The Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biological Sciences includes a core program in Biological Sciences with two areas of study, and a core program in Microbiological Sciences. In Biological Sciences, completing courses from the cellular and molecular biology area prepares students for graduate and professional programs in areas such as medicine, dentistry and veterinary science, while completing courses from the organismal, ecology and evolutionary area prepares students for careers and graduate programs in environmental, organismal and evolutionary biology. Completing the Microbiological Sciences option prepares students for careers in infectious disease and epidemiology, environmental conservation and quality analysis, and graduate programs in microbiology, cell biology, molecular biology and other related fields, as well as professional programs such as medical school. It is imperative that students consult academic advisors within the Department of Biological Sciences to determine which electives are most appropriate to their career interests.
Admission Requirements
- Complete the Admission Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
- Declare the major (see major requirements below) and select one of two options: biological sciences or microbiological sciences. To choose an option, students must meet with an advisor. To schedule the advising session, contact the Department of Biological Sciences.
Academic Requirements
To graduate with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biological Sciences, the student must complete all courses covered under major requirements for a BS 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 or Microbiology (MBIO) course may repeat the course one additional time on a space-available basis. Students repeating a BIOL or MBIO 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 or MBIO laboratory or experiential learning course must attend the lab or course 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.
- Complete an exit examination.
- Complete the following major requirements with a minimum grade of C:
Biological Sciences Option
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Support Courses | ||
| CHEM A105 & A105L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM A106 & A106L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM A321 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM A322 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM A323L | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 2 |
| MATH A251 | Calculus I | 4-6 |
| or MATH A251F | F.A.T. Calculus I | |
| MATH A252 | Calculus II | 4-6 |
| or MATH A252F | F.A.T. Calculus II | |
| STAT A253 | Applied Statistics for the Sciences | 4 |
| or STAT A307 | Probability and Statistics | |
| Select one of the following options: | 8 | |
Option 1: | ||
| College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | ||
| College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory | ||
Option 2: | ||
| General Physics I and General Physics I Laboratory | ||
| General Physics II and General Physics II Laboratory | ||
| Core Courses | ||
| BIOL A108 | Principles and Methods in Biology | 6 |
| BIOL A242 | Fundamentals of Cell Biology | 3 |
| BIOL A243 | Experiential Learning: Cell Biology and Genetics | 4 |
| or BIOL A273 | Experiential Learning: Ecology and Evolution | |
| BIOL A252 | Principles of Genetics | 3 |
| BIOL A271 | Principles of Ecology | 3 |
| BIOL A288 | Principles of Evolution | 3 |
| BIOL A492 | Undergraduate Seminar | 1 |
| Upper-Division Program Electives | 24 | |
| Complete a minimum of 3 credits from four of the five subject areas. A minimum of 6 credits must be experiential learning courses from two subject areas. 1 | ||
Genetics, Cellular and Molecular Biology | ||
| Human Genome | ||
| Experiential Learning: Bioinformatics | ||
| Molecular Biology | ||
| Molecular Biology of Cancer | ||
| Experiential Learning: Molecular Biology | ||
| Immunology | ||
| Microbial Biology | ||
| Experiential Learning: Microbial Biology | ||
| Host-Microbiome Interactions | ||
| Virology | ||
Ecology and Evolution | ||
| Marine Mammal Biology | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Experiential Learning: Animal Behavior | ||
| Wildlife Ecology | ||
| Biogeography | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Ecotoxicology | ||
| Tundra and Taiga Ecosystems | ||
| Biological Oceanography | ||
| Marine Biology | ||
| Exploration Ecology | ||
| Experiential Learning: Exploration Ecology Field Study | ||
| Evolutionary Ecology | ||
| Microbial Ecology | ||
| Geomicrobiology | ||
| Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease | ||
Diversity and Organismal Biology | ||
| Vertebrate Biology | ||
| Experiential Learning: Vertebrate Biology | ||
| Plant Biology | ||
| Ichthyology | ||
| Marine Invertebrate Biology | ||
| Marine Mammal Biology | ||
| Plant Diversity and Evolution | ||
| Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates | ||
| Microbial Biology | ||
| Experiential Learning: Microbial Biology | ||
| Microbial Diversity | ||
Physiology | ||
| Principles of Animal Physiology | ||
| Experiential Learning: Animal Physiology | ||
| Behavioral Endocrinology | ||
| Neurophysiology | ||
| Comparative Animal Physiology | ||
| Applied Kinesiology and Exercise Physiology | ||
| Fish Physiology | ||
| Sleep and Chronobiology | ||
| Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates | ||
| Microbial Physiology | ||
Additional Upper-Division Electives | ||
| Selected Lecture Topics in Biology | ||
| Instructional Practicum: Laboratory | ||
BIOL A497 | Independent Study in Biology | |
| Individual Research 1 | ||
| Senior Thesis 1 | ||
| Principles of Biochemistry I | ||
| Principles of Biochemistry II | ||
| Biochemistry Laboratory | ||
| Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos | ||
| Total | 83-87 | |
Microbiological Sciences Option
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Support Courses | ||
| CHEM A105 & A105L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM A106 & A106L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM A321 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM A322 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM A323L | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 2 |
| MATH A251 | Calculus I | 4-6 |
| or MATH A251F | F.A.T. Calculus I | |
| MATH A252 | Calculus II | 4-6 |
| or MATH A252F | F.A.T. Calculus II | |
| STAT A253 | Applied Statistics for the Sciences | 4 |
| or STAT A307 | Probability and Statistics | |
| Select one of the following options: | 8 | |
Option 1: | ||
| College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | ||
| College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory | ||
Option 2: | ||
| General Physics I and General Physics I Laboratory | ||
| General Physics II and General Physics II Laboratory | ||
| Core Courses | ||
| BIOL A108 | Principles and Methods in Biology | 6 |
| BIOL A242 | Fundamentals of Cell Biology | 3 |
| BIOL A243 | Experiential Learning: Cell Biology and Genetics | 4 |
| or BIOL A273 | Experiential Learning: Ecology and Evolution | |
| BIOL A252 | Principles of Genetics | 3 |
| BIOL A271 | Principles of Ecology | 3 |
| BIOL A288 | Principles of Evolution | 3 |
| BIOL A455 | Experiential Learning: Bioinformatics | 4 |
| BIOL A492 | Undergraduate Seminar | 1 |
| MBIO A340 | Microbial Biology | 3 |
| MBIO A342 | Experiential Learning: Microbial Biology | 4 |
| MBIO A440 | Microbial Diversity | 3 |
| or MBIO A450 | Microbial Ecology | |
| or MBIO A468 | Geomicrobiology | |
| MBIO A460 | Host-Microbiome Interactions | 3 |
| or MBIO A462 | Virology | |
| or BIOL A471 | Immunology | |
| Upper-Division Program Electives in Microbiology | 9 | |
| Complete a minimum of 9 credits from the Upper-Division Program Electives in Microbiology. Only 3 credits of BIOL A495, BIOL A497, BIOL A498, or BIOL A499 can count toward this 9 credit requirement. 1 | ||
| Molecular Biology | ||
| Experiential Learning: Molecular Biology | ||
| Immunology | ||
| Selected Lecture Topics in Biology | ||
| Instructional Practicum: Laboratory | ||
BIOL A497 | Independent Study in Biology | |
| Individual Research | ||
| Senior Thesis | ||
| Principles of Biochemistry I | ||
| Principles of Biochemistry II | ||
| Biochemistry Laboratory | ||
| Microbial Physiology | ||
| Microbial Diversity | ||
| Microbial Ecology | ||
| Host-Microbiome Interactions | ||
| Virology | ||
| Geomicrobiology | ||
| Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease | ||
| Total | 85-89 | |
- 1
Several courses are listed in more than one area. Each course can only count toward the credit requirement in one area. BIOL A498 credits may not be counted toward the experiential learning minimum requirement in the Biological Sciences option.
A minimum of 120 credits is required for the degree, 39 credits of which must be upper-division.
Biological Sciences Exit Examination
All BS 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 Science (BS) 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 BS 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.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| CHEM A105 & A105L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| MATH A251 | Calculus I | 4 |
| WRTG A111 | Writing Across Contexts | 3 |
| GER Fine Arts | 3 | |
| GER Oral Communication Skills | 3 | |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL A108 | Principles and Methods in Biology | 6 |
| CHEM A106 & A106L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory | 4 |
| MATH A252 | Calculus II | 4 |
| WRTG A213 | Writing and the Sciences | 3 |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| BIOL A242 | Fundamentals of Cell Biology | 3 |
| BIOL A252 | Principles of Genetics | 3 |
| CHEM A321 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| STAT A253 or STAT A307 | Applied Statistics for the Sciences or Probability and Statistics | 4 |
| GER Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL A243 or BIOL A273 | Experiential Learning: Cell Biology and Genetics or Experiential Learning: Ecology and Evolution | 4 |
| BIOL A271 | Principles of Ecology | 3 |
| CHEM A322 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| GER Humanities | 3 | |
| Upper Division Program Elective (MBIO A340 for Microbiological Science option) | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| BIOL A288 | Principles of Evolution | 3 |
| CHEM A323L | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 2 |
| PHYS A123 & A123L | College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | 4 |
| GER Humanities | 3 | |
| Upper Division Program Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHYS A124 & A124L | College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory | 4 |
| GER Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Upper Division Program Elective (BIOL A455 for Microbiological Sciences Option) | 3 | |
| Upper Division Program Elective (MBIO A342 for Microbiological Sciences Option) | 3 | |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| BIOL A492 | Undergraduate Seminar | 1 |
| GER Integrative Capstone | 3 | |
| GER Intercultural Fluency | 3 | |
| Upper Division Program Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Division Program Elective (MBIO A460 or MBIO A462 or BIOL A471 for Microbiological Sciences Option) | 3 | |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Spring | ||
| GER Alaska Native-Themed | 3 | |
| Elective (Not needed for Microbiological Sciences option) | 1 | |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Division Program Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Division Program Elective (MBIO A440 or MBIO A450 or MBIO A468 for Microbiological Sciences option) | 3 | |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |