Biology, BA

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Earning a Bachelor of Arts with a major in biology develops your knowledge of biochemistry, molecular biology, developmental physiology and genetics, and plant science – all under a single roof in our Life Sciences Complex, a LEED Gold certified facility.

Degree requirements

The following requirements must be satisfied for a Bachelor of Arts with a major in biology.

Hours required and general/college requirements

A minimum of 120 semester hours, of which 42 must be advanced, and fulfillment of degree requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree as specified in the “University Core Curriculum ” in the Academics section of this catalog and the College of Arts and Sciences requirements.

Major requirements

Complete the following with a grade of C or better:

Two selections from

Complete two of the following with a grade of C or better:

Advanced biology requirements

One physiology course with laboratory chosen from

Plus 7 additional advanced hours

(Each course used must be a minimum of 3 hours.)

Courses not applicable to the biology requirements

The following courses may not be applied to the biology requirements for the BA.

Other course requirements

TECM 2700 - Technical Writing (replaces ENGL 1320 in university core)
PHYS 1410 - General Physics I and
PHYS 1430 - General Physics Laboratory I
or
PHYS 1510 - General Physics I with Calculus and
PHYS 1530 - General Physics with Calculus Laboratory I
PHYS 1420 - General Physics II and
PHYS 1440 - General Physics Laboratory II
or
PHYS 1520 - General Physics II with Calculus and
PHYS 1540 - General Physics with Calculus Laboratory II
MATH 1710 - Calculus I (MATH 1610 or MATH 1650 prerequisite, with a grade of C or better)
or
MATH 1680 - Elementary Probability and Statistics or equivalent (with a grade of C or better)

Chemistry requirements

Students must complete a minor in chemistry with a minimum of 20 hours, which must include the following courses:

CHEM 1410 - General Chemistry for Science Majors and
CHEM 1430 - Laboratory Sequence for General Chemistry
or
CHEM 1413 - Honors General Chemistry and
CHEM 1430 - Laboratory Sequence for General Chemistry
CHEM 1420 - General Chemistry for Science Majors and
CHEM 1440 - Laboratory Sequence for General Chemistry
or
CHEM 1423 - Honors General Chemistry and
CHEM 1440 - Laboratory Sequence for General Chemistry
CHEM 2370 - Organic Chemistry and
CHEM 3210 - Organic Chemistry Laboratory
(All courses above are to be completed with a C or better.)
CHEM 2380 - Organic Chemistry or equivalent and
CHEM 3220 - Organic Chemistry Laboratory or equivalent

Plus 4 advanced hours chosen from

Note

Premedical and pre-dental students are advised to substitute BIOC 4540 /BIOC 4550 /BIOC 4560 for BIOC 3621 /BIOC 3622 .

Electives

Hours required for electives may vary based on course selection and the University Core Curriculum requirements. Electives may be required to satisfy the advanced hour requirement (42) and/or the minimum total hours required for the degree. For specific information see an academic advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Other requirements

Only two attempts will be allowed for each biology and biochemistry course in the degree. A minimum 2.5 grade point average for upper-division courses in the sciences, a minimum 2.5 UNT grade point average and an overall 2.5 grade point average are required for graduation. All students seeking to enter the Department of Biological Sciences, with the exception of beginning freshmen, must meet the minimum UNT and overall grade point averages given above. Students in the department whose UNT or overall grade point average drops below the minimum (given above) for two consecutive semesters will be removed from the program.