Biology (Minor Required), Bachelor of Science

Program Overview

The Department of Biology is committed to excellence in instruction, scholarly accomplishment, research, professional service, and student success. The Department provides a broad-based undergraduate education in Biology so as to give students the opportunity to pursue a career best-suited to their interests and abilities. Graduates are prepared to enter the workforce or continue their education in graduate or professional school. The Department provides rigorous pre-professional preparation for students seeking careers in biological sciences and health professions.

Specific graduation requirements for this program beyond university bachelor's degree requirements. 

  • A 2.5 minimum GPA in the major is required for graduation.  

 

Core Curriculum - 42 hours

The Core Curriculum serves as a broad foundation for the undergraduate degree. All candidates for a bachelor’s degree must achieve core student learning outcomes, including communication, critical thinking, empirical and quantitative skills, teamwork, personal responsibility and social responsibility, by completing courses within each category or component area of the Core Curriculum as outlined below.

The University has approved specific courses that satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements. Approved courses can be found on the Core Curriculum Page. Students seeking the most efficient way to complete the core curriculum and major or minor requirements are advised to take approved courses that can fulfill both requirements. Although core curriculum courses can also be used to fulfill major or minor requirements, earned credits hours are only applied once.

The courses listed below fulfill core curriculum and major requirements. Students who have completed a core curriculum category with courses other than those listed below will still be required to take the listed course(s) to meet major requirements.

020 Mathematics – 3 hours

MATH 1342Elementary Statistical Methods

3

MATH 1343Introduction to Biostatistics

3

030 Life and Physical Science – 6 hours

CHEM 1311General Chemistry I

3

CHEM 1312General Chemistry II

3

090 Integrative and Experiential Learning – 6 hours

CHEM 1111General Chemistry I Lab

1

CHEM 1112General Chemistry II Lab

1

BIOL 1406General Biology I

4

One hour of lab applies from BIOL 1406

Major Requirements – 47 hours

Required Courses - 22 hours

BIOL 1406General Biology I

4

BIOL 1407General Biology II

4

BIOL 3301Biological Evolution

3

BIOL 3409Ecology

4

BIOL 3413Genetics

4

BIOL 4400Biological Communication (Capstone)

4

Three credit hours from BIOL 1406 applies.

Prescribed Electives - 21 hours

Students must take at least one course from each list below. Of the 21 hours, at least 17 hours must be advanced.

Cellular/Molecular

Choose at least one:

BIOL 3401General Microbiology

4

BIOL 3403Medical Microbiology and Immunology

4

BIOL 3405Histology

4

BIOL 3406Developmental Mechanisms

4

BIOL 3412Cell Biology

4

BIOL 3415Molecular Biology

4

BIOL 4313Endocrinology

3

BIOL 4330Molecular Evolution

3

BIOL 4333Immunology

3

BIOL 4408Plant Pathology

4

BIOL 4413General Virology

4

BIOL 4428Medical Genomics

4

CHEM 3303Biochemistry I

3

Or

CHEM 3387Biochemistry I Honors

3

Organismal

Choose at least one:

BIOL 2401Anatomy and Physiology I

4

BIOL 2402Anatomy and Physiology II

4

BIOL 2428Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy

4

BIOL 3310Neurobiology

3

BIOL 3311Mammalian Physiology

3

BIOL 3345Animal Nutrition

3

BIOL 3407Comparative Embryology

4

BIOL 3408Plant Morphology

4

BIOL 3414Invertebrate Zoology

4

BIOL 3425Vertebrate Osteology

4

BIOL 4319Medical Entomology

3

BIOL 4362Neuroscience II: System, Developmental, and Disorders

3

BIOL 4402Marine Zoology

4

BIOL 4404Ichthyology

4

BIOL 4405Plant Physiology

4

BIOL 4407Animal Parasitology

4

BIOL 4409Herpetology

4

BIOL 4410Marine Botany

4

BIOL 4412Ornithology

4

BIOL 4414Plant Taxonomy

4

BIOL 4415Entomology

4

BIOL 4416Mammalogy

4

Ecological/Environmental

Choose at least one:

BIOL 2310Marine Processes and Ecosystem Dynamics

3

BIOL 3404Conservation Biology

4

BIOL 4316Environmental Toxicology

3

BIOL 4317Disease Epidemiology

3

BIOL 4318Ethnobotany

3

BIOL 4388Global Change Ecology

3

BIOL 4403Introduction to Remote Sensing Technology

4

BIOL 4411Ecological Physiology of Animals

4

BIOL 4426Marine Ecology

4

BIOL 4429Agroecology

4

BIOL 4432Animal Behavior

4

Support Courses - 4 hours

CHEM 2123Organic Chemistry I Lab

1

CHEM 2323Organic Chemistry I

3

Minor – 18 hours

A minor is required for the B.S. in Biology.  Minors vary in credit hours required. If applicable, the credit hours in the minor selected may impact the number of free electives required to reach the 120 credit hours needed to earn a bachelor’s degree.

Free Electives – hours will vary

Students who elect to take BIOL 4199, 4299, and/or 4399 may use up to 8 credit hours towards their free electives.

The B.S. in Biology requires free elective credit hours. The number of free electives required for the B.S. in Biology is contingent on the credit hours of the minor selected. Advanced hours will vary to meet the minimum 42 advanced institutional credit hour requirement for a bachelor’s degree.

Total Credit Hours: 42

Total Credit Hours: 120

 

View this program’s recommended roadmap to graduation.

 

UTRGV Roadmaps are a suggested sequence of courses designed to assist students in completing their undergraduate degree requirements. This is a term-by-term sample roadmap of courses required to complete the degree. Students must satisfy all requirements in their catalog including, but not limited to course prerequisites, grade point average and course grade benchmarks, progression requirements, and graduation requirements. 

 

Students should meet with their academic advisor every semester to discuss their individualized path toward completion. Degree progress within this roadmap depends upon such factors as course availability, individual student academic preparation and readiness, student time management, work and personal responsibilities, and financial considerations. Students may choose to take courses during summer terms to reduce course loads during long semesters.