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University of Colorado Denver College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

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Bachelor of Science

Degree Requirements

Our curriculum is designed to offer, through core and ancillary courses, a firm foundation in those areas that provide an important background for understanding life processes. Choosing from among a variety of biology electives accommodates individual interests.  Please note: These requirements apply ONLY to students who declare the major as of Fall 2013 or after. See also BiologyMajorAdvisingFall 2009.pdfBiologyMajorAdvisingFall 2009.pdf. In addition to the biology major requirements listed below, students must meet all gruaduation requirements set by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Student should consult the University Catalog and CLAS Advising Office (NC 4002) for specific requirements.   Suggested Biology Degree Progress updated 1 2013.pdfSuggested Biology Degree Progress updated 1 2013.pdf  

    General Requirements for the B.S. in Biology. (as of Fall 2013)

    Please note: These requirements apply ONLY to students who declare the major as of Fall 2009 or after. See also BiologyMajorAdvisingFall 2009.pdfBiologyMajorAdvisingFall 2009.pdf

     

    Students must complete a minimum of 36 semester hours of biology courses listed in the "Biology Core Courses" tab.
  • All courses in the major must be taken for a letter grade; pass/fail grades will not apply.
  • Students must earn a "C-" (1.7) or higher in all courses used to satisfy degree requirements, with an overall minimum CU Denver Biology cumulative GPA of a 2.0.
  • 18 upper division credit hours (3000-4000+) must be taken in residence from UCD Biology faculty.
  • Courses must be taken within 10 years of graduation.
  • Biology courses taken at other colleges and universities (including CU Boulder and CU Colorado Springs) must be appproved by the UC Denver Biology BS Advisor before they can be applied toward the major requirements.
  • Departmental honors will be awarded to students based on their grade point average in biology clases taken at UCD and their cumulative UCD GPA. Both GPA's must meet the following : cumlaude > 3.5; magn cum laude >3.7; suma cum laude >3.9.
  • All majors are encouraged to consult a Biology major advisor annually and must meet with an advisor within two semesters of graduation.
  • Students with transfer credit, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) or CLEP credits, please read through this page and and meet with the Biology major advisor for placement. 
  • Students declared pre-health should also consult a Health Careers advisor.
  • Students pursuing a double major should consult advisors in both departments; Biology courses may not apply to satisfy major requirements for both majors.
  • In addition to the biology major requirements listed, students must meet all graduation requirements set by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students should consult the University Catalog and CLAS Advising Office for specific requirements.

For a printable pdf. of Biology B.S. information, click here BiologyMajorAdvisingFall 2013.pdfBiologyMajorAdvisingFall 2013.pdf

Biology total (required courses pluse electives) 36 credits - each class must be completed with a "C-" (1.7) or higher and an overall UCD Biology cumulative GPA of a 2.0.

REQUIRED BIOLOGY COURSES 18 CREDITS
These courses should be completed prior to the Biology electives. These courses cannot be applied to the upper division Biology electives.

  1. General Biology I with Lab (BIOL 2051-3 and BIOL 2071-1)
  2. General Biology II with Lab (BIOL 2061-3 and BIOL 2081-1)
  3. Principles of Ecology (BIOL 3411-3) or Fundamentals of Applied Ecology (BIOL 3412-3). Credit cannot be received for both.
  4. General Cell Biology (BIOL 3611-3)
  5. General Genetics (BIOL 3832-4)

BiologyMajorAdvisingFall 2013.pdfBiologyMajorAdvisingFall 2013.pdf

Upper Division Biology Elective Courses 18 credits (selected to accomodate individual interests and professional goals)

  1. Select one upperdivision biology lab course from the following list:
Human Physiology (BIOL 3225-4)
Plant Science (BIOL 4335-4)
Human Anatomy (BIOL 3244-5)
Flora of Colorado (BIOL 4345-4)
Ecology Laboratory (BIOL 3413-2)
Mammalogy (BIOL 4640-4)
Cell Biology Lab (BIOL 3612-2)
Advanced Human Anatomy
(BIOL 4644-2)
General Microbiology (BIOL 3654-5)
Field Studies (BIOL 4910-3)
Molecular Biology Lab (BIOL 4126-3)
 
  2.  11-13 credits of 3000-4000 courses to create a total of 36 BIOL credit hours for the major
  3.  3 credits of a 4000 level BIOL course - taken in residence from UCD Biology faculty (NOTE: BIOL 4840 and 4990 do not satisfy this requirement).
ELECTIVE NOTES:
  • Majors are encouraged to include in their program of study: Evolution (BIOL 4974) or Population and Evolutionary Genetics (BIOL 4494); Biochemistry (CHEM 3810); Internship or Independent Study; and Introductory Biostatistics (BIOL 3763).
  • Four hours in biochemistry (CHEM 3810-4 or both  CHEM 4810-3 and 4820-3) may be counted as biology elective hours, if not taken in place of second semester organic chemistry.
  • A maximum of six hours of Independent Study (BIOL 3939), including a maximum of three credits of BIOL 3939, may be counted toward the upper-division electives in biology.
BiologyMajorAdvisingFall 2013.pdfBiologyMajorAdvisingFall 2013.pdf

 

​Required Ancillary Courses 31-33 credits - each class must be completed with a "C-" (1.7) or higher.

  • Math requirement, choose one of the following three options:
    1. Calculus I (MATH 1401-4)
    2. College Algebra (MATH 1110-3) and Applicd Statistics (MATH 4830-3)
    3. College Algebra (MATH 1110-3 and Introductory Biostatistics (BIOL 3763-3)
  • College Physics I and II with labs (PHYS 2010-3 and 2030-2; PHYS 2020-3 and 2040-2) or General Physics I and II with labs (PHYS 2311-4, 2321-1, 2331-4 and 2341-1)
  • General Chemistry I and II with labs (chem 2031-3 and 2038-1; CHEM 2061-3 and 2068-2)
  • Organic Chemistry (CHEM 3411-4)
  • Organic Chemistry II (3421-4) or Biochemistry (CHEM 3810-4) 

BiologyMajorAdvisingFall 2013.pdfBiologyMajorAdvisingFall 2013.pdf

Recommended Courses

Majors are encouraged to include in their program of study:

  • Evolution (BIOL 4974) or Population and Evolutionary Genetics (BIOL 4494)
  • Biochemistry (CHEM 3810)
  • Statistics (MATH 2830 or MATH 4830 or BIOL 3763 or BIOL 4763 )
  • Technical Writing (ENGL 3154)

Suggested Biology Degree Progress updated 1 2013.pdfSuggested Biology Degree Progress updated 1 2013.pdf

BiologyMajorAdvisingFall 2013.pdfBiologyMajorAdvisingFall 2013.pdf