Program Contact: Deborah Clark 203-582-8270
The BS in Biology program provides students with a biological and physical science foundation on which they can build a graduate degree in natural science or education, or it can be used to pursue advanced degrees in the fields of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or other health care professions. Those choosing to end their formal education with the bachelor’s degree will have a sufficient level of sophistication in biological science to assume a variety of positions with research institutions, governmental agencies or industry.
Students choose courses and follow a curriculum determined in consultation with their adviser.
A note about Advanced Placement equivalencies: Students who receive a score of 3 on the AP biology exam can receive credit for BIO 105 and BIO 106. BIO 105 and BIO 106 meet the needs of students in non-science areas. Students who receive a score of 4 on the AP biology exam can receive credit for BIO 101 and BIO 102. For students majoring in the natural sciences, we strongly encourage students to begin with BIO 150 and BIO 151, regardless of whether they receive credit for BIO 101 and BIO 102.
Graduation requirements: majors in the Department of Biological Sciences must achieve an overall GPA of 2.0 and a science GPA of 2.25 for graduation. The science GPA is calculated from courses with prefixes of BIO, BMS, CHE, PHY and SCI. In addition, courses used to satisfy the Biological Science Core or Biology Elective Requirements must have a minimum grade of “C-“.
Independent Study in Biology
- Independent Study/Research can be used to satisfy the departmental requirement for Experiential Learning.
- Independent Study cannot be used to satisfy departmental requirements other than Experiential Learning.
- Students may not exceed a total of 8 credits of Independent Study while completing their undergraduate work.
Honors in Biology
- An overall GPA of 3.0 or better is required. A GPA of 3.5 in biology is required.
- Students should announce in writing their intention to pursue honors in biology to both the department chair and academic adviser, no later than May 1 in the spring term of their junior year.
- Departmental honors students are required to take BIO 399H (Honors Research in Biological Sciences).
- Students are each responsible for obtaining a sponsor for their project prior to May 1 of their junior year.
- Successful completion of a senior research project is required. The project must include:
- A written proposal;
- The actual completion of an approved research project under the supervision and sponsorship of a full-time faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences;
- The presentation of the outcome of the research project in the written format approved by the department; and
- A seminar presentation of the outcome of the research project.
- Evidence of excellence in speaking and writing skills, documented by term papers, written work, oral presentations, and grades, as determined by the committee.
- The actual granting of honors in biology is determined by all full-time faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences.
A list of the department faculty and their research interests is available on the CAS360 website.
BS in Biology Curriculum
Students majoring in biology must meet the following requirements for graduation:
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
BIO 150
& 150L | General Biology for Majors
and General Biology for Majors Laboratory | 4 |
BIO 151
& 151L | Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics
and Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics Lab | 4 |
BIO 152
& 152L | Ecological and Biological Diversity
and Ecological and Biological Diversity Laboratory | 4 |
| BIO 298 | Research Methods in Biology | 3 |
CHE 110
& 110L | General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
CHE 111
& 111L | General Chemistry II
and General Chemistry II Lab | 4 |
CHE 210
& 210L | Organic Chemistry I
and Organic Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
CHE 211
& 211L | Organic Chemistry II
and Organic Chemistry II Lab | 4 |
PHY 110
& 110L | General Physics I
and General Physics I Lab | 4 |
PHY 111
& 111L | General Physics II
and General Physics II Lab | 4 |
| |
| 3 |
| Cellular Communication | |
| Genetics
and Genetics Lab | |
| Developmental Biology
and Developmental Biology Lab | |
| Cell Physiology
and Cell Physiology Lab | |
| Cancer Biology | |
| Human Genetics
and Human Genetics Lab | |
| Molecular Genetics
and Molecular Genetics Lab | |
| 3 |
| Invertebrate Zoology
and Invertebrate Zoology Lab | |
| Human Clinical Parasitology
and Human Clinical Parasitology Lab | |
| Botany
and Botany Lab | |
| Aquatic Ecology
and Aquatic Ecology Lab | |
| Life on a Changing Planet
and Life on a Changing Planet Lab | |
| Physiological Models for Human Disease
and Physiological Models for Human Disease Lab | |
| Evolution | |
| 3 |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I
and Human Anatomy and Physiology Lab I | |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology II
and Human Anatomy and Physiology II Lab | |
| Physiological Diversity
and Physiological Diversity Lab | |
| Neurobiology | |
| Cardiovascular Physiology | |
| |
| BIO 385 | Explorations in Biology | 1-4 |
| BIO 498 | Independent Study in Biology | 1-4 |
| BIO 499 | Independent Study in Biology | 1-4 |
| Total Credits | 120-140 |
Students choose courses and follow a curriculum determined in consultation with their adviser. The minimum number of credits required for graduation is 120. Students take open electives to fulfill the minimum number of credits for graduation. A sample course plan that fulfills the requirements for the Biology major is shown below. Individual planning will vary based on a number of factors (e.g., Advanced Placement and/or transfer credits).
Sample Course Schedule
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
BIO 150
& 150L | General Biology for Majors
and General Biology for Majors Laboratory | 4 |
CHE 110
& 110L | General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
| EN 101 | Introduction to Academic Reading and Writing | 3 |
| FYS 101 | First-Year Seminar | 3 |
| MA 140 | Pre-Calculus | 3 |
BIO 151
& 151L | Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics
and Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics Lab | 4 |
CHE 111
& 111L | General Chemistry II
and General Chemistry II Lab | 4 |
| EN 102 | Academic Writing and Research | 3 |
| MA 141 | Calculus of a Single Variable | 3 |
BIO 152
& 152L | Ecological and Biological Diversity
and Ecological and Biological Diversity Laboratory | 4 |
| BIO 298 | Research Methods in Biology | 3 |
CHE 210
& 210L | Organic Chemistry I
and Organic Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
| 3 |
| 1 |
| 4 | 3-4 |
CHE 211
& 211L | Organic Chemistry II
and Organic Chemistry II Lab | 4 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 1-2 |
| 4 | 3-4 |
PHY 110
& 110L | General Physics I
and General Physics I Lab | 4 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 1-2 |
| 4 | 3-4 |
PHY 111
& 111L | General Physics II
and General Physics II Lab | 4 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 1-2 |
| 4 | 3-4 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 2-3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 5 |
Initial placement in the English and mathematics courses is determined by examination and an evaluation of high school units presented. Students intending to pursue graduate or professional studies (medicine, dentistry, osteopathy or veterinary medicine) are advised to complete at least one semester of calculus. A minimum of MA 141 is required for graduation. BIO 150/BIO 150L, BIO 151, BIO 151L and BIO 152/BIO 152L are required for graduation. Students intending to pursue studies in professional health care fields are advised to complete additional courses chosen in consultation with their adviser.
College of Arts and Sciences Curriculum
The College of Arts and Sciences offers bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees. As the home of the liberal arts at Quinnipiac, CAS encourages students to pursue a balanced program of study across multiple disciplines. In pursuit of that goal, CAS imposes additional requirements beyond the University Curriculum.
All CAS students (both bachelor of science and bachelor of arts) must complete one foreign language through the 102-level. Foreign language classes may also count toward the UC Personal Inquiry II requirement.
Additionally, students earning a bachelor of arts must fulfill separate requirements for breadth and depth of study:
For the breadth requirement, students must complete at least 3 credits in each of the four CAS disciplinary areas other than the area of the student’s major. These areas are: fine arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. For example, a student majoring in political science—a social science discipline—would complete at least 3 credits each in fine arts, humanities and natural science. A course taken to fulfill the CAS breadth requirement may not simultaneously fulfill any UC requirement.
For the depth requirement, students must complete at least 9 credits within a single subject area other than that of the major. (A “subject area” is identified with a catalog subject code, such as PL, CJ, WS, MA, etc.) CAS depth courses may also count toward UC requirements.
Students pursuing a bachelor of science, a double major, or certain accelerated degree programs are exempt from the CAS breadth and depth requirements, but must complete the foreign language requirement.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, students will demonstrate:
- Knowledge and Comprehension: Successful completion of the following objectives establishes that students have achieved an appropriate understanding of foundational biological concepts.
- Apply critical thinking and the scientific method to community/world issues and decision-making.
- Evaluate the quality and validity of scientific evidence.
- Create an understanding of biology as a whole by integrating and synthesizing information from multiple biological subdisciplines.
- Applications and Analysis: Successful completion of the following objectives demonstrates that students have the ability to apply foundational knowledge and analyze information/data to make meaning from it.
- Demonstrate basic skills and an understanding of safety procedures in the field and/or laboratory.
- Organize and interpret experimental data (from their own experiments and/or those in primary literature sources).
- Design and perform well controlled experiments.
- Self and Society: Successful completion of the following objectives indicates that students successfully utilize biological knowledge to present and defend opinions in a variety of arenas.
- Develop an in-depth understanding of the complexity of the natural world by understanding how a biologist thinks about complex systems.
- Apply scientific methodology and knowledge of biological facts to real-world problems.
Admission Requirements: College of Arts and Sciences
The requirements for admission into the undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences programs are the same as those for admission to Quinnipiac University.
Admission to the university is competitive, and applicants are expected to present a strong college prep program in high school. Prospective first-year students are strongly encouraged to file an application as early in the senior year as possible, and arrange to have first quarter grades sent from their high school counselor as soon as they are available.
For detailed admission requirements, including required documents, please visit the Admissions page of this catalog.
Suggested Transfer Curriculum for BS in Biology
A minimum of 60 credits is required for transfer into the BS in Biology program. Below is a sample plan of study for the first two years.
Plan of Study Grid
| First Year |
|---|
| Fall Semester |
|---|
|
3 |
|
4 |
|
4 |
|
3 |
| | Credits | 14 |
| Spring Semester |
|---|
|
3 |
|
4 |
|
4 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
| | Credits | 17 |
| Second Year |
|---|
| Fall Semester |
|---|
|
4 |
|
4 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
| | Credits | 14 |
| Spring Semester |
|---|
|
4 |
|
4 |
|
4 |
|
3 |
| | Credits | 15 |
| | Total Credits | 60 |
Pre-Medical Studies Program
Students majoring in Health Science Studies, Biology, Biomedical Sciences or the natural science track of Behavioral Neuroscience may fully participate in the pre-medical studies program. The curriculum in this degree program can fulfill the science prerequisites for most professional schools. Students should refer to Pre-Medical Studies for more information about the pre-medical studies program and contact the Health Professions Advisory Committee for further academic advising.
