Biology, BS

Requirements

  • Students must complete the final 30 credit hours of their degree at Roosevelt University.
  • A total of 35 credit hours of acceptable biology courses are required for the BS Biology degree. Students must take at least one class in each of the following six competency areas: Applying the Process of Science, Quantitative Reasoning, Modeling and Simulation, Interdisciplinary, Communication and Collaboration, and Science and Society. Courses that fulfill these competencies can be found in the course list below. Each qualifying course may cover up to two competency areas.
  • At least 20 credit hours in acceptable biology, chemistry, and physics courses must be taken at Roosevelt University; not more than 15 credit hours of acceptable biology courses may be completed elsewhere and applied to the BS biology degree.
  • Following enrollment, completion of all remaining biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics course requirements for Biology degrees must be accomplished at Roosevelt University. Under special circumstances, written permission to take required courses elsewhere may be granted by advisors.
  • Courses in biology must have been taken within the past eight years to be accepted for prerequisites and graduation.
  • No more than six credit hours total of independent study (BIOL 395 INDEPENDENT STUDY), (BIOL 392 RESEARCH IN BIOLOGY), and internships (BIOL 391 MEDICAL INTERNSHIPBIOL 393 VETERINARY INTERNSHIP or BIOL 396 BIOLOGY INTERNSHIP) in biology may be used to fulfill the requirements of the major.
  • Technical and/or clinical courses are not acceptable for transfer credit.
  • AP biology credit with a score of 3.0 or higher may apply toward the major in biology or the general education requirements after consultation with an advisor.
  • AP chemistry with a score of 4 or 5 satisfies the requirements for CHEM 201 with lab.
  • For AP physics credit, consult an advisor.
  • At least one biology course with a laboratory above BIOL 301 CELLULAR & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (not including independent research) must be passed with a grade of C- or better.
  • A grade of C- is the minimal acceptable grade for a course to be applied to the major and the supporting sequence, or to be acceptable as a prerequisite for subsequent courses.
  • A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 is required for all course in the major.
Courses Required for the Biology BS
BIOL 201ORGANISMIC BIOLOGY (with lab)5
BIOL 202ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND GENETICS (with lab)5
BIOL 301CELLULAR &MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (with lab)5
CHEM 201GENERAL CHEMISTRY I (with lab)5
CHEM 202GENERAL CHEMISTRY II (with lab)5
CHEM 211ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I (with lab)5
CHEM 212ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II (with lab)5
MATH 121COLLEGE ALGEBRA3
MATH 122TRIGONOMETRY AND PRECALCULUS3
MATH 217ELEMENTARY STATISTICS3
MATH 231CALCULUS I5
MATH 232CALCULUS II5
PHYS 201INTRODUCTION TO NON-CALCULUS BASED PHYSICS I (with lab)4
PHYS 202INTRO TO NON-CALCULUS PHYSICS II (with lab)4
PHYS 233CALCULUS-BASED PHYSICS I DISCUSSION1
PHYS 234CALCULUS-BASED PHYSICS II DISCUSSION1
ELECTIVES 120
Select additional biology electives to bring total biology credits to a minimum of 35 credit hours. These courses must cover all six core competency areas. Courses may cover up to two competency areas. 1
Area 1: Applying the Process of Science
Select at least one course from this list. Course offerings will vary by semester.
ANATOMY &PHYSIOLOGY I
ANATOMY &PHYSIOLOGY II
ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
QUANTITATIVE ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
EVOLUTIONARY PHYSIOLOGY
GENERAL GENETICS (Lecture)
MICROBIOLOGY (Lab)
IMMUNOLOGY (Lab)
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY: AFRICA
Area 2: Quantitative Reasoning
Select at least one course from this list. Course offerings will vary by semester.
BIOINORGANIC CHEMISTRY
EXPERIMENTAL METHODS IN BIOCHEMISTRY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
ADVANCED BIOCHEMISTRY
QUANTITATIVE ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
ECOLOGY (Lab)
BIOSTATISTICS
MARINE BIOLOGY
GENERAL GENETICS (Lecture)
BIOLOGY OF BIRDS: ORNITHOLOGY
Area 3: Modeling and Simulation
Select at least one course from this list. Course offerings will vary by semester.
ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
BIOCHEMISTRY
VIROLOGY
GENOMICS & APPLIED BIOINFO
Area 4: Interdisciplinary
Select at least one course from this list. Course offerings will vary by semester.
BIOINORGANIC CHEMISTRY
BIOCHEMISTRY
EXPERIMENTAL METHODS IN BIOCHEMISTRY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
ADVANCED BIOCHEMISTRY
ECOLOGY
NUTRITION IN AMERICA
CANCER BIOLOGY
MICROBIOLOGY (Lecture)
BIOLOGY OF BIRDS: ORNITHOLOGY
Area 5: Communication and Collaboration
Select at least one course from this list. Course offerings will vary by semester.
ANATOMY &PHYSIOLOGY I
ANATOMY &PHYSIOLOGY II
EVOLUTIONARY PHYSIOLOGY
GENERAL GENETICS (Lab)
MICROBIOLOGY (Lecture)
IMMUNOLOGY (Lecture)
Area 6: Science and Society
Select at least one course from this list. Course offerings will vary by semester.
FERMENTATION SCIENCE
ECOLOGY
BOTANY
TROPICAL MARINE BIOLOGY
MARINE BIOLOGY
NUTRITION IN AMERICA
CANCER BIOLOGY
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY: AFRICA
IMMUNOLOGY (Lecture)
General Electives
Any of the following courses can be taken as general electives to reach the required 35 credit hours in the Biology major
KINESIOLOGY
HISTOLOGY & ULTRASTRUCTURE
ECOLOGY OF TALLGRASS PRAIRIE
INTRODUCTION TO NEUROSCIENCE
SPECIAL TOPICS IN BIOLOGY
MEDICAL INTERNSHIP
RESEARCH IN BIOLOGY
INDEPENDENT STUDY
General Education, University Writing Requirement, and Electives
Courses to total 12037
Total Credit Hours121
1

Must be selected in consultation with an advisor; at least one 300-level laboratory course beyond BIOL 301 CELLULAR &MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

CORE Requirements (General Education)

First Year Success Course or Transfer Success Course
FYS 101FIRST YEAR SUCCESS COURSE1
or TRS 101 TRANSFER SUCCESS 101
Communication Requirement
ENG 101COMPOSITION I: CRITICAL READING & WRITING3
ENG 102COMPOSITION II: INTRODUCTION TO ACADEMIC RESEARCH3
COMM 101PUBLIC SPEAKING (or program specific CORE communications course)3
Ideas of Social Justice
3 credits in coursework categorized as Ideas.3
Humanities and Fine and Performing Arts 2, 3
9 credits from the following subject areas: African-American Studies, Art History, English (excluding ENG 101 and ENG 102), History, Languages, Music, Philosophy, Theatre, Communication and Women's and Gender Studies9
Mathematics
MATH 110QUANTITATIVE LITERACY (or above) 13
Science
One biological science and one physical science required (one must include a one credit lab).7-8
Social Sciences 2,3
9 credits from the following subject areas: African-American Studies, Criminal Justice, Economics, History, Journalism, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Women's and Gender Studies9
Experiential Learning
6 credits from coursework categorized as Experiential Learning. 6
Total Credit Hours47-48
1

Higher level of Math may be required by major

2

Coursework must come from outside of students' major discipline

3

A maximum of 9 credits can be applied from a single discipline towards humanities and social science requirements

These quantitative requirements also apply to degrees.

  • Students must earn a minimum of 120 semester hours.
  • Students may apply no more than 60 credit hours of 100-level courses toward the degree.
  • Students must apply no fewer than 60 credit hours of 200- and 300-level courses toward the degree.
  • Students must have at least 18 credit hours (of the 60 credit hours above) at the 300 level.
  • Students may transfer in no more than 70 credit hours from community colleges.
  • Students earning less than 60 total hours in residence must take their final 30 hours at Roosevelt University. Note that some majors have additional requirements for RU hours.
  • Students must have a grade point average of 2.0 or higher to graduate. Note that some majors have additional GPA requirements.
  • Students may apply no more than 51 hours in the major (BA) or 57 hours in the major (BS)

Your degree map is a general guide suggesting courses to complete each term on the academic pathway to your degree. It is based on the most current scheduling information from your academic program. Your program’s degree map is reviewed annually and updated as schedules change (although you retain the same course requirements as long as you are continuously enrolled in your degree program).

Always work closely with your academic advisor to understand curriculum requirements and scheduling, as each student’s academic plan can look slightly different.

Year 1
FallCredit HoursSpringCredit Hours
FYS 1011BIOL 2025
ENG 1013ENG 1023
CHEM 2015CHEM 2025
MATH 1213Ideas of Social Justice3
Social Science #13 
 15 16
Year 2
FallCredit HoursSpringCredit Hours
BIOL 2015BIOL 301 (Experiential Learning #1)15
CHEM 2115CHEM 2125
MATH 1223MATH 2173
COMM 1013Social Science #23
 16 16
Year 3
FallCredit HoursSpringCredit Hours
BIOL 3XX with Lab25BIOL Elective3
MATH 2315MATH 2325
Humanities #13Humanities #33
Humanities #23Social Science #33
 16 14
Year 4
FallCredit HoursSpringCredit Hours
BIOL Elective3BIOL Elective3
BIOL Elective3BIOL Elective3
BIOL Elective3PHYS 2024
PHYS 2014PHYS 2341
PHYS 2331Experiential Learning #213
 14 14
Total Credit Hours 121
1

Experiential Learning class must be 200/300 level. Satisfies CORE Experiential Learning requirement. EXL courses can satisfy major requirements/electives or CORE requirement

2

 Any course at the 300 level within the discipline above BIOL 301.