Degree: Bachelor of Science (BS)
Major: Biology
Program Overview
The Biology, BS 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. Individual research projects form a significant part of the curriculum for many undergraduates in all programs and are specifically required for students in the Biology, BS program. Advanced biology majors may register, with permission, for graduate-level courses in the department and in the School of Medicine.
The Biology, BS program is intended to prepare students for work as traditional bench or field research scientists. In addition to a general background in biology (the same as provided for Biology, BA), the Biology, BS program requires two semesters of undergraduate research, plus additional courses in quantitative methods (computer programming, statistics, data analysis) and physical chemistry. The research may be done at the university or at any of its affiliated institutions; the department does not formally place students in laboratories. Because of the extra coursework and research requirements, the Biology, BS may present scheduling challenges to students who wish to pursue multiple majors, study abroad opportunities, internships, or significant extracurricular activities. Early, careful planning in consultation with the major advisor is essential to stay on schedule.
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.
- Students will be able to develop models to generatepredictions or collect and analyze data and use mathematical or statistical skills to drawappropriate conclusions.
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 | |
| Genes, Embryos and Fossils | |
| 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 | |
| Dynamics of Biological Systems: A Quantitative Introduction to Biology | |
| Fitting Models to Data: Maximum Likelihood Methods and Model Selection | |
| Quantitative Biology Laboratory | |
| Design and Analysis of Biological Experiments | |
| Functional Genomics | |
| Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases | |
| Evolutionary Game Theory | |
| Introduction to Neurobiology a | |
| Vertebrate Biology a | |
| Biotechnology Laboratory: Genes and Genetic Engineering | |
| Herpetology Lab | |
| Biology Field Studies | |
| Taming the Tree of Life: Phylogenetic Comparative Methods-from Concept to Practical Application | |
| Introductory Entomology a | |
| Ichthyology a | |
| Aquatic Biology Laboratory | |
| Laboratory for Microbiology | |
| Mammal Diversity and Evolution | |
| Principles of Ecology Laboratory | |
| Ecophysiology of Global Change | |
| Evolutionary Game Theory | |
| Animal Behavior Lab | |
| Experimental Lab in Genetics, Cell or Developmental Biology | |
BIOL 388S | Undergraduate Research - SAGES Capstone | 3 |
BIOL 390 | Advanced Undergraduate Research | 3 |
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 |
CHEM 301 | Introductory Physical Chemistry I | 3 |
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 |
| Introduction to Linear Algebra for Applications | |
| Discrete Mathematics | |
| Basic Statistics for Engineering and Science | |
| Basic Statistics for Engineering and Science Using R Programming |
| Statistics for Experimenters | |
| Elementary Computer Programming | |
| Programming in Java | |
Total Credit Hours | 76-84 |
At least 11 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.