirements - 2 units as follows:
BI350/L Cell Physiology and BI360/L Molecular Genetics
Major Core - 3 units chosen from the following:
BS310 Cellular Neuroscience; NS320/L Functional Neuroanatomy; MI314 Clinical Microbiology; MI503 Epidemiology; CH517 Biochemistry; BI493 Undergraduate Research in Biology I
Cognate courses - 7 units as follows:
CH111/L General Chemistry I; CH112/L General Chemistry II; CH211/L Organic Chemistry I; CH212/L Organic Chemistry II; MA121 Analytic Geometry and Calculus; PH131/L Physics I; PY132/L Physics II
Senior Learning Community and Capstone - 2 units:
BI 400E Experiential Component in Biology (zero units)
BI400 Senior Thesis in Biological Sciences
Choose one - MCB491 Advances in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry; MI491 Advances in Microbiology and Immunology; NS491 Advances in Neuroscience
A laboratory section must be taken as part of any course for which a laboratory section is offered. Lecture and laboratory must be taken concurrently. Courses used to calculate the major index include all courses in biology.
Requirements for a Minor in Biology
A minimum of five units in biology, including BI 213 and at least two additional courses at the 200-level or higher. Majors other than in microbiology may count one course in microbiology as part of the minor.
Students who have completed a previous course in statistics cannot count BI 221 toward the minor. A laboratory section must be taken as part of any course for which a laboratory section is offered. Lecture and laboratory must be taken concurrently. Students intending to minor in biology should seek the advice of a member of the biology faculty in selecting the elective courses, since there are numerous paths to the various career goals in biology. You may not minor in biology or psychology if you have declared a biopsychology major.