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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 and 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.

As a general rule, no more than 8 credits of coursework used to satisfy one major, minor or concentration may be applied toward another, but exceptions to this rule may be allowed with the written approval of the program coordinators.

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: Foundation, Exploration, Integration, Writing, U.S. Diversity and Capstone. For details, refer to the General Education Requirements section of the catalog.

Requirements for the major in Biology, B.S.

This curriculum is designed for students who wish to pursue a career in the sciences, including medicine and health-related fields. A minimum of 48 credits in biology (except course, course, course, course and course) is required, including at least 10 lecture courses and a minimum of 4 BIO laboratory courses at the 3000 level or above. Students must complete:

1. Required Core Courses

2. One Course from Each of the Following Areas

Molecular & Cellular Systems

  • course Developmental Biology (4)

  • course Biology of the Cell (4)

  • course Neurobiology (4)

  • course General Microbiology (4)

  • course Neuropharmacology (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)

Physiological Systems

Ecological Systems

Note: 4000-level courses in the 3 Systems areas above may also be used to help satisfy the 4000-level lecture requirement (below).

3. Two 4000 Level Lecture Courses 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 Conservation Biology (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 Microbial Biotechnology (4)

  • course Medical Microbiology (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. Four Biology Laboratory Courses at the 3000 Level or Above

Note: course does not fulfill this requirement. course and course may only count toward 1 lab requirement, even if taken multiple times.

5. Additional Biology Elective Courses, at the 2000 Level or Above, as Needed to Meet the 48-Credit Minimum

6. Chemistry Requirements

  • course General Chemistry I (4) and course General Chemistry Laboratory I (1)

  • course General Chemistry II (4) and course General Chemistry Laboratory II (1)

  • course Organic Chemistry I (4)

Plus 1 of the Following:

  • course Introduction to Computational Chemistry (2) and course Analytical Chemistry (4)  

    or course Organic Chemistry II (4) and course Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2)  

7. Physics Requirements

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

  • course  General Physics Lab I (1)

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

  • course General Physics Lab II (1)

8. Mathematics Requirements (up to 8 credits)

  • course Precalculus (4)
    or course College Algebra (4) and course Trigonometry (3)  

  • course Calculus for the Social Sciences (4)
    or course Calculus I (4)  

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

9. Four Credits of Statistics

  • 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.S. major requirements may also use any course subsequently approved as satisfying specific requirements and published in a later catalog.

Optional Concentrations

​The Department of Biological Sciences offers optional major-dependent concentrations to any student enrolled in the Biological Sciences B.S. program. These concentrations aim to broaden students’ knowledge in specific areas. The concentrations will be noted on the transcript of the students. Please refer to the individual concentration requirements below for more details. Students interested in a concentration should consult an Academic Adviser for guidance on course selection.

  • Biology, B.S., Concentration in Anatomy 

  • Biology, B.S., Concentration in Cell-Molecular Biology 

  • Biology, B.S., Concentration in Microbiology 

  • Biology, B.S., Concentration in Physiology 

  • Biology, B.S., Concentration in Pre-Veterinary Medicine

  • program

Anatomy Concentration

In addition to completing the courses listed under course requirements in the Biology BS program, students who are considering a career in the many aspects of the medical fields as well as anatomical teaching, may elect this concentration in their sophomore year. The selection of all courses should be planned in consultation with a Faculty Adviser.

Required Courses

  • course Human Anatomy (4)

  • course Human Anatomy Laboratory (1)

  • course Advanced Visceral Human Anatomy (4)

  • course Advanced Regional Dissection (2)

  • course Neuroanatomy (4)

1 of the Following Electives

  • course Histology (4) with course Histology Laboratory (1) 

  • course Vertebrate Zoology (4)

  • course Advanced Musculoskeletal Human Anatomy (4)

Cell-Molecular Biology Concentration

In addition to completing the courses listed under course requirements in the Biology B.S. program, students who are considering a career in cell biology, biotechnology or molecular biology may elect this concentration in their sophomore year. The selection of all courses should be planned in consultation with the Faculty Adviser.

Required Courses

  • course Biology of the Cell (4)

  • course Biology of the Cell Laboratory (1)

  • course Biochemistry I Laboratory (1)

  • course Genetics Laboratory (1)

  • course General Microbiology (4)
    or course Introduction to Human Microbiology (4)  

  • course General Microbiology Laboratory (1)

  • course Molecular Biology (4)

  • course Biochemistry II (4)
    or course Virology (4)  

Microbiology Concentration

In addition to completing the courses listed under course requirements in the Biology BS program, students who are considering a career in biotechnology, microbiology technology and research may elect this concentration in their sophomore or junior year. The selection of all courses should be planned in consultation with the Faculty Adviser.

Required Courses

  • course General Microbiology (4)
    or course Introduction to Human Microbiology (4)  

  • course General Microbiology Laboratory (1)

  • course Virology (4)  

  • course Medical Microbiology (4)

One of the Following Electives

  • course Molecular Biology (4)

  • course Immunology (4)

  • course Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics (4)

  • course Microbial Biotechnology (4)

Physiology Concentration

In addition to completing the courses listed under course requirements in the Biology, B.S. program, students who are considering a career in the many aspects of medical fields, as well as teaching in physiology, may elect to complete a concentration in physiology beginning in their sophomore year. The selection of all courses should be planned in consultation with a Faculty Adviser.

Satisfactory completion of the concentration requires a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 in the concentration required courses.

Required Courses

  • course Human Physiology (4)

  • course Biology of the Cell (4)

  • course Physiology Laboratory (1)

  • course Advanced Human Physiology (4)

1 of the Following Electives

Pre-Veterinary Medicine Concentration

In addition to completing the courses listed under course requirements in the Biology BS program, students who are seeking a career in veterinary medicine may elect this concentration in their sophomore year. The selection of all courses should be planned in consultation with a faculty adviser. A minimum of 15 credits of the Major-dependent Concentration must be at the upper division level (course numbers 3000 or above).

Satisfactory completion of the concentration requires a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 in the concentration required courses.

Required Courses

  • course Comparative Physiology (4)

  • course Vertebrate Zoology (4) and course Vertebrate Zoology Laboratory (1) 

It is recommended that pre-veterinary students also take the following:

  • course Organic Chemistry II (4)

  • course Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2)  

And at least 10 credits of the following electives.

Note: Professional school admission requirements may vary. Students should research current requirements and consult with an advisor before selecting elective courses.

  • course Human Anatomy (4)

  • course Human Anatomy Laboratory (1)

  • course Developmental Biology (4)

  • course Histology (4) and course Histology Laboratory (1) 

  • course Marine Biology (4)

  • course Marine Biology Laboratory (1)

  • course Animal Behavior (4)

  • course Animal Behavior Laboratory (1)

  • course Occupational Experience in Biology (2 TO 4)

  • course Medical Parasitology (4) and course Medical Parasitology Laboratory (1)  

  • course Independent Research (1 TO 4)

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.