General Biology

In addition to the concentration requirements outlined below, all students must complete the Biological Sciences foundation requirements:

Biological Sciences Foundation Requirements

The General Biology concentration provides an opportunity for students who wish to explore several biological disciplines instead of concentrating on only one specific area of biology for in-depth study. Students obtain a breadth of knowledge by taking coursework from at least three different concentrations and are exposed to advanced topics by taking a minimum of two upper-level courses. Laboratory coursework beyond the core course required for the major must also be completed.

General Biology is a particularly good choice for students whose interests lie within more than one established concentration. It also is an appropriate program for students who are not ready to select one focused area for study, by providing guidelines for students who are trying to identify an area of interest. Students in the General Biology concentration are advised by faculty in any of the biology departments. The flexibility of the concentration allows virtually endless combinations of courses to satisfy the requirements, limited only by the scope of the student’s interests and creativity in designing a course of study.

This concentration provides a suitable background for students who desire to continue their studies in human or veterinary medicine, or in graduate-level study in biology (most likely in the area the student focuses on for advanced study). It is also ideal preparation for careers in teaching, business, or law requiring broad knowledge of the field of biology.

General Biology Requirements

All requirements must be taken for letter grade unless the course is offered S/U only. Exceptions to the grading option must be approved via the biological sciences petition.
A grade of D- or better must be obtained to count course for concentration.
A minimum of 13 credits of concentration requirements.

The concentration in general biology requires a minimum of 13 credit hours in addition to courses counted toward requirements 1–9 of the biological sciences major. These 13 credits must include:

A.

One course from each of three different concentrations in biology. Only those courses specifically listed as fulfilling a concentration requirement are acceptable. See note below for course substitutions.

B.

A biology laboratory or field course or a biology course with a laboratory or field component. BIOG 1500 , BIOMG 2801 , CHEM 2510 and BIOEE 1560 do not fulfill this requirement. Many courses may be used, including but not limited to: BIOG 4990 , BIOAP 4130 , BIOEE 2740 , BIOMI 2911 , BIOMG 4400 , BIONB 3240 , BIONB 4300 , NS 3420 , PLBIO 2410 . Students should seek approval from their faculty advisor for the course they plan to use to fulfill this requirement.

C.

A minimum of two upper-level (3000 and above) courses of 2 or more credits, listed as satisfying one of the other 13 concentrations. Course should have significant biology content. See note below for course substitutions.

Note:

In general, students should select courses that qualify for the other 13 concentrations to fulfill the General Biology requirements. However, students can discuss other majors-level courses with significant biology content with their faculty advisor. If a course is deemed appropriate given the student’s interests or goals, with their faculty advisor’s approval the student can submit a biological sciences petition to apply the course toward any of the General Biology requirements. Final approval of this petition from the Director of Undergraduate Studies is required.

Only 1000-level courses that are currently approved for other concentrations can be used toward fulfilling requirements. BIOG 2990 and BIOG 4980 are not acceptable for meeting any requirements. BIOG 4990 (minimum of 2 credits, but no more than 3 credits) may count as one of the upper-level courses and may count as the laboratory course with approval of faculty advisor, but it cannot count for category A as a course representing a concentration. No more than 3 credits of BIOG 4990 can count toward the required 13 credits.

Students who complete CHEM 3570 , CHEM 3580 and CHEM 2510 cannot use CHEM 3580 to fulfill any of the General Biology concentration requirements.

Students who fulfill the Organic Chemistry requirement by completing CHEM 3570 and CHEM 2510 may not use CHEM 2510 to satisfy any General Biology concentration requirement.

CHEM 2510 - Introduction to Experimental Organic Chemistry and BIOEE 1560 - Introductory Oceanography with Laboratory , may count as a concentration course (category A) and toward the overall 13 credits, but do not count toward the General Biology laboratory requirement (category B).

It is possible to use a single course to fulfill more than one requirement. For example, BIOAP 4130 - Histology: The Biology of the Tissues could count in all three areas: as a course in the Animal Physiology Concentration, as an upper-level course, and as a course with a lab.

General Biology Concentration Curriculum Learning Outcomes

After completing the concentration in General Biology, students will be able to:

Demonstrate breadth of understanding in three subdisciplines
Develop advanced technical competence in a laboratory, field, or computational subdiscipline
Explain and analyze advanced concepts in at least one subdiscipline