Biology, Botany, B.S.

Definition of the Major

Students wishing to choose a major in biology should consult with members of the department faculty early in their university career. Because the department includes a number of biological disciplines, no single curriculum can be listed for all majors. All students majoring in biology are required to take a 20-credit-hour life science core consisting of BIO 125 , BIO 130 , BIO 131 , BIO 133 , BIO 341  and BIO 470 . Each student is strongly encouraged to work closely with a departmental advisor to design the program best suited to the interests and goals of the student.

While completing a common core of courses taken by all majors, students must select from the following degree tracks: botany, cell and molecular biology, or ecology and evolutionary biology. The list of required courses within each degree track is listed under the heading Degree Tracks.

A minimum of 40 semester hours of biology, including the core curriculum, with 15 hours in advanced courses is required for a B.S. with a major in biology. Biology majors also must satisfy all the requirements of the B.S. for the College of Sciences and Mathematics  outlined elsewhere in the bulletin.

Students who major in biology must complete the following requirements:

• Three hours from: ENG 273  
• Seven to eight hours from: MTH 220 , MTH 233 /MTH 233L , MTH 234 /MTH 234L  
• Eight hours from: CHE 133 /CHE 133L , CHE 134 /CHE 134L  
• Eight hours from: GOL 131 /GOL 131L , GOL 132 /GOL 132L , PHY 110 /PHY 110L , PHY 131 /PHY 131L , PHY 132 /PHY 132L ,PHY 241 /PHY 241L , PHY 242 /PHY 242L , AST 105 /AST 105L 
• Biology majors contemplating graduate work are advised to complete CHE 331 , CHE 332 , PHY 131  and PHY 132 .

Each student also is required to complete a minor of 18 to 24 semester hours in a single discipline. At least six hours in the minor must be in advanced-level courses at SFA. Biology majors may choose a combined-sciences minor consisting of CHE 133 /CHE 133L , CHE 134 /CHE 134L ; eight hours from GOL 131 /GOL 131L , GOL 132 /GOL 132L  or PHY 131 /PHY 131L , PHY 132 /PHY 132L ; plus six advanced hours from CHE, GOL or PHY. Biology majors contemplating graduate work are advised to elect a minor in a selected science or in mathematics.