Mar 28, 2024  
2018-2019 University Catalog 
    
2018-2019 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biology, BS


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About the Program

The Biology major allows a student to pursue a general curriculum with the bachelor of science as a terminal degree or as preparation for graduate work or professional school. This major is designed to give a student maximum flexibility in designing a plan of study suited to individual needs and interests. This curriculum is excellent preparation for a number of careers in both academic and industrial research and professions in medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine.

Biology Website

Degree Requirements


120 Credits Required

Curriculum and Degree Requirements for College of Science


A College of Science degree is conferred when a student successfully completes all requirements in their degree program.  Students will complete coursework or approved experiential learning activities to meet the following three degree components:

  1. Major
  2. Science Core Curriculum
  3. Electives

Students may use any of the following options to meet College of Science degree requirements:

  • Purdue Coursework
  • Ap, IB, and CLEP credit.  The use of AP and IB coursework varies between College of Science degree plans.
  • Transfer Credit. Students should consult the Admissions Transfer Credit Resource page for all available transfer options.

College of Science degree programs vary widely in their approval and use of the proceeding options and thus students are strongly encouraged to work closely with their academic advisors and to regularly consult their MyPurduePlan to view the use of each option in their degree plan. 


Most College of Science degree programs contain elective credits students may use to pursue courses that relate to their interests or which support their major area of study. The elective area of a degree plan may also be used to complete minors, second majors and certificates such as the Entrepreneurial Certificate. With the exception of courses on the No Count List, any Purdue course may be used to meet the elective area of a student’s degree plan.

College of Science Core Requirements

All Students starting Purdue University Fall semester, 2007 or later are required to pursue the 2007 Science Core curriculum.

The College of Science Core Curriculum requires the completion of approved coursework and/or experiential learning opportunities in the following academic areas:

Earning Core Curricular Requirements through Experience

Students may meet selected core curriculum requirements through approved experiential learning opportunities. Interested students should contact their academic advisor for more information on this option and incorporating experiential learning into their four-year program of study. For more information on earning requirements through experience, please click here.

Departmental/Program Major Courses (34-35 credits)


  • A minimum 2.0 average in all biology courses is required for this major. 
  • Each student must take at least one 500-level BIOL course other than BIOL 54200  or a BIOL 59500  lab

Required Major Courses


Additional Biology Requirements: Intermediate, Base Lab, Biology Selective


Other Departmental Requirements: (63-79 credits)


Additonal Other Requirements


Electives (6-23 credits)


University Core Requirements


  • Human Cultures Humanities
  • Human Cultures Behavioral/Social Science
  • Information Literacy
  • Science #1
  • Science #2
  • Science, Technology, and Society
  • Written Communication
  • Oral Communication
  • Quantitative Reasoning

For a complete listing of course selectives, visit the Provost’s Website.

Prerequisite Information:


For current pre-requisites for courses, click here.


 

Program Requirements


Fall 1st Year


16-18 Credits


16-19 Credits


Fall 2nd Year


15 Credits


Spring 2nd Year


14-15 Credits


Fall 3rd Year


  • Intermediate Biology Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Group A Selective - Credit Hours: 2.00 - 3.00
  • PHYS 1 Selective - Credit Hours: 4.00
  • General Education 2 Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15-16 Credits


Spring 3rd Year


  • Group B Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Computer Science Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00 - 4.00
  • PHYS 2 Selective - Credit Hours: 4.00
  • General Education 3 Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • (Recommended Elective)

14-15 Credits


Fall 4th Year


14-18 Credits


Spring 4th Year


  • Biology Selective 500 Level - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Biology Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Great Issues in Science Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 4.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

16 Credits


Note


  • 2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Science degree.

Foreign Language Courses


Foreign Language proficiency requirements vary by program. 

For acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor: American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, (ancient) Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical. A Critical Course is one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major.

Disclaimer


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.

The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

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