Biology, BSBIO

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The university’s investment in cross-disciplinary research clusters and our participation in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science Education Alliance gives you hands-on experience in complex research as you earn your Bachelor of Science in Biology.

Degree requirements

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’s degree as specified in the “University Core Curriculum ” in the Academics section of this catalog and the College of Arts and Sciences requirements.

Foreign language requirement options

Students may complete either of two options to satisfy the College of Arts and Sciences foreign language requirement:

Option 1

Must attain intermediate II level (2050) in a foreign language or pass appropriate proficiency exam(s) as specified by the College of Arts and Sciences.

Option 2

Complete two courses from the approved groups listed below (a minimum of 6 hours). A student who wishes to fulfill the foreign language requirement by Option 2 must first be counseled by an undergraduate advisor of the Department of Biological Sciences and must obtain written approval of Option 2 for inclusion in the student’s degree audit. Students must choose one course from each group listed below for a total of 6 hours. All courses must be a minimum of 3 hours. Special Problems (BIOL 4900 - BIOL 4910 ), Cooperative Education in Biological Sciences (BIOL 4920 ) and Honors Research/Thesis (BIOL 4940 , BIOL 4950 , BIOL 4951 ) are excluded.

Group 1

Group 2

Select one course from the following:

Biochemistry or chemistry courses at the 3000 level or higher if they are not used to complete the major requirement for advanced chemistry
Computer science courses for computer science majors that are above the CSCE 1020 level
EDSE 4608 - Student Teaching I in Mathematics and Science
EDSE 4618 - Student Teaching II in Mathematics and Science
TECM 4190 - Technical Editing
TECM 4250 - Writing Technical Procedures and Manuals
GEOG 3190 - Statistical Research Methods in Geography
GEOG 3500 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
GEOG 4400 - Introduction to Remote Sensing
GEOG 4520 - Intermediate Geographic Information Systems
GEOG 4550 - Advanced Geographic Information Systems
GEOG 4560 - Introduction to GIS Programming
HNRS 3500 - Honors Thesis Proposal Development
MATH 1680 - Elementary Probability and Statistics or other math course above the level of MATH 1710
PHIL 3250 - Philosophy of Science
PSYC 4640 - Psychophysiology
Physics courses for physics majors at the 3000 level or higher

Note

All courses must be appropriate for majors within the department that offers them. Normal limitations for undergraduate enrollment in graduate classes will still apply.

Major requirements

A major of 42 hours in the biological sciences, of which 28 must be advanced.

Required courses

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 16 advanced hours

(Excluding BIOL 3350 /BIOL 3360 , BIOL 3500 , and BIOL 4050 ) of which 2 courses must be with laboratory.

By selecting upper-division biology courses from a subdiscipline, it is possible for the BS student to establish, unofficially, an area of study in general biology, microbiology, animal physiology/neuroscience, cell and molecular biology/genetics, or the plant sciences in consultation with the undergraduate advisor. The subdisciplines of general biology, microbiology, plant sciences, and neuroscience have been defined with the courses listed below. Please consult with the undergraduate advising assistant in Room A128 of the Life Sciences Complex for further information.

General biology

16 advanced hours selected from the following:

Microbiology

16 advanced hours selected from the following:

Neuroscience

16 advanced hours selected from the following:

Plant sciences

16 advanced hours selected from the following:

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 equivalent

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
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.