Undergraduate Program in Biology                              

The undergraduate program in biology provides an outstanding modern scienceeducation with required courses in biology (34 hours), chemistry (16 hours), physics (8hours), calculus (4 hours), and an additional mathematics or statistics course. In addition to these science experiences, the program stresses a liberal arts education in which non-science courses make up approximately half of the curriculum. Thus, biology graduates are prepared to compete in the best graduate and professional programs in the country and abroad. This course of study provides excellent support for students pursuing health professional careers, including medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy,optometry, podiatry, nursing, and related areas. The breadth of educational experiencesoffered by the program provides the foundation for diverse career opportunities in the lifesciences—from health and human services to the environment, to basic and applied research in in molecular genetics, virology, cancer biology, developmental biology, botany, ecology and evolutionary biology, marine biology, microbiology, physiology, and zoology .

Biology Curriculum

To earn a B.S. degree in biological sciences, students must complete a curriculum of required biology courses (34 hours) which includes four core lecture courses and two lab courses, biology electives (minimum of 22 hours), and adjunct and Common Curriculum courses, and they must complete a departmental comprehensive and exit interview.These requirements are described below.

Biology Core Curriculum: All majors are expected to complete the biology core courses during their first two years. These courses present the fundamental concepts of thebiological sciences through lectures, discussions, field experiences, and investigativelaboratories. Upon completing the biology core courses, students are prepared to enrollin biology elective courses.

Biology Core Courses

• BIOL A100 Biology Freshmen Seminar (fall freshman year)
• BIOL A106 Cells and Heredity (fall freshman year)
• BIOL A107 Cells & Heredity Lab (fall freshman year)
• BIOL A108 Biology of Organisms (spring freshman year)
• BIOL A109 Biology of Organisms Lab (spring freshman year)
• BIOL A208 Ecology and Evolution (spring sophomore year)

Elective Courses: The remainder of the courses required for the major are biology electives (a minimum of 22 hours) which the students select according to their interests.Students are encouraged to conduct original research under the supervision of a faculty member (see the following page) for which they may receive elective course credit ( = 6 hours).

Laboratory Requirement: The department views field and laboratory experiences asbeing critical for a modern science education. Therefore, at least five of the core andelective biology courses that students complete must include laboratory experiences. For example, students completing the core courses with Cells and Heredity Lab (BIOL A107) and Biology of Organisms Lab (BIOL A109) will have taken two laboratory courses toward this requirement. They then will need to ensure that at least three of the elective courses they select include laboratories.

Undergraduate Research: Research experiences are invaluable to the education of a biologist. Students may elect to conduct original research under faculty guidance in anindependent study format in three courses. Research Proposal (BIOL A400), Independent Research (BIOL A401), and Research Thesis (BIOL A402). Students present theirfindings in a departmental seminar and write their results in a thesis format at thecompletion of their project.

Departmental Comprehensive: All candidates for graduation must successfullycomplete comprehensive exit examinations during their senior year.

Departmental Honors Program: Students who complete original research projects (see Undergraduate Research, above) and maintain 3.0 in both their Loyola cumulativeand in their biology major course work are awarded departmental honors in biology.

 

Bachelor of Science— (supports preparation for any field of the health professions and graduate studies)

Freshman		F	S
Major	BIOL A100/106/107 – A108/A109/A110	5	4
Adjunct	CHEM A105/A107 – A106/A108	4	4
Adjunct	MATH A257 – A258 or Statistics	4	3 or 4
Foreign Language		3	3
		16	14 or 15
		30 or 31
Sophomore		F	S
Major	BIOL A208 -- Biol Electives	3	4 - 7
Adjunct	CHEM A300/A301 – A305	3	5
Common Curriculum		9	3 or 6
		15	15
		30
Junior		F	S
Major	BIOL Electives	3 or 4	4 or 6
Electives		3	0
Adjunct	PHYS A115 – A116	4	4
Common Curriculum		6	6
		16-17	14-16
		30 - 33
Senior		F	S
Major	BIOL Electives	4-6	4-6
Electives		3	4
Common Curriculum		6	4
		14-16	12-18
		26 to 30
TOTAL: 120 cr. hrs.