Biology Core Curriculum

Note to Students

This curriculum guide is provided to assist you in making decisions about when and how to complete all graduation requirements. You are solely responsible for keeping your records up to date and for completing graduation requirements in a timely manner. You should work closely with your academic advisor in choosing courses to complete requirements. The Biology Program Director and the Dean's Office staff are also available to advise you.

Biology/Biological Science Core Requirements

All Biology and several of the biological sciences majors begin with the Biology Core Curriculum, which allows you to obtain a broad background in biology and related physical sciences and math. While it is recommended that the Core Curriculum be substantially completed in the first two years, students are encouraged to consult with their academic advisor to select one or more life science courses of interest that may help the student in choosing a career pathway or alternate major. This may result in delaying one or more of the Core courses to the junior year. By the end of the sophomore year, students are expected to have selected a departmental major or one of the four Biology Options leading to a B.S. degree. These options are: 1) General Biology; 2) Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Biology; 3) Marine and Freshwater Biology; 4) Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. To receive the B.S. degree in Biology, you must complete 128 cr. hr. with a cumulative GPA of 2.0. Courses must include all UNH General Education requirements, Biology Core Curriculum requirements, and the requirements for the selected Option. A minimum grade of C- is required in all biological science courses that are counted towards the requirements for a degree in Biology (all four options). The only exceptions is that a passing grade below a C- will be accepted in a student's first Biology course (Biol 411 or Biol 412) at UNH. Students who expect to compete successfully for post-baccalaureate programs should attain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher by the end of the sophomore year and maintain it at this level.

Since Biology Core courses are required of all biological science majors, it is relatively easy to change majors within the biological sciences during this period. A Biology Option or a departmental major should be declared as soon as possible, but definitely by the end of the sophomore year.

Note: It is strongly recommended that students participate in an exchange semester at another university or in a field-oriented program or internship. There are many exchange opportunities available in which a full semester of credits toward the major can be earned. In addition, students should explore the courses at the Shoals Marine Lab, which provides an excellent setting for several ‘field-oriented’ courses during the summer. Often there is financial support available for the SML programs (see SML web site for details). It is further recommended that students explore possibilities of one or more semester of Independent Investigation (research projects). For details, contact your advisor or the Biology Program Office. Financial support is available for most of these programs.

Pre-Med and other pre-health professional students should visit the Pre-Med office in Hood House for additional information on requirements for specific professional schools. The following elective courses will be helpful in preparing for admission to post-baccalaureate programs in the health professions and for their required aptitude examinations.

BCHM/ANSC 702, ZOOL 518, ZOOL 625/626, BIOL 605, BCHM 751/752, ANSC 511/512

One 600, 795, or 796 experience totaling 3 or more credits or any two 795-796 experiences of 2 credits each can fulfill one course requirement in any category with advisor's approval. A Petition for Academic Variance approved by the Biology Program Director is required to count 795-796 experiences for more than one major required course. The students should check UNH WEBCAT, the Biology web site, and the UNH Catalog for updates and current course offerings.

Biology Core Curriculum

Perspectives in Biology, BIOL 400¹
Introductory Biology, BIOL 411 & BIOL 412².
Ecology, BIOL 541
Microbiology, MICR 503
Genetics, BIOL 604

Introductory Chemistry, CHEM 403 & CHEM 404
Organic Chemistry, CHEM 545/546 and Biochemistry, BCHM 658/659 OR
Organic Chemistry CHEM 651/653 and CHEM 652/654³

Calculus I, MATH 424B or 425
Statistics, BIOL 528 OR MATH 426⁴

Physics, PHYS 401 & PHYS 402

English, ENGL 501 (or equivalent)³, EDUC 500⁵

Typically students take BIOL 400, BIOL 411 & 412, CHEM 403 & 404 and MATH 424B in their Freshman Year, and then complete the remainder of their Core Requirements during their Sophomore and Junior Years.

In addition to the Core Curriculum, the requirements for individual Options are described separately.

¹ BIOL 400 is required only for first year biology majors.
² BIOL 411 and 412 are not sequential and may be taken in reverse order.
³ CHEM 651/653 and 652/654 and ENGL 501 are required for Pre-med or affiliated professional programs.
⁴ Calculus II (MATH 426) can be substituted for Statistics, but we recommend Statistics.
⁵ Required only for those preparing for teacher certification.

Effective: September, 2003