Requirements

Department of Biology

Bachelor of Science Degree Requirements in Biology 

The Bachelor of Science in Biology is a 120-unit program. Of the total, 48 units are required to satisfy the university's General Education Program and 21 units are required by the Department of Biology to satisfy the biology core. 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 are listed below.

The biology degree program prepares students for entry into a wide range of careers, for further academic study at the graduate level, including the department's own M.S. in Biology, and for entrance into professional degree programs. Within the scope of the major requirements and electives, students may focus their studies in areas that best meet their future career needs. Students must consult an advisor for help in selecting courses appropriate to their interests and career objectives. An emphasis on cellular and molecular processes prepares students for the department's professional science Master of Biotechnology.

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 advisor should be consulted for specific information on graduate and professional school requirements.

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

1. Major requirements (42 units)

Biology Core (21 units)
The biology core is required of all majors (see Advising Notes.)
BIOL 1A, BIOL 1B and BIOL 1BL, BIOL 101, BIOL 102, BIOL 103, BIOL 105, and BIOL 101L or BIOL 104 (21 units)

Other major requirements (21 units)
In addition to the core, all majors must complete major and additional requirements described as follows:

All students must take a minimum of three upper-division biology (BIOL) laboratory courses. Of these, at least one must be designated as a diversity course, and one must be designated as a physiology course, both identified below. The third course may be any other laboratory course, also identified below. All other courses taken as part of the major requirements are the choice of the student. One of these additional courses may be either BIOL 67A or BIOL 67B, but no other lower-division course may be used.

1. Diversity Courses:
BIOL 120 / BIOL 120L, BIOL 122, BIOL 123, BIOL 124, BIOL 125, BIOL 130, BIOL 131, BIOL 132, BIOL 133, BIOL 134, BIOL 135, BIOL 136, BIOL 140, BIOL 143, BIOL 178

2. Physiology Courses:
BIOL 155, BIOL 156, BIOL 157 and BIOL 157L, BIOL 160, BIOL 161, BIOL 162 and BIOL 162L

3. Third Laboratory Course:
BIOL 120 / BIOL 120L, BIOL 122, BIOL 123, BIOL 124, BIOL 125, BIOL 130, BIOL 131, BIOL 132, BIOL 133, BIOL 134, BIOL 135, BIOL 136, BIOL 140, BIOL 141, BIOL 142, BIOL 143, BIOL 144, BIOL 151, BIOL 152, BIOL 153, BIOL 155, BIOL 156, BIOL 157 and BIOL 157L, BIOL 160, BIOL 161, BIOL 162 and BIOL 162L, BIOL 170, BIOL 171, BIOL 172, BIOL 174, BIOL 176, BIOL 178

Options for Completing the 21-unit requirement:
You may take additional laboratory courses from line 3 above, BIOL 67A or 67B, BIOL 110, BIOL 111H, BIOL 112H, BIOL 113H, BIOL 119, BIOL 121, BIOL 150, BIOL 158, BIOL 163, BIOL 164, BIOL 165, BIOL 166, BIOL 173, BIOL 175, BIOL 189T; up to 6 units of BIOL 190, BIOL 199H 

Additional requirements (30 units)
CHEM 1A, CHEM 1AL, CHEM 1B, CHEM 1BL, CHEM 8 or CHEM 128A, CHEM 129A, and CHEM 150 (see note 3) or CHEM 155A (18 units)
MATH 70 or MATH 75 (4 units)
MATH 101 or MATH 102 (4 units)
PHYS 2A (4 units)

2. General Education requirements (48 units) (see note 1)

3. Other requirements (9 units)
American Government and Institutions (PLSI 2), Multicultural and International (MI), and Upper-division writing. 

4. Sufficient elective units to meet required total units (varies) 

5. Total (120 units)**

Advising Notes 

1. The total of 120 units assumes biology majors will maximize the 10 units of General Education requirements that also may be applied to major and additional required courses as follows: 3 units of CHEM 1A/1AL in G.E. Breadth B1; 3 units of BIOL 1A in G.E. Breadth B2; and 3 units of MATH 70 or 75 in G.E. Foundation B4. Consult your major academic advisor for details.
2. B.S. in Biology majors who have taken introductory sequences other than BIOL 1A and 1B /BL must consult with their faculty advisor or department chair for equivalency evaluation prior to beginning their upper-division coursework.
3. Please note that CHEM 128B is a prerequisite for CHEM 155A.
4. Pre-medical, pre-pharmacy, pre-veterinary, and preclinical laboratory science students are required to take CHEM 128B in addition to CHEM 128A, and PHYS 2B in addition to PHYS 2A. Pre-pharmacy students are required to take, and most pre-medical and pre-veterinary students should take, CHEM 129B. Preclinical laboratory sciences students are required to take CHEM 105. Some pre-pharmacy and pre-medical students should take MATH 76.
5. CR/NC grading is not permitted in the Biology major.
6. General Education, MI, and elective requirements may be used toward a double major or minor (See Degree Requirements). Consult the appropriate department chair, program coordinator, or faculty advisor for additional information.

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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.

Roadmap

Bachelor of Science in Biology

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Careers

...innovative and state of the art education and research in Ecology, Evolution, and Cellular and Molecular Biology

Biology is the scientific study of life: its processes, complexity and incredible diversity. The Department of Biology at California State University, Fresno offers diversified undergraduate and graduate education that spans the breadth of modern biology - from the inner workings of cells to the structure of whole ecosystems.

The Department of Biology is a vibrant group of tenure-track faculty members; excellent teachers with active and externally funded research programs. Fresno State biologists are investigating the molecular mechanisms of cellular processes, the ecology of the Sierra Nevada forests and watersheds, and the evolution of life in the world's oceans. The Department offers a diverse graduate and undergraduate curriculum to prepare students for an array of career paths in the biological sciences. Motivated students have a wealth of independent research opportunities with Biology faculty.

What You Can Earn

High School Biology Teacher
$56,101 (in our region)

Source: HR Data from Salary.com as of December 2012

What You Can Do

Prepare for graduate programs in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, optometry, and doctoral programs

Interesting Classes You Might Take

• Human Anatomy and Physiology
• General Ecology
• Evolution
• Plant Taxonomy

What You Can Learn

• The role of microorganisms in causing infectious disease
• Ecology, evolution, and diversity of the fish of the world
• Macroscopic and microscopic study of the structure and functional relationships of the human nervous system
• The role of evolution in environmental relationships

About the College

The College of Science and Mathematics provides professional training at the undergraduate and graduate levels to serve as a foundation for a career in science or mathematics, to provide preprofessional training in preparation for careers in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and other professions or for continued study at the graduate level.

College Contact Information

The Office of the Dean is located in Science II, Room 301.
Telephone: (559) 278-3936

Department Contact Information

The Department of Biology is located on the ground floor of the Science Building, Room 106

Mailing Address
2555 East San Ramon Ave MS/73
California State University, Fresno
Fresno, California USA 93740

Phone: (559) 278-2001
Fax: (559) 278-3963