Biology, Bachelor of Arts

Requirements

Total Course Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree

See the "Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree" in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 40 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.

Elective Requirements

Completion of elective courses (beyond the requirements listed below) to reach a total of a minimum of 120 units.

General Education Requirements (43 units)

See the "General Education" requirements in the University Catalog or the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education requirements and course offerings.

Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (3 Units)

See the "Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement" section in the University Catalog.

Statutory Requirements: United States History, Constitution and American Ideals (6 Units)

See the "University Graduation Requirements" section in the University Catalog. 

Minor Requirements

Single-field major. No minor is required, though it is recommended.

Major Requirements (64-67 units)

All courses applied to the B.A. in Biology must be passed with a grade of "C" or better.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Lower Division Requirements
BIO 120	Principles of Biology I	3
BIO 121	Principles of Biology Laboratory I	1
BIO 122	Principles of Biology II	3
BIO 123	Principles of Biology Laboratory II	1
BIO 124	Principles of Biology III	3
BIO 125	Principles of Biology Lab III	1
BIO 220	Molecular Biology	3
BIO 221	Molecular Biology Laboratory	1
CHE 110	General Chemistry I	5
CHE 112	General Chemistry II	5
MAT 131	Elementary Statistics and Probability	3
PHY 120	Elements Of Physics I	4
PHY 122	Elements Of Physics II	4
Upper Division Requirements
BIO 320	Cell Biology	3
BIO 340	Genetics	3
BIO 342	Cell And Genetics Lab	1
BIO 490	Senior Project 1	3
CHE 316 & CHE 317	Survey of Organic Chemistry and Survey of Organic Chemistry Laboratory	4
Select one of the following:		4
BIO 310 & BIO 311	Plant Physiology and Plant Physiology Laboratory
BIO 312 & BIO 313	Animal Physiology and Animal Physiology Laboratory
BIO 314 & BIO 315	Developmental Biology and Developmental Biology Lab
BIO 326 & BIO 327	General Microbiology and General Microbiology Laboratory
Select a minimum of 9 additional units of upper division Biology or Chemistry elective courses		9
BIO XXX
CHE 450	Biochemistry I
Total Hours		64

¹

BIO 490 Senior Project: Major students may substitute this course for General Education Area E. Please contact the University Advisement Center to request the course substitution.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the B.A. and B.S. Programs in Biology, a degree recipient will be able to:

• Describe the detail the major unifying themes of biology, such as evolution, energy flow and transformation, homeostasis, genetic information storage and utilization, structure-function relationships, and hierarchies of organization.
• Apply scientific reasoning to generate and test hypotheses by designing and executing experiments using appropriate methods in the laboratory or in the field.
• Analyze and interpret quantitative biological data.
• Communicate scientific information in a variety of written and oral formats.
• Discuss the relevance of scientific research to society from a historic and a modern perspective, including the ethical implications of scientific research and of new technology.
• Find, read, understand, critically evaluate, summarize, and use scientific information.

4-Year Roadmap 

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Fall		Hours
GE Area 1A English Composition		3
GE Area 1C Oral Communications		3
GE Area 3A Arts		3
GE Area 6 Ethnic Studies		3
MAT 131	Elementary Statistics and Probability (satisfies GE Area 2 Mathematical Concepts and Quantiative Reasoning)	3
	Hours	15
Spring
GE Area 1B Critical Thinking		3
GE Area 3B Humanities		3
GE Area 4A Perspectives on Individuals, Groups, and Society		3
CHE 108	Introduction to College Chemistry	5
	Hours	14
Second Year
Fall
HIS 101	History Of United States	3
GE Area 4B Global and Historical Perspectives		3
BIO 120	Principles of Biology I (may meet GE Area 5B Biological Sciences for BIO majors))	3
BIO 121	Principles of Biology Laboratory I (may meet GE Area 5C Laboratory for BIO majors)	1
CHE 110	General Chemistry I (may meet GE Area 5A Physical Science for BIO majors)	5
	Hours	15
Spring
POL 101	American Institutions	3
BIO 122	Principles of Biology II	3
BIO 123	Principles of Biology Laboratory II	1
CHE 112	General Chemistry II	5
Free Elective		3
	Hours	15
Third Year
Fall
BIO 124	Principles of Biology III	3
BIO 125	Principles of Biology Lab III	1
BIO 220	Molecular Biology	3
BIO 221	Molecular Biology Laboratory	1
CHE 316	Survey of Organic Chemistry	3
CHE 317	Survey of Organic Chemistry Laboratory	1
Free Elective		4
	Hours	16
Spring
GE Area 4UD Integrative Studies in the Social and Behavioral Sciences		3
BIO 320	Cell Biology	3
BIO 340	Genetics (satisfies GE Area 5UD Integrative Studies in the Natural Sciences)	3
BIO 342	Cell And Genetics Lab	1
Major Elective		3
Free Elective		3
	Hours	16
Fourth Year
Fall
GE Area 3UD Integrative Studies in the Humanities		3
BIO UD Requirement Lecture		3
BIO UD Requirement Lab		1
Major Elective		3
PHY 120	Elements Of Physics I	4
	Hours	14
Spring
BIO 490	Senior Project (satisfies GWAR requirement)	3
Major Elective		4
Free Elective		4
PHY 122	Elements Of Physics II	4
	Hours	15
	Total Hours	120

2-Year Roadmap

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Fall		Hours
GE Area 3UD Integrative Studies in the Humanities		3
BIO 124	Principles of Biology III	3
BIO 125	Principles of Biology Lab III	1
BIO 220	Molecular Biology	3
BIO 221	Molecular Biology Laboratory	1
CHE 316	Survey of Organic Chemistry	3
CHE 317	Survey of Organic Chemistry Laboratory	1
	Hours	15
Spring
GE Area 4UD Integrative Studies in the Social and Behavioral Sciences		3
BIO 320	Cell Biology	3
BIO 340	Genetics (satisfies GE Area 5UD Integrative Studies in the Physical & Biological Sciences)	3
BIO 342	Cell And Genetics Lab	1
Major Elective		4
	Hours	14
Second Year
Fall
BIO UD Requirement Lecture		3
BIO UD Requirement Lab		1
Major Elective		4
Free Elective		3
PHY 120	Elements Of Physics I	4
	Hours	15
Spring
BIO 490	Senior Project (satisfies GWAR requirement)	3
PHY 122	Elements Of Physics II	4
Major Elective		3
Free Elective		3
Free Elective		3
	Hours	16
	Total Hours	60