B.A. Biology with Natural History Concentration
The B.A. in Biology with Natural History Concentration is designed for students who want to pursue a career where skills and knowledge of natural history (outdoor or environmental education, interpretation, identification, field studies) are desirable. The B.A. has fewer courses in Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics than the B.S. in Biology, and more upper division electives, providing students with greater latitude to design their own program of study. Students who pursue the B.A. in Biology will not meet the minimum requirements for admission to most graduate research programs in biological sciences or professional programs in the health sciences.
The B.A. degree requires that students complete all of the General Education Objectives described in the Academic Information section of this catalog. Students must also satisfy the core requirements listed below and the requirements of the Natural History Concentration. All graduates of this degree program will earn a B.A. in Biology regardless of the concentration selected.
General Education
The listing below includes program requirements that also fulfill General Education requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Objective 1 | 6 | |
| Objective 2 | 3 | |
| Objective 3 | 3 | |
| Objective 4 | 6 | |
| Objective 5 | 7 | |
| Objective 6 | 6 | |
| Students must fulfill Objective 7 or Objective 8 | 3 | |
Objective 7 | ||
Objective 8 | ||
| Objective 9 | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 37 | |
Required Core Courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 1101 & 1101L | Biology I and Biology I Lab | 4 |
| BIOL 1102 & 1102L | Biology II and Biology II Lab | 4 |
| BIOL 2206 & BIOL 2207 | Cell Biology and Cell Biology Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 2209 & 2209L | General Ecology and General Ecology Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 3358 | Genetics | 3 |
| BIOL 4417 | Organic Evolution | 3 |
| BIOL 4491 & BIOL 4492 | Seminar and Seminar | 2 |
| Total Credits | 24 | |
Required Supporting Science Courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 1160 | Survey of Calculus | 3 |
| or MATH 1153 | Statistical Reasoning | |
| CHEM 1111 & 1111L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Lab | 5 |
| CHEM 1112 & 1112L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Lab | 4 |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Concentration in Natural History
Students in the B.A. in Biology program with the Concentration in Natural History should meet with an advisor to select the most appropriate courses for their interests. Students in this program may consider a Minor in another program, such as Outdoor Education (see the College of Education, Department of Human Performance and Sport Studies, for details) or Geology (see College of Science and Engineering, Department of Geosciences, for details).
In addition to completing the Required Core courses and the General Education Requirements, students earning a B.A. in Biology in the Natural History concentration must complete the following requirements.
Required Electives
Diversity, Ecology, and Evolution Courses:1
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| At least 2 courses with Animal emphasis | 7-8 | |
| At least 2 courses with Plant emphasis | 7-8 | |
- 1
See the Suggested Animal and Plant Biology course lists below.
Biology Electives (any Biology course):
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| At least 3 courses in Biology, excluding BIOL 1100. | 8-10 | |
Suggested Supporting Courses from Other Departments:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEOL 1100 | The Dynamic Earth | 3 |
| GEOL 1101 | Physical Geology | 3 |
| MUSE 4411 | Introduction to Museum Studies | 2 |
| HPSS 3386 | Outdoor Leadership | 3 |
| HPSS 4440 | Survey of Outdoor Education Literature | 3 |
| HPSS 4445 | Methods of Teaching Outdoor Activities and Practicum | 3-4 |
Suggested Animal Biology Courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 3303 & 3303L | Principles of Animal Physiology and Principles of Animal Physiology Lab | 4 |
| BIOL 3310 & 3310L | Invertebrate Zoology and Invertebrate Zoology Lab | 4 |
| BIOL 3314 & 3314L | Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy and Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy Lab | 4 |
| BIOL 4423 | General Parasitology | 3 |
| BIOL 4426 & 4426L | Herpetology and Herpetology Lab | 4 |
| BIOL 4427 & 4427L | Ichthyology and Ichthyology Lab | 4 |
| BIOL 4431 & 4431L | General Entomology and General Entomology Lab | 4 |
| BIOL 4438 | Ornithology | 4 |
| BIOL 4441 & 4441L | Mammalogy and Mammalogy Lab | 4 |
| BIOL 4459 & 4459L | Fish Ecology and Fish Ecology Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 4462 & 4462L | Freshwater Ecology and Freshwater Ecology Lab | 4 |
| BIOL 4495 | Animal Behavior | 4 |
Suggested Plant Biology Courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 2213 | Fall Flora | 2 |
| BIOL 2214 | Spring Flora | 2 |
| BIOL 4412 & 4412L | Systematic Botany and Systematic Botany Lab | 4 |
| BIOL 4404 | Plant Physiology | 3 |
| BIOL 4404L | Plant Physiology Lab 1 | 1 |
| BIOL 4405 & 4405L | Plant Form and Function and Plant Form and Function Lab | 4 |
| BIOL 4408 | Plant Ecology | 3 |
| BIOL 4408L | Plant Ecology Lab 1 | 1 |
| BIOL 4442 | Plant Animal Interactions | 3 |
1 These are optional labs.
Degree Totals
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Program Admission Requirements | 0 | |
| General Education | 37 | |
| Major Requirements (w/o General Education) | 26 | |
| Upper Division Free Electives | 28 | |
| Free Electives | 29 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |