Degree: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Major: Biology
Program Overview
The Biology, BA program provides a general background in biology and has the most flexible scheduling of the three biology degrees offered. It is especially recommended for students who are pre-professional, have multiple majors, intend to study abroad or participate in an internship program, or have significant extracurricular commitments (e.g., varsity athletics, student government, Greek life, or other campus involvement). Since the Biology, BA degree does not formally require undergraduate research, students interested in graduate research careers should plan to take at least one semester of undergraduate research as an elective (BIOL 388 or BIOL 388S) sometime during the senior year.
The Biology, BA program has a core of foundation courses and provides options for specialization in a variety of areas, including biotechnology and genetic engineering, molecular and cellular biology, genetics, immunology, chemical biology, physiology and biophysics, neurobiology and animal behavior, developmental biology, population biology, ecology, and environmental science.
Ordinarily, all students begin their biology programs in their first year.
Advising
Biology faculty advisors are assigned to students at the time of major or minor declaration. All biology majors are required to meet with their departmental advisors at least once each semester to discuss their academic program, receive clearance for electronic course registration, and obtain approval for any drops, adds, or withdrawals. Please contact the Undergraduate Services Coordinator for the Department of Biology for information about major or minor declaration.
Learning Outcomes
- Students will be able to demonstrate and apply knowledge of fundamental biological concepts, including those inmolecular, cellular, organismal, ecological, and evolutionary biology.
- Students will be able to make key observations, propose hypotheses, design experiments to test hypotheses and develop models to generate predictions, collect and analyze data, and draw appropriate conclusions.
- Students will be able to critically analyze published scientific research in the biological sciences, connecting previously learned information to current research.
- Students will be able to communicate biological ideas, arguments and experimental data both in oral and written forms to diverse audiences ranging from experts to lay persons.
- Students will be able to synthesize biological principles across other fields of science to arrive at holistic conclusions based on sound rationale, data, or modeling approaches. In addition, students will be able to contextualize biological discoveries on society and understand ethical implications of research.
Teacher Licensure
Students admitted to Case Western Reserve University prior to Fall 2024 can declare a secondary major in Teacher Education and prepare for licensure in Adolescent to Young Adult (grades 7-12) in any one of the following areas: Integrated Language Arts (English major), Integrated Social Studies (history major), Integrated Mathematics (mathematics major), Life Science (biology major), or Physical Science (chemistry or physics major); or 2) Multi-Age (grades preK-12) in French, Spanish, or Latin. Eligible students interested in the teacher education program should refer to the General Bulletin for the year they entered Case Western Reserve University for the specific program requirements.
Undergraduate Policies
For undergraduate policies and procedures, please review the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.
Accelerated Master's Programs
Undergraduate students may participate in accelerated programs toward graduate or professional degrees. For more information and details of the policies and procedures related to accelerated studies, please visit the Undergraduate Academics section of the General Bulletin.
Program Requirements
Students seeking to complete this major and degree program must meet the general requirements for bachelor's degrees and the Unified General Education Requirements. Students completing this program as a secondary major while completing another undergraduate degree program do not need to satisfy the school-specific requirements associated with this major.
Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours |
BIOL 214 | Genes, Evolution and Ecology | 3 |
BIOL 215 | Cells and Proteins | 3 |
BIOL 214L & BIOL 215L | Genes, Evolution and Ecology Lab and Cells and Proteins Laboratory | 2 |
or BIOL 222L | Introductory Research Lab in Biology |
BIOL 216 | Development and Physiology | 3 |
BIOL 216L | Development and Physiology Lab | 1 |
BIOL 326 | Genetics | 3 |
| Bacteriophage Genome Annotation and Analysis Lab | |
| From Black Box to Toolbox: How Molecular Biology Moves Forward d | |
| From Cloning to CRISPR: Advancements and Prospects in Genetic Engineering d | |
| Fundamental Immunology | |
| Introduction to Stem Cell Biology | |
| Cell Biology | |
| Plant Genomics and Proteomics | |
| Genome Dynamics | |
| Disciplinary Communication Seminar in Cancer Biology d | |
| Basic Biology of Blood and Blood Diseases | |
| Parasitology | |
| Microbiology | |
| Vertebrate Biology a | |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory | |
| Human Learning and the Brain | |
| Herpetology | |
| Introductory Plant Biology | |
| Introductory Entomology a | |
| Sensory Biology | |
| The Human Microbiome | |
| Ichthyology a | |
| Human Physiology | |
| Human Anatomy | |
| Principles of Developmental Biology | |
| Seminar on Unifying Concepts in Neuroscience d | |
| Introduction to Neurobiology a | |
| Neurobiology of Behavior | |
| Transformative Animal Models in Modern Biology | |
| Nervous System Development | |
| Evolution | |
| Aquatic Biology | |
| Principles of Ecology | |
| Animal Behavior | |
| Research Methods in Evolutionary Biology | |
| Topics in Evolutionary Biology | |
| Brain Evolution and Function | |
| Vertebrate Biology a | |
| Dynamics of Biological Systems: A Quantitative Introduction to Biology | |
| Biotechnology Laboratory: Genes and Genetic Engineering | |
| Fitting Models to Data: Maximum Likelihood Methods and Model Selection | |
| Herpetology Lab | |
| Biology Field Studies | |
| Taming the Tree of Life: Phylogenetic Comparative Methods-from Concept to Practical Application | |
| Quantitative Biology Laboratory | |
| Introductory Entomology a | |
| Design and Analysis of Biological Experiments | |
| Functional Genomics | |
| Ichthyology a | |
| Aquatic Biology Laboratory | |
| Laboratory for Microbiology | |
| Mammal Diversity and Evolution | |
| Principles of Ecology Laboratory | |
| Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases | |
| Ecophysiology of Global Change | |
| Evolutionary Game Theory | |
| Animal Behavior Lab | |
| Experimental Lab in Genetics, Cell or Developmental Biology a | |
| Introduction to Neurobiology a | |
MATH 125 | Math and Calculus Applications for Life, Managerial, and Social Sci I | 4 |
or MATH 121 | Calculus for Science and Engineering I |
MATH 126 | Math and Calculus Applications for Life, Managerial, and Social Sci II | 4 |
or MATH 122 | Calculus for Science and Engineering II |
CHEM 105 | Principles of Chemistry I | 3 |
CHEM 106 | Principles of Chemistry II | 3 |
CHEM 113 | Principles of Chemistry Laboratory | 2 |
CHEM 223 | Introductory Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
or CHEM 323 | Organic Chemistry I |
CHEM 224 | Introductory Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
or CHEM 324 | Organic Chemistry II |
CHEM 233 | Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 2 |
PHYS 115 | Introductory Physics I | 4 |
or PHYS 121 | General Physics I - Mechanics |
PHYS 116 | Introductory Physics II | 4 |
or PHYS 122 | General Physics II - Electricity and Magnetism |
Total Credit Hours | 60-69 |
At least 15 credit hours of the selected electives and additional laboratory courses must be at the 300-level or higher.
Focus Areas in the Biological Sciences
Students are encouraged to utilize their elective courses in the biology major to take advantage of various specialized focus areas. These focus areas have been developed between the biology department, the basic science departments of the School of Medicine, and other departments. Currently, focus areas have been developed in the following areas: biotechnology and genetic engineering; computational biology; developmental biology; genetics; cell and molecular biology; neurobiology and animal behavior; population biology, ecology and environmental science.
Note: these focus areas are informal; they are not declared, and will not appear on the student's diploma or transcript.
Departmental Honors
To receive a bachelor’s degree “with Honors in Biology” (formally noted on the transcript), the student must meet the following criteria:
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Maintain a 3.6 overall grade point average, with a 3.8 in BIOL courses. GPA requirements refer only to courses taken since the start of their third semester at CWRU. Alternatively, students may be nominated for Honors by their research advisor.
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Sign an attestation of their record of academic integrity.
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Carry out 6 credit hours of independent research (taken as BIOL courses) or the equivalent at Case Western Reserve University.
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Write a senior honors thesis with the approval of the Research Sponsor and (if applicable) the Biology Sponsor.
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Submit no later than one week prior to the scheduled thesis defense the thesis for review by an ad hoc honors committee.
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Successfully defend the thesis at an oral examination.
Additional information and application forms are available from the biology department office and website.