Program requirements for the Biology Major

A minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.000 and a minimum average in the major of 2.000 is required for the major and minor in Biology. A grade of C- or better is needed for all courses that fulfill the departmental requirements. Courses transferred in for all majors must be taken less than ten years ago. Students may not declare multiple majors in any combination of: Biology, Environmental Conservation (B.S. or B.A.), Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Genetics and Counseling Psychology, Integrated Biology, Neuroscience, or Nuclear Medicine Technology. Students majoring in the Biological Sciences may not minor in Biology. Students must earn a grade of C- or better in prerequisite courses before proceeding to subsequent courses. Any student who withdraws from a course or earns a grade lower than a C- may repeat the course only one time.

Total number of credits: 58 credits

Course requirements

BIO 123 Foundations in Biology 4 credits
BIO 124 Principles of Cell and Molecular Biology 4 credits
(Students with Advanced Placement credit for BIO 123 and/or BIO 124 are required to take the BIO 123 and BIO 124 Labs.)
BIO 239 Animal Ecology, Development and Evolution 4 credits
BIO 231 Genetics 4 credits
BIO 350 Junior Colloquium 2 credits
BIO 358 Science, Ethics, and Society 3 credits
CHE 111 Chemical Principles 4 credits
CHE 112 Chemical Equilibrium and Analysis 4 credits
CHE 205 Organic Chemistry I 4 credits
CHE 206 Organic Chemistry II
OR CHE 320 Environmental Chemistry 4 credits
MAT 141 Calculus I 3 credits
MAT 142 Calculus II 3 credits

Electives (15 credits)

Any 200- or 300-level BIO courses (aside from the Core*), with the exception of BIO 354, and BIO 357. CHE 217 or CHE 307, CHE 308, and FSC 348, may be applied. A student may apply up to 2 credits of BIO 243 or BIO 353 or CHE 391 or HON 350/351, and up to 1 credit of BIO 201. At least one course must be a 4-credit lecture/lab course (i.e., with the lab explicitly associated with the lecture).

* The Biology Core is defined as BIO 123, BIO 124, BIO 231, BIO 239, BIO 350, and BIO 358.

(See additional information on Thesis Option, Fulfilling the LAC requirements, and combining with Secondary Education below section on Integrated Biology Major.)

Transfer students must complete at least the following at Cedar Crest College for the B.S. in Biology or the B.A. in Integrated Biology

• BIO 350 Junior Colloquium 2 credits
• BIO 358 Science, Ethics and Society 3 credits
• A 4-credit lecture/lab course and additional Electives, such that a student’s Biology/Integrated Biology Electives taken at Cedar Crest College total 7 credits (see Electives above)

It is a general Cedar Crest College policy that a student must complete a minimum of 18 credits of major requirements through Cedar Crest College course work.

Additional course requirements for the Thesis Option

All students, particularly those who are interested in attending graduate school or obtaining a research-based job following graduation, are highly encouraged to participate in independent research, which may culminate in a thesis. The thesis option begins during the student’s junior year as part of Junior Colloquium (BIO 350). Most majors from the Department of Biological Sciences require students to develop a research proposal to investigate an original research question. This experience allows the students to go beyond the basic course information, select a problem that interests them, and apply what they have learned in their coursework to a novel situation. As part of the thesis option, students will spend a minimum of two semesters working with a faculty member to conduct the research outlined in their proposal. They will then develop a written thesis detailing their project and present their final project to the department in the form of a seminar talk or poster. Requirements towards fulfilling the thesis include: a.) two semesters (4 credits) of Independent Research (BIO 353) or b.) two semesters of Independent Research (BIO 243); and one semester of Independent Research (BIO 353), and one semester (1 credit) of Senior Thesis and Presentation (BIO 354) with grades of C- or better.

Recommended courses for the B.S. in Biology or the B.A. in Integrated Biology for students also majoring in Secondary Education with a Biology concentration

A student majoring in Secondary Education with a Biology concentration may elect to also complete the B.S. in Biology or the B.A. in Integrated Biology. Students should note that the Secondary Education major with a Biology concentration has flexible requirements; in some cases, specific options should be selected in order to complete the requirements of both majors. While fulfilling all of the requirements of the B.S. in Biology or the B.A. in Integrated Biology (see above), taking the following courses will allow for the most efficient completion of the requirements for both majors.

• BIO 260 (Comparative Animal Physiology, lecture and lab; toward completion of the Electives requirement)
• BIO 316 (Conservation Biology and GIS, lecture and lab; toward completion of the Electives requirement)
• MAT 141 (Calculus I; toward completion of the mathematics requirement)

Fulfillment of the LAC requirements

Students fulfill Technology, Oral Presentation, and Information Literacy requirement through successful completion of the following required courses: BIO 123, BIO 124, BIO 239, BIO 231, BIO 350, and BIO 358. Students also fulfill the Natural Science requirement by completing BIO 123 and BIO 124, and the Mathematics and Logic requirement by completing the mathematics requirement of the major. Students will fulfill the Ethics and Writing 2 requirements with BIO 358.