Dec 11, 2024  
2020-2021 University Catalog 
    
2020-2021 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology, BS


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About the Program

Understanding how eukaryotic cells process information from their environment and initiate programs of gene expression leading to growth, development, and functional specification is the essence of a cell, molecular, and developmental (CMD) biology major. Students enrolled in this curriculum will take courses providing a solid foundation in the molecular biology of cells and gain a full appreciation of how molecular complexes interact to make a cell function. This fundamental knowledge in cell and molecular biology will be applied through further coursework in genetics and developmental biology to examine how eukaryotic organisms function and how specific aspects of that function are perturbed by disease. Within the CMD major, students have the option of focusing their studies on animal systems, plant systems, or both. Graduates with a CMD major are well-prepared to pursue careers in academic or industrial research, biotechnology, genetic engineering, medicine, veterinary medicine, and other health-related professions.

Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology Website

Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology Major Change (CODO) Requirements  

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 (39-41 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.

Upper Level Biology Coursework (13 credits)


*Students who take CHM 12901 for General Chemistry must complete both CHM 33900 and CHM 33901.

CMBD Selective I (6 credits)


Choose two courses from the following list. Neither course may overlap with Intermediate Biology or Biology Selective requirements.

CMBD Selective II (3 credits)


Intermediate Biology Selective (3 credits)


Choose one option below; cannot duplicate CMBD or Biology Selectives.

Biology Selective (3 credits)


Select 3 credits from this list: Biology Selectives List for Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology .

Base Lab Requirement


Click Base Lab Requirements for all Biology majors  for additional lists.

Other Departmental Requirements: (48-75 credits)


Additional Other Requirements (21-44 credits)


COLLEGE OF SCIENCE CORE REQUIREMENTS

Electives (4-33 credits)


University Core Requirements


For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.
  • Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
  • Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
  • Information Literacy (IL)
  • Oral Communication (OC)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
  • Science #1 (SCI)
  • Science #2 (SCI)
  • Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
  • Written Communication (WC)

Prerequisite Information:


For current pre-requisites for courses, click here.


 

Program Requirements


16-18 Credits


16-19 Credits


15 Credits


15-16 Credits


16 Credits


16-17 Credits


Fall 4th Year


14-16 Credits


Spring 4th Year


16 Credits


Note


  • 2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Science degree.

World Language Courses


World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor.

ASL-American Sign Language

ARAB-Arabic CHNS-Chinese FR-French
GER-German GREK-Greek (ancient) HEBR-Hebrew (Biblical) HEBR-Hebrew (modern)
ITAL-Italian JPNS-Japanese KOR-Korean LATN-Latin
PTGS-Portuguese RUSS-Russian SPAN-Spanish  

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major.  Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful.  These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program”. 

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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