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Biology

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Biological SciencesUG

General

Requirements

Major Dependent Concentration(s)

Program Requirements

Students must fulfill the Oakland University General Education Requirements, the General College of Arts and Sciences Requirements, the College of Arts & Sciences Exploratory Requirement, and the Major Requirements. Additionally, students must complete a sufficient number of free elective courses to meet the overall credit requirement for their degree. A minimum of 120 credits is required, although some degree programs may require a higher total credit count.

General Education Requirements

In order to graduate on-schedule without taking additional courses, it is highly recommended that students meet with an Undergraduate Academic Adviser concerning the selection of all of their General Education courses.

Each candidate for an Oakland University baccalaureate will need to satisfactorily complete approved courses in each of the following areas: Foundations, Explorations, and Integration. For details, refer to the General Education Requirements section of the catalog.

Requirements for the liberal arts major in Biology, B.A. program

This curriculum is designed for students intending to incorporate a Biology major into a broader liberal arts program in pursuit of careers in technical fields or business or postgraduate study. Students in the B.A. curriculum who wish to apply to medical or dental schools are advised to complete the program.

A minimum of 42 credits in biology (except course, course, course, course, and course) is required, including at least nine lecture courses and a minimum of three BIO laboratory courses at the 3000 level or above. Students must complete:

1. Required Core Courses

2. 1 course from each of the following areas

Molecular and Cellular Systems

  • course Developmental Biology (4)

  • course Biology of the Cell (4)

  • course  Neurobiology (4)

  • course  General Microbiology (4)

  • course Molecular Biology (4)

  • course Stem Cell Biology (4)

  • course Immunology (4)

  • course Biochemistry II (4)

  • course Advanced Topics in Mechanisms of Development (4)

  • course  Advanced Genetics (4)

  • course Microbial Biotechnology (4)

Ecological Systems

  • course Field Botany (4)

  • course Marine Biology (4)

  • course Ecology (5)

  • course Field Biology (4)

  • course Tropical Field Ecology (3)

  • course  Botany (4)

  • course  Animal Behavior (4)

  • course Organic Farming (4)

  • course Conservation Biology (4)

  • course  Medical Parasitology (4)

  • course  Ecology of Streams and Rivers (4)

  • course Lake Ecology (4)

  • course Topics in Community and Population Biology (4)

  • course  Food Systems Biology (4)

  • course Ecological Problem Solving (4)

Note: 4000-level courses in the three Systems areas above may also be used to help satisfy the 4000-level lecture requirement (below).

3. 1 4000-level Lecture Course selected from the following

  • course  Advanced Visceral Human Anatomy (4)

  • course  Advanced Musculoskeletal Human Anatomy (4)

  • course Neuroanatomy (4)

  • course  Molecular Biology (4)

  • course  Cell Biology of Cancer (4)

  • course Stem Cell Biology (4)

  • course Science of Vision (4)

  • course Immunology (4)

  • course Cellular Biochemistry (4)

  • course Biochemistry II (4)

  • course Advanced Topics in Mechanisms of Development (4)

  • course Medical Parasitology (4)

  • course Ecology of Streams and Rivers (4)

  • course Lake Ecology (4)

  • course Topics in Physiological Ecology (4)

  • course Topics in Community and Population Biology (4)

  • course  Food Systems Biology (4)

  • course Topics in Evolutionary Biology (4)

  • course Topics in Behavioral Biology (4)

  • course Ecological Problem Solving (4)

  • course Advanced Genetics (4)

  • course Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics (4)

  • course Virology (4)

  • course Medical Microbiology (4)

  • course Microbial Biotechnology (4)

  • course Advanced Topics in Cell Physiology (4)

  • course Advanced Human Physiology (4)

  • course Endocrinology (4)

  • course  Selected Topics in Biology (1 TO 5)

  • course Introduction to Human Subjects Research I (4)

  • course Pre-Medical Study Abroad (4)

Note: Students selecting course should check with their faculty adviser.

4. 3 Biology Laboratory Courses at the 3000 level or above

Note:  One course may be course Independent Research. course and course may only count toward one laboratory requirement, even if taken multiple times. course does not fulfill this requirement.

5. Additional Biology Elective Courses, at the 2000 level or above, as needed to meet the 42-credit minimum

6. Chemistry Requirements

  • course General Chemistry I (4)  and course General Chemistry Laboratory I  

  • course General Chemistry II (4) and course General Chemistry Laboratory II 

  • course Organic Chemistry I (4)

7. Physics Requirements

  • course General Physics I (4)
    or course Introductory Physics I 

  • course General Physics Lab I (1)

  • course General Physics II (4)

    or course Introductory Physics II 

  • course General Physics Lab II (1)

8. Mathematics Requirement

  • course Precalculus (4)

    or course College Algebra and course Trigonometry)

    (or course competency as determined by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics)

9. Statistics Requirement

  • course Statistical Methods for Biology (4)

Note

Corresponding lecture and lab courses should normally be taken simultaneously. Note that some courses have incorporated labs into lecture credit while other labs are given separate credit.

Students using this catalog to meet Biology B.A. major requirements may also use any course subsequently approved as satisfying specific requirements and published in a later catalog.

Applicable Minors

All Minors are applicable to this major with the exception of the following Minor(s): Biology, Child Welfare, International Orientation for EGR/CS, Sustainability Engineering, Two Science, and Three Science.