There are many reasons that students choose biology as a major.

• There are many careers for which a biology degree is appropriate preparation.  See our careers page.
• A biology degree is great preparation for professional school.  It is the best major for a student interested in veterinary school.  It is an excellent choice for a student hoping to attend medical school or dental school because it gives such a solid and extensive background that our students end up better prepared for the  MCAT exams and better prepared for the rigors of medical school.  Many of our students who go to professional school comment that they are better prepared than students from other schools.
• A biology degree is excellent preparation for graduate school in a number of fields.
• Even if a person does not end up working in a biology-related field after graduation, many skills learned while seeking a biology degree end up being useful: quantitative skills, communication skills, analytical skills, etc.
• Some people major in biology simply because they love studying about living organisms.

As a biology major, you have the choice of eight different emphases within the B.S. Biology degree as well as the major in Biology/Secondary Education.  Emphases guide the student to take the appropriate courses to fulfill an area of interest. They also allow a student to be identified as being strongly prepared in a particular area.

• The Botany Emphasis is for a student who has a passion for plants.  If you want to work as a botanist for the Bureau of Land Management or to go to graduate school to study plants, a Botany emphasis is for you.
  
• The Ecology Emphasis is for a person interested in understanding the interrelationships between organisms and their environments.  If you want to work with a resource agency, work as a wildlife biologist, fisheries biologist, or botanist, the Ecology emphasis is a good one.  The Ecology emphasis also is excellent preparation for graduate studies in ecology or evolutionary biology. 
  
• The Human Biology Emphasis includes psychology and/or health sciences courses, and is a good emphasis for a person interested in a health related field.
  
• The Microbiology Emphasis is for a person interested in the study of bacteria and viruses, either from an environmental microbiology perspective or from a pathogenic microbiology perspective.
  
• The Molecular and Cell Biology Emphasis is our most demanding emphasis and is great for two groups: those interested in genetics or cell biology research and those interested in entering medical or dental school.  The emphasis is provides a very powerful background for either group.  For premeds, in particular, the emphasis includes the physics and organic chemistry that you must take anyway, it includes  a  lot of biochemistry that is excellent preparation for medical school classes, and it allows you to choose among highly relevant courses, such as Molecular Biology of Cancer, Molecular Neurobiology, Pharmacology, Histology, Developmental Biology, and Bioinformatics.
  
• The Zoology Emphasis is an excellent choice for an individual who wishes to go to veterinary school, who wants to pursue a career in wildlife or fisheries biology, who wishes to work in a zoo, or is interested in any other profession that focuses on the biology of animals.

Here we discuss the courses that biology majors should take early in their college careers.  If someone has told you to "get your generals out of the way" or "take all your core classes during your first two years" you need to forget that advice.  In biology, as well as in other sciences, it is important to get started on math, chemistry, and biology early on so that you can take all the prerequisites that are required to take upper level courses. 

1: Overview of the biology curriculum

Examine the figure below and you will see several things.

• You can't even get started on chemistry and biology until you've progressed sufficiently in math. It is important to get started in MATH early.
• If you are weak in biology or chemistry, you can take BIOL 100 and or CHEM 99 to give yourself a solid foundation before tackling  BIOL 191 and CHEM 111.
• We have two courses, Cell Biology and Ecology, that are "gatekeepers" for the majority of our upper division courses.  Therefore, it is important to get through those two courses as quickly as possible.  To take Ecology requires that you take  BIOL 192 and MATH 254.  To take Cell Biology requires that you take either  CHEM 112 and  BIOL 192 or CHEM 317 and BIOL 191.
• There are some courses (taxonomy and morphology courses) that you can take after only having taken BIOL 192.
• You can either take MATH 147 for five credits in one semester or MATH 143 for three credits in one semester and MATH 144 for two credits in a subsequent semester.  Your choice will depend on how much time you have to devote to math homework (MATH 147 takes a lot of time), how good you are in math, and the strength of your background in math.

 

The set of courses you choose during your first semester depends on several things:

• What level of math class you can enter.  You can determine this either by your SAT or ACT scores, or by taking the COMPASS placement test.
• What level of English class you can enter.  You can determine this either by your SAT or ACT scores, or by taking the COMPASS placement test.
• What you background in biology and chemistry is.
• How many credits you should take.  To be considered full time for financial aid, car insurance, etc., you need to take at least 12 credits. To get through college in four years, you must average 16 credits per semester. Some students need a challenge and will be bored if they don't take 16 or more credits.  However, most students who are just starting out should take fewer.  Reasons to take fewer credits: (1) Students just starting out in college need to make a number of adjustments (living situation, increased independence, etc.) and should be cautious about how many credits they take.  (2) Students who must work more than 10 to 15 hours should be very careful about loading up with credits. It may seem as though 20 hours per week at work will leave plenty of time for homework, writing papers, studying, etc.  However, such things always seem to take longer than one thinks, especially math homework. (3) Students who have poor study skills should take fewer credits (and should consider taking a study skills course).  Those who know how to work independently and are good at completing tasks on their own can take more credits.

The steps in choosing your classes are as follows:

1. Choose an English course.  Your test or placement scores will indicate where you should start.  If you must start in ENGL 90, don't worry.  We all have areas that we need to strengthen in order to be successful.  If you are able to skip ENGL 101 and even ENGL 102, consider further strengthening your writing skills.  Writing is a critically important part of professional life.  People who write well are deeply appreciated and are sought after by employers.

2. Choose a mathematics course.  Your test or placement scores will indicate where you should start.  Don't skip this step.  As you've seen above, it is very important to get started in math in your first semester.  Math provides an important foundation for all science courses.  If you are poor at math and need to start in MATH 25, don't worry.  It's what you need to do, so do it! You should be aware, however, that students well prepared for college typically place into MATH 143 or above.  So if you place into MATH 25 or 108, it may take longer than the standard four years to complete your degree.  You should also be aware that MATH 25 and MATH 108 are now computer assisted courses.  Studies have shown that the new methods using computers to assist learning are substantially more successful than courses taught in the traditional way.  Note that if you took math courses during your senior year in high school but took your SAT or ACT test as a junior, your test scores may place you in a class lower than you think you should be in.  If so, you should take the placement exam to find out where you really should be.  There are three keys to success in college math classes: NEVER get behind, ALWAYS do your homework, and ALWAYS attend class.  Don't become one of those students who don't devote themselves to their classes.  Otherwise, why bother being in college?  At the bottom of this page are links to diagrams that show what courses to take that are appropriate for each level of math placement.

3. Consider a biology course.  If you place at least into MATH 143, then you can start out in  BIOL 191.  If you place into a lower math class and/or if you have a weak biology background and/or if you've been out of school for a long time, consider taking BIOL 100.  Students who take  BIOL 191 after having taken  BIOL 100 often are appreciative of the background they've gained.  There is some repetition in material, but that is to be expected.

4. Consider a chemistry course.  If you place into MATH 144 or MATH 170, and if you had a good high school chemistry course, then you can start out in  CHEM 111.  If you place into a lower math course, then you'll have to wait to take chemistry.  If you had no chemistry in high school, or if it was a weak course, or if it has been a long time since you took it, consider taking  CHEM 99 Preparation for Chemistry.  It is a course specifically designed to prepare students for  CHEM 111. 

5. Consider an Area I or Area II core class.  If there is still some room in your schedule, you can fill that space with Area I or II classes.  Note that we didn't even mention these classes until the end.  That's because in the sciences, we focus on getting started on math and science early, and use Area I and II classes to fill the gaps.  In choosing courses, you might consider taking a foreign language as a way of broadening your cultural outlook and increasing your ability to communicate with those for whom English is not a primary language.  You might also consider looking for courses that are potentially useful to your major (e.g., Psychology for a premed) or courses that are in an area of your interest.  The lists of acceptable Area I and II courses may be found in your catalog or in the schedule of classes.

The following diagrams show good ways take classes through your college career.  There is one diagram for each starting math class.  The diagrams only show the core of math, chemistry, and biology courses that all biology majors must take.  Other classes are not listed, including Area I core courses, Area II core classes, free electives, communications courses, and other courses required of the major.

Course progression figure Catalor 08-09

Course progression figure Pre Catalog 08-09

• Diagram of sequencing of courses if you place into MATH 25
   
• Diagram of sequencing of courses if you place into MATH 108
   
• Diagram of sequencing of courses if you place into MATH 143 or 147
   
• Diagram of sequencing of courses if you place into MATH 170