Biological Science Program

Biological Science Major Requirements

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

The Biological Science B.S. major requirements are listed in the UVM Catalog under both the College of Arts and Sciences: B.S. in Biological Science, CAS, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: B.S in Biological Science, CALS. This "cross-college" major spans departments as well, offering you the opportunity to tailor your academic experience at two levels:

College-level Requirements

The major requirements for the Biological Science B.S. are the same regardless of college. However, in addition to courses required for completion of a major program, (and University-wide Catamount Core courses), each college has its own requirements to ensure graduates have received a well-rounded education. Outlined below are the descriptions for the courses required by each college that hosts the Biological Science major. Note: courses taken for the major (e.g. biology, mathematics, etc.) can doubly count toward these college-level requirements, as well as the Catamount Core courses.

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)	College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)
Distribution Requirements: Foundational Writing (1 course), Arts (3 cr.), Literature (1 course), Humanities (2 courses), Social Sciences (2 courses), Natural Sciences (2 courses), Quantitative Reasoning (2 courses), Common Ground values (3 courses), and Language (2 courses). CAS Distribution requirements overlap almost entirely with Catamount Core requirements, but will require two additional Arts, Literature or Humanities course. 84 credits must be from within CAS.	In addition to the Catamount Core requirements, CALS requires two Foundations courses (2): CALS 1010: Communication Methods and CALS 1020: Information Technology (or equivalent courses).

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)

Distribution Requirements*: Foundational Writing (1 course), Arts (3 cr.), Literature (1 course), Humanities (2 courses), Social Sciences (2 courses), Natural Sciences (2 courses), Quantitative Reasoning (2 courses), Common Ground values (3 courses), and Language (2 courses). *CAS Distribution requirements overlap almost entirely with Catamount Core requirements, but will require two additional Arts, Literature or Humanities course.
84 credits must be from within CAS.

In addition to the Catamount Core requirements, CALS requires two Foundations courses (2): CALS 1010: Communication Methods and CALS 1020: Information Technology (or equivalent courses).

Department-level Advanced Life Science Electives

The Biological Science major requires 26 credits of Advanced Life Science Electives - meaning 7-8 courses at the 2000-level (formerly 100-level) or 3000-level (formerly 200- and 300-level) that you choose from a list of over 150. These courses come from 20 different departments, and include undergraduate research. You could take a variety of different topics, or all of your credits from one field; it’s up to you. In year two, meet with an advisor to map a plan of study for completing your Advanced Life Science Electives.

The following rules apply to the Advanced Life Science Elective requirement:

No more than 8 credits at the 2000-level may be applied to the requirement (not including BCOR courses) except with written permission from an advisor and not exceeding three such courses.
With an advisor's permission, biologically relevant 5000- or 6000-level courses may be applied to the requirement.
Up to 6 credits of undergraduate research in any biological discipline may be applied toward the requirement. Only three of these can be taken for credit at the 2000-level, and these will be counted in the 8 credits allowed at that level.

Advanced Life Science Electives List

The courses listed below, by department, are pre-approved to count toward the elective requirement for the B.S. degree in Biological Science. If you are interested in a life science course not on this list, consult with one of the Biological Science program directors to determine whether it can be used as an Advanced Elective. The Advanced Life Science Electives being offered in a given semester can be found in the 'See Also' section of the Schedule of Courses under BioCore.

The B.S. degree in Biological Science has an additional recommendation as to the types of skills one should obtain in taking their Advanced Life Science Electives. The minimum is that students should gain 12 credits in elective courses that include a quantitative ("Q") component, 3 credits that stress oral ("O") communication, and 3 credits that stress written ("W") communication. The Skillset column below indicates which of these skills a course includes. A blank in the skillset column indicates that it is unknown whether this course fulfills any of the skillset requirements; consult the course's instructor. A * indicates an assignment is optional; a student would need to complete the assignment to earn the skillset credit.

Agriculture, Landscape, & Environment (formerly Plant & Soil Science)

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring	Summer
PSS 106	ALE 2060	Entomology and Pest Management	-, -, -	4	y
PSS 112	ALE 2120	Weed Ecology & Management	Q, O, W	3	y
PSS 117	ALE 2170	Plant Pathology (crosslisted w/ PBIO 117)	O	4	y	y
PSS 138	ALE 2380	Commercial Plant Propagation	-, O, W	4		y
PSS 143	ALE 2430	Forage and Pasture Management (crosslisted w/ASCI 143)	-, O, W	4	e.o.
PSS 154	ALE 2540	Composting Ecology and Management	-, O, W	3		y	y
PSS 156	ALE 2560	Permaculture	O	3	y	y	y
PSS 212	ALE 3120	Advanced Agroecology		4	y
PSS 225	ALE 3250	Ecological Frontiers in Agroecology	Q, O, W	3		e.o
PSS 232	ALE 3320	Biological Control	Q, O, W	3		e.o.
PSS 268	ALE 3680	Soil Ecology (crosslisted w/ NR 268)	Q, O*, W	4		e.o.

Animal Science

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring	Summer
ASCI 111	ASCI 2110	Animal Anatomy	-,-,-	4	y
ASCI 120	ASCI 2120	General Physiology		3		y
ASCI 118	ASCI 2180	Applied Animal Health	Q,O,W	3		y
ASCI 143	ASCI 2240	Forage and Pasture Management (crosslisted w/PSS 143)		4	e.o.
ASCI 147	ASCI 2700	SU: Wildife Health & Conservation				y
ASCI 242	ASCI 3040	Advanced Animal Nutrition	Q,O,W	4	y
ASCI 277	ASCI 3070	Animal and Human Parasitology		3		e.o.
ASCI 278	ASCI 3080	Molecular Epidemiology of Infectious Disease		3		y
ASCI 215	ASCI 3150	Physiology of Reproduction	Q,O	3		y
ASCI 216	ASCI 3180	Endocrinology	-,O,W	3	y
ASCI 220	ASCI 3200	Lactation Physiology	Q,O,W	3		e.o.
ASCI 272	ASCI 3600	Adv. Topics: Zoos, Exotics, and Endangered Species	-,-,-	3		y	y

Biochemistry

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring	Summer
BIOC 191/192	BIOC 2995	Undergraduate Research		variable	y	y
BIOC 201	BIOC 3001	Fundamentals of Biochemistry	Q, O*, W	3	y	y	y
BIOC 205	BIOC 3005	Biochemistry (crosslisted w/MMG 205)	Q	3	y
BIOC 206	BIOC 3006	Biochemistry II (crosslisted w/MMG 206)	-, O, W	3		y
BIOC 207	BIOC 3007	Biochemistry Lab (crosslisted w/MMG 207)	Q, O, W	3		y
BIOC 263	BIOC 3063	Nutritional Biochemistry	Q, O, W	3		y
BIOC 275	BIOC 3075	Adv. Biochemistry of Human Disease		3	y
BIOC 295/296	BIOC 3990	Advanced Special Topics		variable	y	y
BIOC 293	BIOC 3993	Independent Study		variable	y	y
BIOC 294	BIOC 3994	Teaching Assistantship	O*	1	y	y
BIOC 292	BIOC 3995	Advanced Undergraduate Research		variable	y	y

Biology and BioCore

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring	Summer
BCOR 189	BCOR 3000	Biology in Practice	W		y	y
BCOR 195	BCOR 2990	Intermediate Special Topics, or other		variable
BCOR 197	BCOR 4994	Teaching Assistantship	O*	1	y	y
BCOR 198/298	BCOR 2995/3995	Undergraduate Research	Q-W	variable	y	y	variable
BIOL 188	BIOL 2100	Soundscapes and Behavior Research	QOW	3	y	y
BIOL 199	BIOL 2105	Introduction to Marine Science	O	3		y
BIOL 211	BIOL 2300	Vertebrate Zoology		3	y
BIOL 195/196	BIOL 2990	Special Topics		variable	y	y
BIOL 198	BIOL 2995	Undergraduate Research	Q*-W	variable	y	y
BIOL 269	BIOL 3100	Plant-Animal Interactions	QOW	3	y
BIOL 264	BIOL 3105	Community Ecology	QOW	3	y
BIOL 276	BIOL 3130	Behavioral Ecology	Q-W	3	e.o.
BIOL 277	BIOL 3160	Sociobiology	--W	3		e.o.
BIOL 271	BIOL 3165	Evolution	Q-W	3	y
	BIOL 3200	Topics in Ecology & Evolution
	BIOL 3400	Topics in General Biology
BIOL 266	BIOL 3500	Neurodevelopment	O	3	y
BIOL 261	BIOL 3505	Neurobiology	-O*-	3	y	y
BIOL 210	BIOL 3510	Model Systems in Neuroscience		3
BIOL 223	BIOL 3560	Developmental Biology	---	3
BIOL 265	BIOL 3565	Developmental Molecular Genetics		3	y
	BIOL 3600	Topics in Cell & Developmental Bio
BIOL 295/296	BIOL 3990/4990	Advanced Special Topics		variable	y	y	y
BIOL 292	BIOL 3993	Independent Study	-OW	variable	y	y
BIOL 298	BIOL 3995	Undergraduate Research	Q*-W	variable	y	y
BIOL 209	BIOL 4240	Field Zoology of Arthropods	Q O	4	y
BIOL 217	BIOL 4245	Mammalogy	QOW	4	y
BIOL 254	BIOL 4260	Population Genetics	Q-W	4	y
BIOL 219	BIOL 4400	Comparative Function of Vertebrate Anatomy		4		y
BIOL 255	BIOL 4405	Comparative Physiology	QOW	4	y
BIOL 256	BIOL 4410	Physiology of Global Change		4
BIOL 204	BIOL 4630	Advanced Genetics Laboratory		4		y
BIOL 205	BIOL 4635	Advanced Genetics & Proteomics Laboratory	QOW	4		y
BIOL 189	BIOL 4994	Teaching Assistantship			y	y
HON 208/209	BIOL 4996	Honors Thesis Research
BIOL 381A	BIOL 6100	Computational Biology	Q--	4		y

Biomedical & Health Sciences

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring
BHSC 242	BHSC 3420	Immunology	--W	3		e.o.
BHSC 244	BHSC 3440	Immunology Lab		1		y
BHSC 281	BHSC 3810	Applied Molecular Biology		3	y
BHSC 282	BHSC 3820	Applied Molecular Biology Lab		1	y

Communication Science & Disorders

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring	Summer
CSD 281	CSD 3810	Intro Cognitive Neuroscience	QO*W	3	y		y

Environmental Science

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring
ENSC 148	ENSC 2480	Global Environmental Change		3		y
ENSC 160	ENSC 3600	Pollutant Movement Through Air, Land, and Water	Q, O, W	4	y
ENSC 201	ENSC 4010	Recovery and Restoration of Altered Ecosystems		4		y

Forestry

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring	Summer
FOR 223	FOR 3230	Multi-Resource Silviculture	Q, O, W	4	y

Mathematics and Statistics

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring	Summer
MATH 268	MATH 5788	Mathematical Biology and Ecology	QOW	3		y
STAT 200	STAT 3000	Medical Biostatistics & Epidemiology	QO*W	3	y	y

Medical Laboratory Science

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring	Summer
MLS 231	MLS 3200	Hematology	Q, O, W	4	y
MLS 255	MLS 3300	Clinical Microbiology II	-, -, W	3	y

Microbiology & Molecular Genetics

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring
MMG 101	MMG 2010	Microbiology and Infectious Diseases	Q, W	4	y
MMG 104	MMG 2040	Intro Recombinant DNA Tech	Q, O, -	3		y
MMG 106	MMG 2060	Intro Biomedical Research Methods		3		y
MMG 192	MMG 2993	Independent Study		variable	y	y
MMG 193	MMG 2994	Teaching Assistantship		variable	y	y
MMG 195	MMG 2990	Intermediate Special Topics		variable	y	y
MMG 197/198	MMG 2995	Undergraduate Research	Q, O, W	variable	y	y
MMG 201	MMG 3010	Molecular Cloning Lab	Q, O, W	4	y
MMG 205	MMG 3050	Biochemistry (crosslisted w/BIOC 205)	Q	3	y
MMG 206	MMG 3060	Biochemistry II (crosslisted w/BIOC 206)	-, O, W	3		y
MMG 207	MMG 3070	Biochemistry Lab (crosslisted w/BIOC 207)	Q, O, W	3		y
MMG 211	MMG 3110	Prokaryotic Molecular Genetics	Q, O, W	3	y
MMG 220	MMG 3200	Environmental Microbiology	-, O, W	3		e.o.
	MMG 3210	Advanced Medical Microbiology	-, -, W	3
MMG 222	MMG 3220	Advanced Medical Microbiology w/Lab	-, -, W	4		y
MMG 223	MMG 3230	Immunology	-, -, W*	3		e.o.
MMG 225	MMG 3250	Eukaryotic Virology	-, -, -	3	e.o.
MMG 230	MMG 3300	Adv. Studies in Emerging Infectious Diseases	-, O, W	3	e.o.
MMG 231	MMG 3310	QR: Bioinformatics and Data analysis	Q	3	y
MMG 232	MMG 3320	QR: Advanced Bioinformatics	Q, O, W	3		e.o.
MMG 233	MMG 3330	Genetics and Genomics	Q, O, -	3	y
MMG 235	MMG 3350	Bioterrorism		3		y
MMG 295/296	MMG 3990/4990	Adv. Special Topics, as appropriate		variable	y	y
MMG 292	MMG 3993	Independent Study		variable	y	y
MMG 293	MMG 3994	Teaching Assistantship
MMG 297/298	MMG 3995	Undergraduate Research	Q, O, W	variable	y	y

Natural Resources / Sustainability, Ecology, & Policy

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring
NR 220	SEP 3200	Landscape Ecology	QOW	3	sporadic	sporadic
NR 228	SEP 3280	Ecosystems Ecology (crosslisted w/ FOR)		3	y
NR 250	SEP 4500	Limnology	QOW	4	y
NR 268	NR 4680	Soil Ecology (crosslisted w/ ALE)	QO*W	4		e.o.
NR 280	SEP 4800	Stream Ecology	QOW	4	y

Neuroscience

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring
NSCI 110	NSCI 2100	Exploring Neuroscience w/ Lab	QOW	3	y	y
NSCI 111	NSCI 2105	Exploring Neuroscience	Q-W	3	y	y
NSCI 222	NSCI 3220	Cellular Neorophysiology	QOW	3		y
NSCI 225	NSCI 3250	Human Neuroanatomy	---	3		y
NSCI 255	NSCI 3500	Neuroregeneration	OW	3		y
NSCI 270	NSCI 4500	Diseases of the Nervous System	-OW	3	y	y

Nutrition & Food Sciences

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring	Summer
NFS 143	NFS 2143	Nutrition in the Lifecycle	QO-	3	y		y
NFS 163	NFS 2163	Sports Nutrition	QOW	3	y
NFS 203	NFS 3203	Food Microbiology	-OW	3	y		e.o.
NFS 213	NFS 3204	Food Microbiology Lab	Q-W	1	y
NFS 243	NFS 3243	Advanced Nutrition	QOW	3		y	y

Pharmacology

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring
PHRM 200	PHRM 3000	Medical Cannabis	--W	3		y
PHRM 201	PHRM 3010	Introduction to Pharmacology	Q-W	3	y
PHRM 240	PHRM 5400	Molecules and Medicine	Q-W*	3	y
PHRM 272	PHRM 3720	Toxicology	Q-W*	3		y
PHRM 290	PHRM 3900	Topics in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology	Q-W	3		y

Plant Biology

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring	Summer
PBIO 104	PBIO 2040	Plant Physiology	Q, W	4		y
PBIO 108	PBIO 2080	Morphology & Evolution of Vascular Plants	-, -, W	4		e.o.
PBIO 109	PBIO 2090	Plant Systematics	-, -, -	4	y
PBIO 117	PBIO 2170	Plant Pathology (crosslisted w/ PSS 117)	O	4	y	y
PBIO 133	PBIO 2330	SU: How Plants Can Save the World	Q*, O, W	3	y
PBIO 151	PBIO 2510	Plant Anatomy		3	sporadic	sporadic
PBIO 177	PBIO 2770	Biology of Fungi	O	4	y		sporadic
	PBIO 2890	Ecuador: Natural History		3		y
PBIO 195	PBIO 2990	Intermediate Special Topics		variable	y	y
PBIO 192	PBIO 2993	Independent Study		variable	y	y
PBIO 191/291	PBIO 2994/2994	Teaching Assistantship
PBIO 198	PBIO 2995	Undergraduate Research		variable	y	y
PBIO 209	PBIO 3090	Biology of Ferns	O, W	3		e.o.
PBIO 223	PBIO 3230	Fundamentals of Field Science	Q, O, W	3	y
PBIO 232	PBIO 3320	Botany Field Trip		1	e.o.	e.o.
PBIO 241	PBIO 3410	Tropical Plant Systematics	O, W	3	e.o.
PBIO 261	PBIO 3610	Plant Growth & Development	-, -, W	3		sporadic
PBIO 275	PBIO 3750	Global Change Ecology		3			y
	PBIO 3880	Evolution of Development		3		y
PBIO 295	PBIO 3990	Advanced Special Topics		variable	y	y
PBIO 292	PBIO 3993	Independent Study		variable	y	y
PBIO 298	PBIO 3995	Undergraduate Research		variable	y	y
HON 210/211	PBIO 4996	Honors Thesis research		variable
PBIO 294	PBIO 5940	QR: Ecological Modeling	Q	3			y

Psychological Science

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring	Summer
PSYS 115	PSYS 2200	Biopsychology	Q	3		y	y
PSYS 215	PSYS 3200	Physiological Psychology	W	4	y	y
PSYS 218	PSYS 3205	Hormones and Behavior	OW	3	e.o.		e.o.
PSYS 220	PSYS 3210	Behavioral Genetics		3		y
PSYS 216	PSYS 3250	Psychopharmacology	QW	3	y	y

Wildlife & Fisheries Biology

old Course#	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring	Summer
WFB 130	WFB 2300	Ornithology	- - -	3		y
WFB 131	WFB 2310	Field Ornithology	-, O*, -	2			y
WFB 141	WFB 2410	Field Herpetology	Q, O, W	4		y
WFB 174	WFB 2740	Principles of Wildlife Management	Q, -, W	3	y
WFB 195	WFB 2990	Intermediate Special Topics, as appropriate		variable	y	y
WFB 224	WFB 3240	Conservation Biology	Q, -, W	4		y	y
WFB 161	WFB 3610	Fisheries Biology and Techniques	Q, -, W	4	y
WFB 232	WFB 4320	Ichthyology	-, -, W	3		e.o.
WFB 261	WFB 4610	Fisheries Management	Q, O, W	3		e.o.
WFB 275	WFB 4750	Wildlife Behavior	Q, -, W	3	y
WFB 283	WFB 4830	Terrestrial Wildlife Ecology	Q, O, W	4		y

Full list

Old Course #	New Course#	Course Title	Skillsets	Credits	Fall	Spring	Summer
ASCI 111	ASCI 2110	Animal Anatomy	-,-,-	4	y
ASCI 120	ASCI 2120	General Physiology		3		y
ASCI 118	ASCI 2180	Applied Animal Health	QOW	3		y
ASCI 143	ASCI 2240	Forage and Pasture Management (crosslisted w/PSS 143)		4	e.o.
ASCI 147	ASCI 2700	SU: Wildife Health & Conservation				y
ASCI 242	ASCI 3040	Advanced Animal Nutrition	QOW	4	y
ASCI 277	ASCI 3070	Animal and Human Parasitology		3		e.o.
ASCI 278	ASCI 3080	Molecular Epidemiology of Infectious Disease	Q	3		y
ASCI 215	ASCI 3150	Physiology of Reproduction	Q, O	3		y
ASCI 216	ASCI 3180	Endocrinology	OW	3	y
ASCI 220	ASCI 3200	Lactation Physiology	Q, O, W	3		e.o.
ASCI 272	ASCI 3600	Adv. Topics: Zoos, Exotics, and Endangered Species	-, -, -	3		y	y
BCOR 195	BCOR 2990	Intermediate Special Topics, or other		variable
BCOR 198/298	BCOR 2995/3995	Undergraduate Research	Q* W*	variable	y	y
BCOR 189	BCOR 3000	Biology in Practice	W		y	y
	BCOR 3990/4990	Advanced Special Topics	variable
BCOR 197	BCOR 4994	Teaching Assistantship	O*	1	y	y
BHSC 242	BHSC 3420	Immunology	--W	3		e.o.
BHSC 244	BHSC 3440	Immunology Lab		1		y
BHSC 281	BHSC 3810	Applied Molecular Biology		3	y
BHSC 282	BHSC 3820	Applied Molecular Biology Lab		1	y
BIOC 191/192	BIOC 2995	Undergraduate Research		variable	y	y
BIOC 201	BIOC 3001	Fundamentals of Biochemistry	QO*W	3	y	y	y
BIOC 205	BIOC 3005	Biochemistry (crosslisted w/MMG 205)	Q	3	y
BIOC 206	BIOC 3006	Biochemistry II (crosslisted w/MMG 206)	-, O, W	3		y
BIOC 207	BIOC 3007	Biochemistry Lab (crosslisted w/MMG 207)	Q, O, W	3		y
BIOC 263	BIOC 3063	Nutritional Biochemistry	Q, O, W	3		y
BIOC 275	BIOC 3075	Adv. Biochemistry of Human Disease		3	y
BIOC 292	BIOC 3995	Undergraduate Research		variable	y	y
BIOC 293	BIOC 3993	Independent Study		variable	y	y
BIOC 294	BIOC 3994	Teaching Assistantship	O*	1	y	y
BIOC 295/296	BIOC 3990	Advanced Special Topics		variable	y	y
BIOL 188	BIOL 2100	Soundscapes and Behavior Research	QOW	3	y	y
BIOL 199	BIOL 2105	Introduction to Marine Science	O	3		y
	BIOL 2300	Vertebrate Zoology		3	y
BIOL 195/196	BIOL 2990	Intermediate Special Topics		variable	y	y
BIOL 198	BIOL 2995	Undergraduate Research	Q*, W	variable	y	y
BIOL 269	BIOL 3100	Plant-Animal Interactions	Q, O, W	3	y
BIOL 264	BIOL 3105	Community Ecology	Q, O, W	3	y
BIOL 276	BIOL 3130	Behavioral Ecology	Q, -, W	3	e.o.
BIOL 225	BIOL 3140	Physiological Ecology
BIOL 277	BIOL 3160	Sociobiology	-, -, W	3		e.o.
BIOL 271	BIOL 3165	Evolution	Q, -, W	3	y
	BIOL 3200	Topics in Ecology & Evolution
	BIOL 3400	Topics in General Biology
BIOL 266	BIOL 3500	Neurodevelopment	O	3	y
BIOL 261	BIOL 3505	Neurobiology	-, O*, -	3	y	y
BIOL 210	BIOL 3510	Model Systems in Neuroscience		3
BIOL 253	BIOL 3530	Cell Biology and Disease
BIOL 263	BIOL 3535	Genetics Cell Cycle Regulation
BIOL 223	BIOL 3560	Developmental Biology	-, -, -	3	y
BIOL 265	BIOL 3565	Developmental Molecular Genetics		3
	BIOL 3600	Topics in Cell & Developmental Biology
BIOL 292	BIOL 3993	Independent Study	-OW	variable	y	y
BIOL 298	BIOL 3995	Undergraduate Research	Q*, W	variable	y	y
	BIOL 4135	Molecular Ecology
BIOL 274	BIOL 4230	Marine Mammal Biology		4
BIOL 209	BIOL 4240	Field Zoology of Arthropods	Q O	4	y
BIOL 217	BIOL 4245	Mammalogy	QOW	4	y
BIOL 254	BIOL 4260	Population Genetics	Q-W	4	y
	BIOL 4265	Speciation & Phylogeny
BIOL 219	BIOL 4400	Comparative Function of Vertebrate Anatomy		4		y
BIOL 255	BIOL 4405	Comparative Physiology	Q, O, W	4	y
BIOL 256	BIOL 4410	Physiology of Global Change		4
BIOL 204	BIOL 4630	Advanced Genetics Laboratory		4
BIOL 205	BIOL 4635	Advanced Genetics & Proteomics Laboratory	QOW	4		y
BIOL 295/296	BIOL 3990/4990	Advanced Special Topics		variable	y	y	y
BIOL 189	BIOL 4994	Teaching Assistantship			y	y
HON 208/209	BIOL 4996	Honors: Biology (Thesis Research)	Q,O,W	variable	y	y
BIOL 381A	BIOL 6100	Computational Biology	Q, ,	4		y
CSD 281	CSD 3810	Intro Cognitive Neuroscience	QO*W	3	y		y
ENSC 148	ENSC 2480	Global Environmental Change		3		y
ENSC 160	ENSC 3600	Pollutant Movement Through Air, Land, and Water	Q, O, W	4	y
ENSC 201	ENSC 4010	Recovery and Restoration of Altered Ecosystems		4		y
FOR 223	FOR 3230	Multi-Resource Silviculture	Q, O, W	4	y
MATH 268	MATH 5788	Mathematical Biology and Ecology	Q,O,W	3		y
MLS 231	MLS 3200	Hematology	Q, O, W	4	y
MLS 255	MLS 3300	Clinical Microbiology II	-,-,W	3	y
MMG 101	MMG 2010	Microbiology and Infectious Diseases	QW	4	y
MMG 104	MMG 2040	Intro Recombinant DNA Tech	Q, O, -	3		y
MMG 106	MMG 2060	Intro Biomedical Research Methods		3		y
MMG 192	MMG 2993	Independent Study		variable	y	y
MMG 193	MMG 2994	Teaching Assistantship		variable	y	y
MMG 195	MMG 2990	Intermediate Special Topics		variable	y	y
MMG 197/198	MMG 2995	Undergraduate Research	QOW	variable	y	y
MMG 201	MMG 3010	Molecular Cloning Lab	Q, O, W	4	y
MMG 205	MMG 3050	Biochemistry (crosslisted w/BIOC 205)	Q	3	y
MMG 206	MMG 3060	Biochemistry II (crosslisted w/BIOC 206)	-, O, W	3		y
MMG 207	MMG 3070	Biochemistry Lab (crosslisted w/BIOC 207)	Q, O, W	3		y
MMG 211	MMG 3070	Prokaryotic Molecular Genetics	Q, O, W	3	y
	MMG 3110	Bacterial Genetics
MMG 220	MMG 3200	Environmental Microbiology	-, O, W	3		e.o.
	MMG 3210	Advanced Medical Microbiology		3
MMG 222	MMG 3220	Advanced Medical Microbiology w/lab	-, -, W	4		y
MMG 223	MMG 3230	Immunology	-, -, W*	3		e.o.
MMG 225	MMG 3250	Eukaryotic Virology	-, -, -	3	e.o.
MMG 230	MMG 3300	Adv. Studies in Emerging Infectious Diseases	-, O, W	3	e.o.
MMG 231	MMG 3310	QR: Bioinformatics and Data analysis	Q	3	y
MMG 232	MMG 3320	QR: Advanced Bioinformatics	Q, O, W	3		e.o.
MMG 233	MMG 3330	Genetics and Genomics	Q, O, -	3	y
MMG 235	MMG 3350	Bioterrorism		3		y
MMG 292	MMG 3993	Independent Study		variable	y	y
MMG 293	MMG 3994	Teaching Assistantship
MMG 295/296	MMG 3990	Adv. Special Topics, as appropriate		variable	y	y
MMG 297/298	MMG 3995	Undergraduate Research	QOW	variable	y	y
NFS 143	NFS 2143	Nutrition in the Lifecycle	QO-	3	y		y
NFS 163	NFS 2163	Sports Nutrition	QOW	3	y
NFS 203	NFS 3203	Food Microbiology	-OW	3	y		e.o.
NFS 213	NFS 3204	Food Microbiology Lab	Q-W	1	y
NFS 243	NFS 3243	Advanced Nutrition	QOW	3		y	y
NR 220	SEP 3200	Landscape Ecology	QOW	3	sporadic	sporadic
NR 228	SEP 3280	Ecosystems Ecology (crosslisted w/ FOR 228)		3	y
NR 250	SEP 4500	Limnology	QOW	4	y
NR 268	NR 4680	Soil Ecology (crosslisted w/ PSS 268)	QO*W	4		e.o.
NR 280	SEP 4800	Stream Ecology	QOW	4	y
NSCI 111	NSCI 2105	Exploring Neuroscience	-O-	3	y	y
NSCI 110	NSCI 2100	Exploring Neuroscience w/Lab	Q-W	4	y	y
NSCI 222	NSCI 3220	Cellular Neurophysiology	QOW	3		y
NSCI 225	NSCI 3250	Human Neuroanatomy	---	3		y
NSCI 255	NSCI 3500	Neuroregeneration	OW	3		y
NSCI 270	NSCI 4500	Diseases of the Nervous System	-, O, W	3	y	y
PBIO 104	PBIO 2040	Plant Physiology	Q, W	4		y
PBIO 108	PBIO 2080	Morphology & Evolution of Vascular Plants	-, -, W	4		e.o.
PBIO 109	PBIO 2090	Plant Systematics	-, -, -	4	y
PBIO 117	PBIO 2170	Plant Pathology (crosslisted w/ PSS 117)	O	4	y	y
PBIO 133	PBIO 2330	SU: How Plants Can Save the World	Q*OW	3	y
PBIO 151	PBIO 2510	Plant Anatomy		3	sporadic	sporadic
PBIO 177	PBIO 2770	Biology of Fungi	O	4	y		sporadic
	PBIO 2890	Ecuador: Natural History		3		y
PBIO 192	PBIO 2993	Independent Study		variable	y	y
PBIO 195	PBIO 2990	Intermediate Special Topics		variable	y	y
PBIO 191/291	PBIO 2994/3994	Teaching Assistantship
PBIO 198	PBIO 2995	Undergraduate Research		variable	y	y
PBIO 209	PBIO 3090	Biology of Ferns	OW	3		e.o.
PBIO 232	PBIO 3320	Plant Systematics in Costa Rica	O?	1	e.o.	e.o.
PBIO 241	PBIO 3410	Tropical Plant Systematics	OW	3	e.o.
PBIO 261	PBIO 3610	Plant Growth & Development	-, -, W	3		sporadic
PBIO 275	PBIO 3750	Global Change Ecology		3			y
	PBIO 3880	Evolution of Development		3		y
PBIO 292	PBIO 3993	Independent Study		variable	y	y
PBIO 295	PBIO 3990	Advanced Special Topics		variable	y	y
PBIO 298	PBIO 3995	Undergraduate Research		variable	y	y
HON 210/211	PBIO 4996	Honors: Plant Biology	Q,O,W	variable	y	y
PBIO 294	PBIO 5940	QR: Ecological Modeling	Q	3			y
PHRM 200	PHRM 3000	Medical Cannabis	W	3		y
PHRM 201	PHRM 3010	Introduction to Pharmacology	Q, -, W	3	y
PHRM 272	PHRM 3720	Toxicology	QW*	3		y
PHRM 290	PHRM 3900	Topics in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology	Q, -, W	3		y
PHRM 240	PHRM 5400	Molecules and Medicine	QW*	3	y
PSS 106	ALE 2060	Entomology and Pest Management	-, -, -	4	y
PSS 112	ALE 2120	Weed Ecology & Management	QOW	3	y
PSS 117	ALE 2170	Plant Pathology (crosslisted w/ PBIO 117)	O	4	y	y
PSS 138	ALE 2380	Commercial Plant Propagation	-, O, W	4		y
PSS 143	ALE 2430	Forage and Pasture Management (crosslisted w/ASCI 143)	-, O, W	4	e.o.
PSS 154	ALE 2540	Composting Ecology and Management	-, O, W	3		y	y
PSS 156	ALE 2560	Permaculture	O	3	y	y	y
PSS 212	ALE 3120	Advanced Agroecology		4	y
PSS 225	ALE 3250	Ecological Frontiers in Agroecology	Q, O, W	3		e.o.
PSS 232	ALE 3320	Biological Control	Q, O, W	3		e.o.
PSS 268	ALE 3680	Soil Ecology (crosslisted w/ NR 268)	QO*W	4		e.o.
PSYS 115	PSYS 2200	Biopsychology	Q	3		y	y
PSYS 215	PSYS 3200	Physiological Psychology	W	4	y	y
PSYS 218	PSYS 3205	Hormones and Behavior	OW	3	e.o.		e.o.
PSYS 220	PSYS 3210	Behavioral Genetics		3		y
PSYS 216	PSYS 3250	Psychopharmacology	QW	3	y	y
STAT 200	STAT 3000	Medical Biostatistics & Epidemiology	QO*W	3	y	y
WFB 130	WFB 2300	Ornithology	---	3		y
WFB 131	WFB 2310	Field Ornithology	-, O*, -	2			y
WFB 141	WFB 2410	Field Herpetology	QOW	4		y
WFB 174	WFB 2740	Principles of Wildlife Management	Q, -, W	3	y
WFB 195	WFB 2990	Intermediate Special Topics, as appropriate		variable	y	y
WFB 224	WFB 3240	Conservation Biology	Q, -, W	4		y	y
WFB 161	WFB 3610	Fisheries Biology and Techniques	Q, -, W	4	y
WFB 232	WFB 4320	Ichthyology	-, -, W	3		e.o.
WFB 261	WFB 4610	Fisheries Management	Q, O, W	3		e.o.
WFB 275	WFB 4750	Wildlife Behavior	Q, -, W	3	y
WFB 283	WFB 4830	Terrestrial Wildlife Ecology	Q, O, W	4		y

Biological Science 4-yr Roadmap (PDF)

Starting out as BioSci major

Interested in biology, but not sure what you want to focus on? NO PROBLEM. The first and second years of study in the Biological Science major impart core knowledge and skills in biology, chemistry, and math. This core set of prerequisites is the same across several life science majors, so you’ll be learning alongside like-minded students from various departments, garnering insight into what biological disciplines you’d like to pursue as an upperclassman.

Picking your BioSci electives

Broad or narrow? The focus of this major is your choice. Choose 7-8 courses from a huge list of offerings representing 20 different departments ranging from Neuroscience to Biochemistry to Wildlife & Fisheries Biology.

Being an Undergraduate Researcher

BioSci majors can apply up to 6 credits of undergraduate research to their advanced elective requirements! Whether through a department (e.g. MMG 2995), a program (e.g. BCOR 3995), or the honors college, doing undergraduate research is learning beyond the classroom - in the real, active research labs of our university.

Going Pre-Med

Headed for medical or dental school? All course requirements for most medical/dental schools and MCAT preparation can be satisfied by the BioSci major and associated college and university requirements. Be sure to visit the Pre-Health Advising center.

Integrated Biological Sciences