Undergraduate Catalog 2023-2024 
    
    Nov 30, 2024  
Undergraduate Catalog 2023-2024 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biology, General Biology Track, B.S.


Biology, General Biology Track, B.S.
The general track for the B.S. degree in Biology is the appropriate track for any student who plans to pursue a graduate degree in any area of biological sciences or for students who plan to seek employment in industry, government, or environmental laboratories.

Biology, Professional Preparation Track, B.S.
The professional preparation track prepares students for further advanced study in medical, dental, veterinary, physical therapy, or other allied health fields.

Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Degree pathway in Biology (Non-thesis Track)
The Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Degree Pathway in Biology (Non-thesis Track) at the University of West Georgia allows outstanding students who major in Biology to begin earning credit toward a graduate degree while completing their Bachelor’s degree.  The ABM in Biology (Non-Thesis Track) allows exceptional students to count up to six (6) hours in the M.S. Biology (Non-Thesis Track) toward both degrees.

The Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Degree Pathway offers the opportunity to simultaneously satisfy partial degree requirements for a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in an accelerated program of study.  Upon completion of the undergraduate B.S. in Biology, with a satisfactory undergraduate grade point average and a grade of “B” or better in all graduate courses completed, the student may move to full graduate status in the Master’s program in M.S. in Biology (Non-Thesis Track) and the graduate-level courses taken as an undergraduate will be applied toward the graduate degree.

Students applying for the ABM Pathway in Biology (Non-Thesis Track) must:
     Have completed at least 90 hours toward a B.S. in Biology.
     Have completed at least 30 hours of the 90 hours of coursework at the University of
         West Georgia.
     Have a UWG GPA of 3.2 or higher and must maintain that GPA while they are
        undergraduates.
     Have taken BIOL 2108+BIOL 2108L.
     Meet all admission requirements for the M.S. in Biology (Non-Thesis Track) with the
        exception of the complete B.S. in Biology.
     Students applying for the accelerated program will not be required to take standardized
       admissions tests.

The list below shows the graduate courses for which students can receive credit towards both the graduate and undergraduate degrees, along with the undergraduate courses which they would replace.  Students in the pathway may receive credit for two such courses in the M.S. Biology (Non-Thesis Track) which requires 30 hours of coursework.  Undergraduate students admitted to the ABM pathway should take at least one (1) 4000-levle course before taking any of the 6000-level courses listed below.

Graduate Course followed by Undergraduate Course which is being replaced:
1)  BIOL 6503 Biological Perspectives: Biochemistry for BIOL 4503 Biological Perspectives:  Biochemistry
2)  BIOL 6983 Graduate Research for BIOL 4983 Senior Biology Research

Requirement


Core Areas A, B, C, D, & E: 42 Hours


  

Specific core curriculum requirements for the B.S. in Biology are:

  • 3.0 - 4.0 Credit Hours required under Area A
  • Two lab sciences required under Area D, which may not overlap in course number or content with courses taken elsewhere in the degree program.

Note:


Due to the stringent requirements for admission to professional schools, students are urged to consult advisors in choosing elective courses in the core curriculum and major.

Requirements for Major: (21 hours BIOL 3000/4000): 39 Hours


  • Organismal Requirement 3 - 4
  • Prokaryotic Requirement 3 - 4
  • Ecological/Evolutionary Requirement 3 - 4 1
  • Physiological Requirement 3 - 4 1
  • Cell and Molecular Requirement 3 - 4
  • Chemistry Requirement 3 - 4
  • Biology Electives (3000/4000) 0 - 29
  • Electives (3000/4000) 0 - 9
  • 1 Credit Hours
  • All Biology majors are required to take BIOL 4984 - Senior Biology Seminar in the last semester of the degree completion.

Supporting Courses for the Major: 6 Hours


Electives: 0-15 Hours


Total: 120 Hours


1 See Subtopic Biology Courses below.

Subtopic Biology Courses


Courses that meet the subdiscipline requirements are compiled in Table A.

Table A


Courses that meet the Requirement


Sub-Discipline

Prokaryotic Requirement

Ecological/Evolutionary Requirement

Physiological Requirement

Cell and Molecular Requirement

Note:


* Lab not required for Secondary Education Track

Note 2:


Students in the Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s in Biology pathway should take: 1) BIOL 6503 Biological Perspectives: Biochemistry in place of BIOL 4503 Biological Perspectives: Biochemistry, and 2) BIOL 6983 Graduate Research in place of BIOL 4983 Senior Biology Research.

Course Pre-requisite Information


Note 1:


Unless otherwise noted in the course description, the prerequisites for all upper division courses are equivalent to either of the following two combinations of courses including the minimum grade designations.

Note 2:


Biology Majors should complete Combination A unless transferring the equivalent of BIOL 1107  or BIOL 1108  from another major or from another institution.