Requirements for a Major in Biology
Bachelor of Science
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| BIOL 121 | Foundations of Experimental Biology | 4 |
| BIOL 123 | Principles in Molecular Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 200 | Genetics | 4 |
| BIOL 205 | Evolution | 3 |
| Select one semester of chemistry at or above the CHEM 215 level | 4 | |
| Select six additional courses above the 180-level, with at least one course from each of the following three groups: 1 | 21-24 | |
| Cell and Molecular Group | ||
| Cell Biology | ||
| Microbiology | ||
| Reproductive & Stem Cell Biology | ||
| Biological Microscopy | ||
| Molecular Genetics | ||
| Human Genetics | ||
| Cancer Biology | ||
| Immunology | ||
| Cellular & Molecular Neurobiology | ||
| Biochemistry I | ||
| Biochemistry II | ||
| Organismal Group | ||
| Plant Taxonomy | ||
| Plant Physiology | ||
| Ichthyology | ||
| Entomology | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology II | ||
| Vertebrate Field Biology | ||
| Ecology Group | ||
| Survey of Marine Biology | ||
| Marine Biology | ||
| Medical & Veterinary Entomology | ||
| Freshwater Ecology | ||
| Ecology | ||
| Tropical Biodiversity | ||
| Conservation Genetics | ||
| Conservation Genetics (with Lab) | ||
| Ecological Simulation | ||
| Microbial Symbiosis | ||
| Up to three of the following courses can be used to meet the "Six additional courses" requirement. | ||
| Infectious Disease & Public Health | ||
| Biostatistics | ||
| Research in Biology | ||
| Research in Biology | ||
| Internship in Biology (Unpaid) | ||
or BIOL 457 | Internship in Biology (Paid) | |
| Independent Study | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Research in Biology | ||
| Research in Biology | ||
| Senior Project | ||
| Senior Project | ||
| Mathematical Biology | ||
| Electives | ||
| Must complete four additional courses from the following: 2 | 12-16 | |
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Calculus II | ||
| Organic Chemistry | ||
| Organic Chemistry II | ||
| Introductory Physics | ||
| Introductory Physics | ||
| Introduction to Computer Science | ||
| Data Structures | ||
| Behavioral Neuroscience Techniques | ||
| Behavioral and Statistical Modeling | ||
| Biostatistics | ||
| Research in Biology | ||
| Research in Biology | ||
| Senior Project | ||
| Capstone | ||
| BIOL 499 | Biology Capstone 3 | 3 |
| Total Hours | 54-61 | |
- 1
At least three of the six courses must be four hour courses.
- 2
Note that these four additional courses must be distinct from the six courses about the 180-level listed above.
- 3
Must successfully complete BIOL 499 in the senior year.
All courses counted towards the major must be completed with a minimum grade of C-. Students double-majoring in biology, particularly those with their second major in cognate disciplines, such as math, physics, chemistry, and psychology, must still complete the biology capstone.
Requirements for a Teaching Endorsement in Biology
Students who are interested in earning a teaching license from the Commonwealth of Virginia to teach grades 6 –12 should double major in Biology and Education. Interested students should contact both their Biology advisor and their Education advisor. The program requirements of a student planning to major in education for the purpose of certification in Biology vary from those of other Biology majors. Information regarding the Education program and required courses for licensure can be found in the Teacher Preparation Handbook .
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 121 | Foundations of Experimental Biology | 4 |
| BIOL 123 | Principles in Molecular Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 200 | Genetics | 4 |
| BIOL 201 | Cell Biology | 4 |
| BIOL 205 | Evolution | 3 |
| BIOL 499 | Biology Capstone | 3 |
| Select one of the following botany courses: | 4 | |
| Plant Taxonomy | ||
| Plant Physiology | ||
| Select one of the following organismal courses: | 4 | |
| Ichthyology | ||
| Entomology | ||
| Vertebrate Field Biology | ||
| Select one of the following anatomy/physiology courses: | 4 | |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology II | ||
| Select one of the following ecology courses: | 4 | |
| Marine Biology | ||
| Ecology | ||
| Tropical Biodiversity | ||
| Select one of the following physics courses: | 4 | |
| A Hitchhiker's Guide to Physics (With Apologies to Douglas Adams) | ||
| Introductory Physics | ||
| Select one of the following earth science courses: | 4 | |
| Introductory Astronomy | ||
| Environmental Chemistry | ||
| Introduction to Geology and the Environment | ||
| A Geologic History of Earth | ||
| Select one of the following chemistry courses: | 4 | |
| Principles of Chemistry | ||
| Basic Inorganic Chemistry | ||
| Quantitative Chemical Analysis | ||
| Select one of the following statistics courses: | 3-4 | |
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
| Biostatistics | ||