Biology
Important Information! The Biology major has been revised for students in Catalog Year 2018 and later. Students from previous years may continue in their original major or update to the new curriculum. Please read below for details.
What has changed?
1. There is a now a standalone Biology major, adapted from our old “Liberal Arts” Emphasis. It is not required that you choose an emphasis to complete the major.
2. Updated versions of two Emphases within the new Biology major are now available. The updates have decreased required credits and have increased flexibility. The two updated Emphases are “Cellular, Molecular, & Professional” and “Ecology and Organismal”.
3. For Catalog Year 2018 and beyond, we no longer offer Emphases for Healthcare Business, Healthcare Science, or Secondary Education.
Does this affect me?
ONLY if your Biology major is listed on your STAR as “Catalog Year” 2018 or later. You can find your major’s Catalog Year near the top of your STAR. 2018 Biology majors must take care NOT to accidentally use earlier versions of advising materials!
NOT if your Biology major is listed as “Catalog Year” 2017 or earlier. In this situation, you have the choice of either continuing in the original Biology major of your old Catalog Year, or changing to the new 2018 Biology major. Consult your Biology adviser to decide which choice is best for you.
NOT if your major is Microbiology, Environmental Health, or Radiologic Science.
The new major does not include an emphasis in Healthcare or Secondary Education. What does this mean for students interested in these careers?
In Fall 2019, we will replace our old Biology Major/Healthcare-Science Emphasis with our new Biomedical Science major. Students new to our department in 2018 and interested in a graduate healthcare career (e.g. medicine or dentistry) should consult the Campus Pre-Health adviser, Dr. Dana Merriman, about how best to proceed. The simplest plan for new freshmen in 2018 may be to postpone declaring a major until Fall 2019, when Biomedical Science “goes live”.
We retired our old Biology major/Healthcare-Business Emphasis because it duplicated the Healthcare Management emphasis available through the UWO College of Business. Students should contact the College of Business to learn how this will meet their needs.
We retired our old Biology major/Secondary Education Emphasis because it was no longer recommended by the UWO College of Education as a track to a career in high school teaching. Students should contact the College of Education to learn which is the best curriculum for their needs.
Biology Major: Catalog Year 2018 and Later
Required Core Courses:
- Introductory Biology (ONE of the following):
- Biology 105: Biological Concepts-Unity (4 cr.)
- Biology 108 Honors: Concepts in Biology-Unity (5 cr.)
- Chemistry
- Chemistry 105 General Chemistry I (5 cr.)
- Chemistry 106 General Chemistry II (5 cr.)
- Diversity
- Biology 230: Biology of Animals (4 cr.)
- Biology 231: Biology of Plants and Microbes (4 cr.)
- Molecular Biology and Genetics
- Biology 323: Introduction Molecular and Cell Biology (3 cr.)
- Biology 343: Genetics (4 cr.)
- Physiology (ONE of the following):
- Biology 319: General Animal Physiology (5 cr.)
- Biology 345: Plant Physiology (5 cr.)
- Biology 450: Microbial Physiology (5 cr.)
- Ecology and Evolution:
- Biology 349: Ecology and Evolution (3 cr.)
- Electives
- 9 credits of any courses listed at the 300+ level
- Mathematics As specified for College of Letters and Science (COLS) requirements for degree: (Unless specified otherwise, under emphasis.)
- B.S. – either Math 171, Calculus I, or higher, statistics, computer science or symbolic logic
- B.A. – no additional math requirement
- B.S.E. – College Algebra, Math 104
- Biology 491: Senior Survey (0 cr.): to be taken only in the final semester.
Emphases:
Biology majors may choose one of the following emphases. It is not required to include an emphasis in the major, but students interested in these career paths are encouraged to take advantage of these curricula.
The information below is ONLY for students who declared a major before the 2018-2019 academic year.
Biology Major: Catalog Year 2017 and Earlier
Required Core Courses:
Biology
- Biology 105 Biological Concepts-Unity 4 cr. OR Biology 108 Honors: Concepts in Biology-Unity 5 cr.
- Biology 323 Introduction Molecular and Cell Biology 3 cr.
- Biology 343 Genetics 4 cr.
- Biology 491 Senior Survey 0 cr.
Chemistry
- Chemistry 105 General Chemistry I
- Chemistry 106 General Chemistry II
Mathematics As specified for College of Letters and Science (COLS) requirements for degree: (Unless specified otherwise, under emphasis.)
- B.S. – either Math 171, Calculus I, or higher, statistics, computer science or symbolic logic
- B.A. – no additional math requirement
- B.S.E. – College Algebra, Math 104
Emphases:
In addition to the Core Courses, all biology majors must choose one of the following emphases and fulfill all requirements of that emphasis: