Biology, B.A.
Overall Requirements
- 120 credit hours, to include at least 36 credits at or above the 300 course level; note that licensure programs may require hours beyond the minimum listed.
- Students must have a grade point average of at least 2.0 in Biology courses completed at UNC Greensboro.
- A minimum of 30 credits of Biology course above the 100 level.
- BIO 280 and BIO 280L will not be counted towards the major; instead Biology majors should take BIO 481 and BIO 481L.
Degree Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | ||
| General Education Requirements (MAC) | ||
| College of Arts and Sciences Additional Requirements (CIC) | ||
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Program Qualifications * | 8 | |
| Principles of Biology I and Principles of Biology I Laboratory | ||
| Principles of Biology II and Principles of Biology II Laboratory | ||
| Core Courses ** | 16 | |
| Principles of Ecology | ||
| Cell Biology | ||
| Genetics | ||
| Evolution | ||
| Ecology and Evolution Laboratory | ||
| Cell Biology and Genetics Laboratory | ||
| Related Area Requirements | 11-15 | |
| General Chemistry I | ||
| General Descriptive Chemistry I and General Descriptive Chemistry II | ||
| General Chemistry I Laboratory | ||
or CHE 110 | Introductory Chemistry Laboratory | |
| General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory | ||
| Mathematics for the Life Sciences | ||
or MAT 151 | Precalculus II | |
or MAT 190 | Precalculus | |
or MAT 184 | Calculus for the Life Sciences | |
or MAT 191 | Calculus I | |
or MAT 196 | Calculus A | |
- *
Students are strongly encouraged to take BIO 100.
- **
In meeting the requirement for hours above the 100 level, all B.A. in Biology majors must complete the following core courses; completion of at least four of these requirements is strongly recommended prior to enrollment in courses numbered 400 and higher.
Recommended
The department highly recommends the course listed below in addition to the required courses listed above.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation to Biology | ||
| Organic Chemistry I | ||
| Organic Chemistry II | ||
| Organic Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Calculus A | ||
| Calculus B | ||
or STA 271 | Fundamental Concepts of Statistics | |
| General Physics I | ||
| General Physics II | ||
Optional Concentration
The optional concentration as detailed following the major requirements may be added, but is not required.
- Biology Major with Comprehensive Science High School Teaching Licensure
Electives
Electives sufficient to complete the 120 credit hours required for the degree.
Biology Major with Comprehensive Science High School Teaching Licensure Concentration Requirements
The Comprehensive Science High School Licensure (BIOL) program provides a strong background in biology as well as licensure for high school biology teaching. In addition, successful completion of this program qualifies candidates to teach other high school science subjects as well.
The Department offers a full range of courses leading to the B.A. degree. The degree may lead to further study in graduate school, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, medical technology, biotechnology, and environmental biology. See also Preprofessional Programs. Both study and laboratory facilities are available to advanced undergraduates.
Students seeking admission to the UNC Greensboro Teacher Education Program with a major in Biology must meet the following minimum requirements of the Department of Biology:
-
Completion of a minimum of 9 credit hours in biology courses, with at least six of those hours from courses taken at UNC Greensboro.
-
A grade point average of at least 2.50 for biology courses completed at UNC Greensboro.
Students already admitted to the UNC Greensboro Teacher Education Program with a major in Biology who are seeking admission to Student Teaching must meet the following requirements of the Department of Biology:
-
Completion of a minimum of 18 credits of biology courses, with at least 15 of those credits from courses taken at UNC Greensboro.
-
A grade point average of at least 2.50 for biology courses completed at UNC Greensboro.
Additional Requirements for Teacher Licensure*
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required | 12 | |
| General Physics I and General Physics Lab I | ||
| Introduction to Earth Science and Earth Science Laboratory | ||
Select one or more of the following: | ||
| Physical Geology and Physical Geology Laboratory | ||
| Physical Geography: Landscape Processes and Physical Geography Laboratory | ||
| Weather and Climate and Climatology Laboratory | ||
| Teacher Licensure Requirements | 27 | |
The following courses must be taken in a specified sequence terminating in student teaching in the spring semester of the senior year. See the online Secondary Education Handbook for more information. | ||
| Literacy in the Content Area | ||
| Measurement and Assessment in Teaching | ||
| Educational Psychology for the Secondary Grades | ||
| Human Diversity, Teaching, and Learning | ||
| Teaching Practices and Curriculum in Science | ||
| Student Teaching: Secondary School | ||
| Student Teaching Seminar | ||
Strongly Recommended | ||
| Introduction to Instructional Technology for Educational Settings | ||
- *
The Teaching Licensure program in Biology includes a diverse science curriculum in order to align with licensure requirements of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
Disciplinary Honors in Biology
Requirements
- A minimum of 18 credit hours as defined below.
- UNC Greensboro cumulative GPA of 3.30 or better or, for transfer students, cumulative GPA of 3.30 or better from all prior institutions.
- A grade of B or higher in all course work used to satisfy the Honors requirements in Biology.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required | 6-9 | |
| Senior Honors Project | ||
| Honors Work * | ||
| Select two 400-level Biology courses completed with Honors Contracts | 6 | |
| Select a third Honors Contract course in Biology at the 300 or 400 level | 3 | |
| Any of the Department's journal clubs | 1 | |
Oral presentation of Honors Thesis to a committee of three Biology Faculty or public presentation of research at a local, regional, or national meeting is required. | ||
- *
Only 6 credits may be counted toward the 30 credit minimum in the Biology major
Recognition
Receive a Certificate of Disciplinary Honors in Biology; have that accomplishment, along with the title of the Senior Honors Project, noted on the official transcript; and be recognized at a banquet held at the end of the spring semester.
Honors Advisor
Contact John Lepri at jjlepri@uncg.edu for further information and guidance about Honors in Biology. To apply: https://honorscollege.uncg.edu/disciplinary-honors/disciplinary-honors-admissions/
Application and Admission
UNC Greensboro undergraduate students who are pursuing a B.A. or B.S. in Biology may apply for admission to the Accelerated Master's Program (AMP) in Biology. Students may apply for admission to the AMP after the completion of 60 credit hours, with at least 30 credits completed at UNCG. Applicants must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.5 at UNCG. All applicants must complete the AMP information when applying for admission to the M.S. in Biology. The standard application requirements for the M.S. in Biology also apply to the AMP.
Undergraduate UNCG students may apply for admission to the AMP after the completion of 60 credit hours, with at least 30 credits completed at UNCG. Applicants must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.5 at UNCG.
Courses
Students admitted to the AMP may apply up to, but not more than, 12 credits of graduate-level course work toward completion of both the undergraduate and graduate degree, provided that they earn a grade of B (3.0) or better in the course and fulfill graduate-level requirements. The graduate courses the students will take in the Accelerated Master's Program in Biology must be approved by the Graduate Program Director. Some biology classes are cross-listed as undergraduate and graduate.
For those cross-listed courses offered to both undergraduate and graduate students, a student may not receive graduate credit for corresponding courses previously taken at the undergraduate level.
The following courses may be counted towards both the B.S. or B.A. and the M.S. degrees:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BIO 601 | Seminar in Animal Ecology | 3 |
| BIO 605 | Seminar in Ecology | 3 |
| BIO 609 | Seminar in Molecular Cell Biology | 3 |
| BIO 610 | Seminar in Molecular Genetics | 3 |
| BIO 611 | Advanced Topics in Animal Ecology | 3 |
| BIO 614 | Prenatal Development: Embryology and Teratology | 3 |
| BIO 615 | Advanced Topics in Animal Physiology | 3 |
| BIO 617 | Advanced Topics in Genetics | 3 |
| BIO 618 | Computational Biology | 3 |
| BIO 619 | Plant Physiology | 3 |
| BIO 620 | Ecosystem Ecology and Biogeochemistry | 3 |
| BIO 624 | Advanced Topics in Microbiology | 3 |
| BIO 626 | Conservation Biology | 3 |
| BIO 627 | Landscape Ecology | 3 |
| BIO 628 | Microbial Ecology | 3 |
| BIO 629 | Aquatic Ecology | 3 |
| BIO 630 | Advanced Topics in Plant Ecology | 3 |
| BIO 635 | Molecular Toxicology | 3 |
| BIO 636 | Ecotoxicology | 3 |
| BIO 637 | Human Evolutionary Genetics | 3 |
| BIO 639 | Biochemistry: Metabolic Regulation in Health and Disease | 3 |
| BIO 640 | Biology of Aging | 3 |
| BIO 641 | Stream Ecology | 3 |
| BIO 642 | Genes and Signals | 3 |
| BIO 644 | Entomology | 3 |
| BIO 645 & 645L | Disease Ecology and Disease Ecology Laboratory | 4 |
| BIO 646 | Advanced Topics in Neurobiology | 3 |
| BIO 648 | Current Topics in Biology | 1-3 |
| BIO 651 & 651L | Vascular Plant Systematics and Vascular Plant Systematics Laboratory | 4 |
| BIO 652 | Metamorphosis | 3 |
| BIO 655 | Vertebrate Reproduction | 3 |
| BIO 656 | Global Change | 3 |
| BIO 660 | Symbiosis | 3 |
| BIO 673 | Drugs and the Brain | 3 |
| BIO 676 | Population Genetics and Molecular Evolution | 3 |
| BIO 678 | Hormones in Action | 3 |
| BIO 680 | Environmental Physiology | 3 |
| BIO 685 | Virology | 3 |
| BIO 686 | Cell Cycle and Cancer | 3 |
| BIO 687 | Epigenetics | 3 |
| BIO 691 | Genetics of Complex Traits | 3 |
| BIO 694 | Advanced Genetics | 3 |
Students must have completed the appropriate prerequisites required for listed courses or have permission of the department. All courses that lead to the completion of the M.S. in Biology must be approved by the Graduate Program Director. Please consult with an undergraduate advisor to determine how courses taken at the graduate level will meet requirements in the bachelor's degree program. All degree requirements for the M.S. in Biology remain the same.