Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Biological Sciences prepares students for careers in biology, graduate programs in biological sciences, and professional programs in health fields including medical, dental and veterinary.

Admission Requirements

• Complete the Admission Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.

Academic Requirements

To graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Biological Sciences, the student must complete all courses covered under major requirements for a BA in Biological Sciences with a minimum grade of C. All prerequisites for Biology (BIOL) courses must be completed with a minimum grade of C. Students who audit or are unable to earn a minimum grade of C in a lower-division (100- or 200-level) BIOL course may repeat the course two additional times on a space-available basis. Students who audit or are unable to earn a minimum grade of C in an upper-division (300- or 400-level) BIOL course may repeat the course one additional time on a space-available basis. Students repeating a BIOL course are required to complete all components of that course during the semester in which the course is retaken. When repeating a course with a lecture and laboratory component, both components must be repeated. Students enrolled in a BIOL laboratory must attend lab the first week of class or they may be administratively dropped.

Graduation Requirements

• Complete the General University Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
• Complete the General Education Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
• Major requirements include both 27 credits in support courses from outside the discipline and 52-53 credits of coursework in biology, other natural sciences and math.
• Complete an exit examination.
• Complete the following major requirements with a minimum grade of C:

A minimum of 120 credits is required for the degree, 39 credits of which must be upper-division.

Biological Sciences Exit Examination

All BA Biological Sciences majors are required to complete a nationally standardized exit examination during the semester immediately prior to or during the semester they intend to graduate. There is no minimum score required for graduation. 

Honors in Biological Sciences

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Biological Sciences recognizes distinguished achievement by conferring programmatic honors in biological sciences. In order to receive honors in biological sciences, a student must meet the following requirements:

• Meet the requirements for Graduation with Honors;
• Meet the requirements for a BA in Biological Sciences;
• Earn a minimum GPA of 3.50 in the major requirements;
• During the senior year of their academic program, the student must gain faculty approval for and complete, with a minimum grade of B, a senior thesis research project, with enrollment in BIOL A499. Biological science faculty members must approve the project proposal and final written report.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the core concepts in the biological sciences: evolution; structure and function relationships; information flow, exchange and storage; transformation of energy and matter.
• Apply the process of science and construct knowledge through observations, experimentation, quantitative reasoning and hypothesis testing.
• Read, analyze and synthesize primary literature, and communicate scientific concepts and data in written and oral form.

Sample Plan

The academic plan below is one pathway through the degree/certificate. It includes all requirements, taking into account recommendations from program faculty. Each student’s plan may vary according to their initial course placement, intended course load, additional majors and/or minors, and their placement into required prerequisite courses. Any change in the plan below can have an unforeseen impact on the rest of the plan. Therefore, it is very important to meet with your academic advisor to verify your personal academic plan.

Please review the following terms, definitions, and resources associated with the sample academic plan below.

• Each course in the far left column links to a pop-up bubble with a course description, prerequisite requirements, and associations with university requirements. For example, if a course fulfills a general education requirement, you will see that in the pop-up bubble.
• GER: indicates a General Education Requirement. GERs that also count toward degree/certificate requirements appear as a specific course in the plan. For these courses, "GER" is not indicated explicitly in the table, but if you click on the course, you will see the course's GER status in the pop-up bubble.
• Program Elective: indicates a specific course selection determined by program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
• Elective: indicates an open selection of 100-400 level university courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate.
• Upper Division Program Elective: indicates a specific 300-400 level course selection determined by the program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
• Upper Division Elective: indicates an open selection of 300-400 level courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate. These courses must be upper division in order to meet General University Requirements for the particular degree/certificate type.