2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Nov 02, 2025  
2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biology Non - Teaching, B.S.


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Departmental Requirements

Students majoring in Biology Non–Teaching must complete a total of 1201 credit hours of University courses. This includes a minimum of 42 semester hours of General Education Requirements, 25 semester hours of departmental core courses, 20 semester hours of program electives, 31 semester hours of supportive courses and 2 semester hours of free electives. The specific courses taken in the undergraduate program are generally chosen based on the goals of the student for their future career.

Objectives

The objectives of the Biology program are to:

  1. Provide Biology majors in the Department of Natural Sciences with the knowledge and information necessary to achieve success in graduate and/or professional schools and the workforce;
  2. Provide Biology majors with advanced knowledge and information in the fields general Biology and/or Ecology;
  3. Increase the level of competency in laboratory techniques and skills of Biology majors in the Department of Natural Sciences; and
  4. Develop technical communication and critical thinking skills of Biology majors in the Department of Natural Sciences and train the same through mentoring and personal experience to conduct scientific research.

Career Opportunities

A Biology degree has many career opportunities based on a person’s interests and undergraduate preparation. 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 careers opportunities are the following websites: Sciencecareers.sciencemag.org covers all sciences while www.aibs.org/careers covers all area of Biology and www.ecoemploy.com covers the ecological and environmental fields.

1Minimum Maryland Higher Education Committee (MHEC) requirements for a Bachelor of Science Degree.

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 101  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 101  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:

Curriculum Area I - Arts and Humanities: Credits 9


Curriculum Area II - Social and Behavioral Sciences: Credits 6


Students must select one course from each of two disciplines.

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 students should take honors courses.

Program Requirements


Program Electives: Credits 20


A minimum of 20 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.

Free Electives: Credits 2


Total Credits Required for Graduation: 120


Curriculum Guide for Biology


 

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