Biology, BA

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.

Combined Bachelor's/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.

a

Credit may be earned for BIOL 222L or for the BIOL 214L and BIOL 215L sequence, but not both. Enrollment in BIOL 222L after completing BIOL 214L requires permission and is subject to availability.

b

Fulfills UGER Disciplinary Communication course requirement.

c

Can count as an elective or a laboratory course, not both.

d

Excluding BIOL 388, BIOL 388S, and  BIOL 390.

e

Excluding 100-level courses, BIOL 202, and BIOL 390.

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:

1. 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.

2. Sign an attestation of their record of academic integrity.

3. Carry out 6 credit hours of independent research (taken as BIOL courses) or the equivalent at Case Western Reserve University.

4. Write a senior honors thesis with the approval of the Research Sponsor and (if applicable) the Biology Sponsor.

5. Submit no later than one week prior to the scheduled thesis defense the thesis for review by an ad hoc honors committee.

6. Successfully defend the thesis at an oral examination.

Additional information and application forms are available from the biology department office and website.

Sample Plan of Study

a

Unified General Education Requirement.