Department

Department of Biology

John V.H. Constable, Chair
Science Building, Room 106
559.278.2001
FAX: 559.278.3963
www.fresnostate.edu/biology

Degrees and Programs Offered

BS in Biology, B.S.
CERT in Biotechnology, Certificate of Adv. Study
CRED in Professional Clear Foundation Level General Science
CRED in Single Subject Credential - Biological Science
MBT in Biotechnology, M.Bt.
MN in Biology, Minor
MS in Biology, M.S.

Courses Offered

The Department of Biology offers diversified undergraduate and graduate programs that matches the breadth and excitement of modern biology and prepares students for the hundreds of career opportunities that use biology as a foundation. The Bachelor of Science degree is awarded to those students who successfully complete the biology core and additional requirements and electives.

The undergraduate biology major we offer has three programmatic goals:

1. To provide students with a solid foundation in all aspects of modern biology and also the intellectual skills that will serve as the basis for a lifetime of future achievement.
2. To provide students with the specialized educational opportunities that will allow them to compete successfully for careers in the biological sciences or for advanced studies in major doctoral programs.
3. To provide preprofessional students with the knowledge needed for advanced study in the many fields that build upon a biological foundation.

Our undergraduate biology major is excellent preparation for graduate programs in clinical laboratory science, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, optometry, doctoral programs, and many others. The department offers a Master of Science (M.S.) in biology and a professional science Master of Biotechnology for qualified students who wish to explore some part of biology in greater depth.

Facilities

The department is housed in a well-equipped science building.  Among the specialized equipment and technologies available for students are Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) thermocyclers; apparati for conducting molecular and immunological analysis of nucleic acids and proteins; genetic recombination, including use of electroporation and gene guns; a bioinformatics computing laboratory; a proteomics work station; cell and tissue culture facilities; fermenters and bioreactors; fluorescence, confocal and 4-D microscopes; ultracentrifugation; radioactive materials methodologies; and metabolic studies on all types of life forms.  Excellent greenhouse and animal care facilities, as well as media/reagent production complexes, support the instructional and research programs. 

Fresno’s proximity to both the Sierra Nevada and the Pacific coast provides a natural laboratory with numerous field trip opportunities that are rarely equaled at other institutions. High Sierra, Mediterranean, desert, foothill, coastal, and forest environments are all within a three-hour drive of the campus. The department maintains a wealth of field equipment to observe and collect wild organisms. A self-contained pond ecosystem offers a unique, on-campus study resource. The department also maintains extensive collections of museum specimens of insects, vertebrates and a herbarium.

Requirements

Teaching Credential - Biology Option Requirements

Bachelor of Arts in Natural Sciences

The B.A. in Natural Sciences serves as a waiver program for the Single Subject Teaching Credential in Science. This degree program is designed for students who wish to become high school science teachers. Students may also complete the credential requirements while obtaining a B.S. in biology. Please contact Mr. Jaime Arvizu, College of Science and Mathematics counselor, for advising and more information at 559.278.5173. The B.A. in Natural Sciences with the Biology Option is as follows:

Core requirements (36 units)
Biology (12 units)
BIOL 1A, 1B and 1BL, 101

Chemistry (10 units)
CHEM 1A, 1AL, 1B, 1BL

Geology (7 units)
EES 1 and 168

Natural Science (3 units)
NSCI 106

Physical Science (4 units)
PSCI 21

Biology Option (39-41 units)
CHEM 8 or 128A (3 units)
PHYS 2A, 2B (see note 1) (8 units)
MATH 75 (4 units)
MATH 101 or PSYCH 42 (4 units)
BIOL 102, 103, 104, 105 (10 units)
BIOL 120 (4 units)
Select one course: BIOL 122, 124, 125, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135, 136, 171, 172S (3-4 units)
Select one course: BIOL 160, 161, 162 and 162L, 163 (3-4 units)

General Education requirements (51 units) (See note 2)

Electives and remaining degree requirements (see notes 2,3) (4-6 units)

Total (120 units)

Advising Notes for the Natural Sciences Major

1. Substitutions may be made with the permission of the appropriate department chair. PHYS 4A-B-C with labs 4AL, 4BL is recommended instead of PHYS 2A-B for those students well-prepared for physics.
2. This figure takes into account that 12 units required for the major are expected to count toward General Education as follows: CHEM 1A (3 units), BIOL 1A (3 units), EES 168 (3 units), and 3 units if MATH 75 is selected. Consult your major adviser for details.

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Faculty

Faculty expertise spans the range of biology from the molecular to the ecological, with a broad representation of taxonomic specialties. Laboratories in most upper-division majors’ courses are taught by faculty, and individualized student/faculty research participation through independent study is strongly encouraged.

Faculty members have garnered independent research funding from various agencies including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, and National Sea Grant. Faculty and students also participate in collaborative studies on, for example, medical and clinical topics with local physicians and hospitals; agricultural topics with the University of California Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Agricultural Research Service San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Fresno/Parlier; ecological and environmental topics with California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service and Endangered Species Recovery Program; and science educational topics with regional school districts and state and national credentialing agencies.

For faculty phone numbers and e-mail, see the campus directory.

For more on the faculty, see the faculty pages.
The faculty pages are updated by the department or program.