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Department of Biology

Bachelor of Science

Core Courses | Electives | Required Courses from other Disciplines

The Bachelor of Science in Biology is a 120-unit program. Of the total, 51 units are required to satisfy the university's General Education Program and 22 units are required by the Department of Biology to complete the biology core courses. The core curriculum is a sequence of courses required for all biology majors. The core curriculum builds the foundation upon which further learning in biology will be based. Additional requirements for the major include 20 units of elective Biology coursework and 30 units of required coursework in chemistry, mathematics, and physics.

The elective biology major requirements allow flexibility and tailoring of a student's experience to his/her interests. As a result, virtually any career goal in the life sciences and related fields can be accommodated.

Students should meet with an adviser a minimum of once a semester so the adviser can review the student's program and progress.

Students planning for graduate and professional schools should be aware that entrance requirements for those programs will often exceed the minimal requirements for a Biology B.S., particularly in the ancillary fields of chemistry, physics, and mathematics. An adviser should be consulted for specific information on graduate and professional school requirements.

Requirements

Core Courses (22 units)

The biology core is required of all majors.

BIOL 1A, 1B, 1BL, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105

Electives (20 units)

These 20 units must include a minimum of three upper-division biology (BIOL) courses that include a laboratory. Of these, one must be a diversity course, and one must be a physiology course. The third laboratory course may be any other laboratory course, identified below. Marine Science (MSCI) courses are available at Moss Landing only.

  • Diversity Courses: BIOL 120, 122, 123, 124, 125, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 140, 143, 178; MSCI 112, 113, 124, 125, 131
  • Physiology Courses: BIOL 155, 156, 157 and 157L, 160, 161, 162 and 162L; MSCI 135
  • One Additional Lab Course: BIOL 120, 122, 123, 124, 125, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 151, 152, 153, 155, 156, 157 and 157L, 160, 161, 162 and 162L, 170, 171, 172, 174, 176, 178; MSCI 112, 113, 124, 125, 131, 135
  • Remaining units with upper-division biology electives (BIOL 67A or 67B)

Options for Completing the 20 Unit Requirement: You may take additional laboratory courses from line 3 above, BIOL 67A or 67B, 121, 150, 163, 164, 165, 166, 173, 175, 189T, up to six units of 190.

Required Courses from other Disciplines (30 units)

  • Chemistry: CHEM 1A and 1AL, 1B and 1BL, either 8 or 128A, 129A, and either 150 or 155 (18 units)
  • Calculus: MATH 70 or 75 (4 units)
  • Statistics: MATH 101 or PSYCH 42 (4 units)
  • Physics: PHYS 2A (4 units)

University General Education Requirements (51 units)

See the University Catalog for additional advising notes.

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