2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog (Updated Spring 2021) 
    
    Nov 27, 2024  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog (Updated Spring 2021) [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biology Non-Teaching, B.S. - General/Pre-Physical Therapy/Pre-Allied Health Track


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Departmental Requirements

Students majoring in Biology with the General/Pre-Physical Therapy/Pre-Allied Health track must complete a total of 120 credit hours of University courses. This includes a minimum of 42 semester hours of General Education Requirements, 25 semester hours of Departmental Core courses, 15 semester hours of program electives, 23 semester hours of Supportive courses and 15 semester hours of free electives.

Students in this track should consider taking Human Anatomy and Physiology I & II, with laboratory – BIOL 231 , BIOL 232 , BIOL 233  & BIOL 234  as free electives in this track. They are required for admission by Pharmacy Programs, and by most Physical Therapy Programs, by Nursing Programs and many other allied health professional programs. However, they do not apply toward the B.S. degree in Biology and hence are not included among the required courses given below.

 

Objective

The General/Pre-Physical Therapy/Pre-Allied Health track provides broad preparation for students intending to pursue a science related career or to pursue post-baccalaureate studies in a variety of allied health fields including PharmD, PA, PT, nursing, etc.  In addition to a core of science, students interested in science and business should complete a minor in business; students interested in science writing should complete a minor in English or Communications, etc.  Students interested in allied health fields should familiarize themselves with the admission requirements of post-baccalaureate programs of their choice and work with their academic advisor to ensure that appropriate courses are chosen as electives.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of this program will be prepared for entry into the PharmD and Doctor of Physical Therapy programs at UMES and for admission to other allied health post-baccalaureate programs at other institutions of their choice. Also, biologists can pursue a biomedical or graduate degree for entrance into a specialized area of medicine, dentistry, academia, research or consulting careers. Three resources for career opportunities are the following websites: Sciencecareers.sciencemag.org covers all sciences while www.aibs.org/careers covers all areas of biology and https://explorehealthcareers.org/field/allied-health-professions/ covers allied health fields.

The specific courses taken in the undergraduate program are generally chosen based on the goals of the student for their future career.

Required Courses


General Education Requirements


All Biology majors are expected to complete a common body of academic course work. The General Education Requirements are designed to promote the development of a comprehensive educational base which will effectively support a student’s choice of a major concentration. MATH 099  and MATH 109  do not meet the General Education Requirement for a degree in biology, chemistry or environmental sciences; and do not apply toward graduation requirements. However, students placed in MATH 099  or MATH 109  should take these courses to prepare them for the required MATH 110  and higher level math courses.

Students in the Honors program should take honors courses designated by HONORS. All students are encouraged to take a couple of courses online or during summer and winter sessions to develop skills that will support lifelong learning. Discuss with your advisor for details. General Education Requirements are distributed as follows:

General education requirements are distributed as follows:

Curriculum Area I - Arts and Humanities: Credits 9


Select two courses from any of the courses within Disciplines A - D, and ENGL 203 from Discipline E:

Curriculum Area II - Social and Behavioral Sciences: Credits 6


Select two courses from any of the courses within Social and Behavioral Sciences:

Curriculum Area III - Biological and Physical Sciences: Credits 8


Students may complete one year of algebra-based physics (121-122-123-124) or one year of calculus-based physics (181-182-183-184).

Curriculum Area IV - Mathematics: Credits 6


Curriculum Area V - English Composition: Credits 9


Curriculum Area VI - Emerging Issues: Credits 4


Total Required for General Education: Credits 42


1Students must pass ENGL 101  and ENGL 102  with grade of “C” or above before taking ENGL 203 .

2Honors student should take honors courses.

Program Requirements


Program Electives: Credits 15


A minimum of 15 credits must be selected. A grade of “C” or better is required in each of these courses. Students with interest in pursuing medicine and/or professional and graduate degrees in the biomedical sciences are encouraged to take General Biology electives. Likewise, students with interest in ecology are encouraged to take Ecology electives. Students are encouraged to take only one course in an area not related to his/her career interest.  Note: Any Biology 300 and 400 level course may be used as a BIOL elective. Students may take BIOL 499  as an elective, but only for a maximum of 4 credits.

Supportive Course Requirements: Credits 23


*CSDP 220  (4 cr.) may be substituted for BUED 212  or CSDP 121 . The extra 1 credit may be used toward free electives.

A grade point average of “C” or better is required in supportive courses. In addition, prerequisite requirements must be met to progress in sequence courses.

Free Electives: Credits 15


Total Credits Required: 120


Curriculum Guide for Biology-General/Pre-Physical Therapy/Pre-Allied Health Track


  

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