Courses | B.S. in Biological Science
Below are the course requirements for this academic program. In addition to these program-specific requirements, all majors include Biola's traditional undergraduate core curriculum. For more program details, including a sample course sequence, visit Biola's academic catalog.
Graduate/Professional School Requirements
The student should be aware that most graduate programs and many professional schools require an overall minimum GPA of 3.0 and that a grade of C or better was earned for all science courses and they will not accept Advanced Placement science credit to fulfill the entrance requirements.
Curriculum Requirements
Concentrations
General Biology (65+ Credits)
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
All Biological Science majors meet the Core Curriculum requirement of 6 credits in science and mathematics within the major. The foreign language requirement is met by two years of high school study in the same language or four credits of college foreign language. PHIL 215 is strongly recommended and meets the Philosophy Core Curriculum requirement. | ||
Program Courses | ||
BIOS 111 & BIOS 113 | Fundamentals of Cellular and Molecular Biology and Fundamentals of Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory | 4 |
BIOS 112 & BIOS 114 | Fundamentals of Organismal Biology and Fundamentals of Organismal Biology Laboratory | 4 |
BIOS 200 | Sophomore Writing Seminar | 1 |
BIOS 222 | Botany | 4 |
BIOS 281 | Physiology | 4 |
or BIOS 282 | Microbiology | |
or BIOS 380 | Advanced Microbiology | |
or BIOS 381 | Advanced Physiology | |
BIOS 312 | Cell and Molecular Biology | 3 |
BIOS 322 | Laboratory in Cell and Molecular Biology | 1 |
BIOS 332 & BIOS 334 | Genetics and Laboratory in Genetics | 4 |
BIOS 401 | General Ecology | 4 |
BIOS 490 | Directed Research | 1 |
or BIOS 470 | Seminar in Advanced Biology | |
or BIOS 480 | Internship | |
Electives: Select a minimum of 8 credits of upper-division Biological Sciences courses. | 8 | |
The following minimum of 27-30 credits of supporting sciences from the Departments of Chemistry, Physics and Engineering and Mathematical Sciences are also required including: 1 | ||
CHEM 107 | Introduction to Chemistry 2 | 3 |
CHEM 105 & CHEM 115 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
CHEM 106 & CHEM 116 | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Lab | 4 |
CHEM 301 & CHEM 311 | Organic Chemistry I and Laboratory in Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
CHEM 302 & CHEM 312 | Organic Chemistry II and Laboratory in Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
PHSC 111 & PHSC 117 | Physics I and Physics I Laboratory 3 | 4 |
or PHSC 100 & PHSC 117 | Physics I with Foundations and Physics I Laboratory | |
or PHSC 132 & PHSC 134 | General Physics I: Mechanics and Heat and General Physics I Laboratory | |
PHSC 112 & PHSC 118 | Physics II and Physics II Laboratory | 4 |
or PHSC 233 & PHSC 237 | General Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism and General Physics II Laboratory | |
Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
Precalculus Mathematics | ||
Calculus I | ||
Introduction to Probability and Statistics | ||
Biostatistics | ||
Program Course Requirements: 65-69 credits | ||
Core Curriculum Requirements 4 | 57-61 | |
Total Credits | 122-130 |
- 1
The following courses do not count as supporting science or major electives: BIOS 100, BIOS 105, BIOS 120, BIOS 128, BIOS 130.
- 2
CHEM 107 is waived for students who meet the qualifications to enter CHEM 105. See the current Placement Options for CHEM 105 for more information.
- 3
All students who do not meet one of the Physics 111 Placement Options must enroll in PHSC 100. The prerequisite for PHSC 132 is MATH 150 or an Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus AB or BC score of 4 or higher.
- 4
See Core Curriculum Program section for details.
Environmental Science (63+ Credits)
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
All Biological Science majors meet the Core Curriculum requirement of 6 credits in science and mathematics within the major. The foreign language requirement is met by two years of high school study in the same language or four credits of college foreign language. PHIL 215 is strongly recommended and meets the Philosophy Core Curriculum requirement. | ||
Program Courses | ||
BIOS 103 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 3 |
BIOS 112 & BIOS 114 | Fundamentals of Organismal Biology and Fundamentals of Organismal Biology Laboratory | 4 |
BIOS 200 | Sophomore Writing Seminar | 1 |
BIOS 222 | Botany | 4 |
BIOS 332 & BIOS 334 | Genetics and Laboratory in Genetics | 4 |
or BIOS 281 | Physiology | |
or BIOS 381 | Advanced Physiology | |
BIOS 401 | General Ecology | 4 |
BIOS 490 | Directed Research | 1 |
or BIOS 470 | Seminar in Advanced Biology | |
or BIOS 480 | Internship | |
BIOS 300/400 Elective | 3 | |
Select a minimum of 8 credits in Organismal Biology Electives | 8 | |
Vertebrate Biology | ||
Invertebrate Biology | ||
Marine Biology | ||
Parasitology 1 | ||
Ornithology | ||
Select a minimum of 8 credits in Environmental Science Electives | 8 | |
Ecological Agriculture | ||
Global Development and Ecological Sustainability | ||
Land Resources | ||
Lake Ecology and Management | ||
Environmental Microbiology | ||
Field Biology | ||
Environmental Ethics | ||
Bioethics | ||
Environmental Health: An Ecological Perspective | ||
Principles of Geographic Information Systems | ||
Conservation Biology | ||
Restoration Ecology | ||
Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies | ||
Topics in Environmental Science | ||
Topics in Natural Resource Management | ||
Directed Studies in Environmental Sciences | ||
Seminar in Advanced Biology | ||
Internship | ||
Directed Research | ||
Environmental Chemistry | ||
Geology | ||
Geology Laboratory | ||
The following minimum of 23-26 credits of supporting sciences from the Departments of Chemistry, Physics and Engineering and Mathematical Sciences are also required including: 2 | ||
CHEM 107 | Introduction to Chemistry 3 | 3 |
CHEM 105 & CHEM 115 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
CHEM 106 & CHEM 116 | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Lab | 4 |
CHEM 301 & CHEM 311 | Organic Chemistry I and Laboratory in Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
or CHEM 321 & CHEM 322 | Basic Organic and Biochemistry and Basic Organic and Biochemistry Lab | |
MATH 210 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics | 3 |
or MATH 318 | Biostatistics | |
PHSC 111 & PHSC 117 | Physics I and Physics I Laboratory 4 | 4 |
or PHSC 100 & PHSC 117 | Physics I with Foundations and Physics I Laboratory | |
or PHSC 132 & PHSC 134 | General Physics I: Mechanics and Heat and General Physics I Laboratory | |
PHSC 112 & PHSC 118 | Physics II and Physics II Laboratory | 4 |
or PHSC 233 & PHSC 237 | General Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism and General Physics II Laboratory | |
Program Course Requirements: 63-66 credits | ||
Core Curriculum Requirements 5 | 57-61 | |
Total Credits | 120-127 |
- 1
Additional course(s), which are not program or concentration requirements, are required as prerequisites. See department for advising.
- 2
The following courses do not count as supporting science or major electives: BIOS 100, BIOS 105, BIOS 120, BIOS 128, BIOS 130.
- 3
CHEM 107 is waived for students who meet the qualifications to enter CHEM 105. See the current Placement Options for CHEM 105 for more information.
- 4
All students who do not meet one of the Physics 111 Placement Options must enroll in PHSC 100. The prerequisite for PHSC 132 is MATH 150 or an Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus AB or BC score of 4 or higher.
- 5
See Core Curriculum Program section for details.
Pre-Med/Pre-Health Care Professional (65+ Credits)
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
All Biological Science majors meet the Core Curriculum requirement of 6 credits in science and mathematics within the major. The foreign language requirement is met by two years of high school study in the same language or four credits of college foreign language. PHIL 215 is strongly recommended and meets the Philosophy Core Curriculum requirement. | ||
Program Courses | ||
BIOS 111 & BIOS 113 | Fundamentals of Cellular and Molecular Biology and Fundamentals of Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory | 4 |
BIOS 112 & BIOS 114 | Fundamentals of Organismal Biology and Fundamentals of Organismal Biology Laboratory | 4 |
BIOS 200 | Sophomore Writing Seminar | 1 |
BIOS 281 | Physiology | 4 |
or BIOS 381 | Advanced Physiology | |
BIOS 312 | Cell and Molecular Biology | 3 |
BIOS 322 | Laboratory in Cell and Molecular Biology | 1 |
BIOS 332 & BIOS 334 | Genetics and Laboratory in Genetics | 4 |
BIOS 401 | General Ecology | 4 |
or BIOS 355 | Environmental Health: An Ecological Perspective | |
BIOS 411 | General Biochemistry I | 3 |
or BIOS 412 | General Biochemistry II | |
BIOS 490 | Directed Research | 1 |
or BIOS 470 | Seminar in Advanced Biology | |
or BIOS 480 | Internship | |
Electives: Select a minimum of 9 credits of upper-division Biological Sciences courses. | 9 | |
The following minimum of 27-30 credits of supporting sciences from the Departments of Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering and Mathematical Sciences are also required, including: | ||
CHEM 107 | Introduction to Chemistry 1 | 3 |
CHEM 105 & CHEM 115 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
CHEM 106 & CHEM 116 | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Lab | 4 |
CHEM 301 & CHEM 311 | Organic Chemistry I and Laboratory in Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
CHEM 302 & CHEM 312 | Organic Chemistry II and Laboratory in Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
PHSC 111 & PHSC 117 | Physics I and Physics I Laboratory 2 | 4 |
or PHSC 100 & PHSC 117 | Physics I with Foundations and Physics I Laboratory | |
or PHSC 132 & PHSC 134 | General Physics I: Mechanics and Heat and General Physics I Laboratory | |
PHSC 112 & PHSC 118 | Physics II and Physics II Laboratory | 4 |
or PHSC 233 & PHSC 237 | General Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism and General Physics II Laboratory | |
Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
Precalculus Mathematics | ||
Calculus I | ||
Introduction to Probability and Statistics | ||
Biostatistics | ||
Program Course Requirements: 65-69 credits | ||
Core Curriculum Requirements 3 | 57-61 | |
Total Credits | 122-130 |
- 1
CHEM 107 is waived for students who meet the qualifications to enter CHEM 105. See the current Placement Options for CHEM 105 for more information.
- 2
All students who do not meet one of the Physics 111 Placement Options must enroll in PHSC 100. The prerequisite for PHSC 132 is MATH 150 or an Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus AB or BC score of 4 or higher.
- 3
See Core Curriculum Program section for details.
Secondary Instruction (72+ credits)
For those interested in teaching Biology at the high school level, this concentration provides coursework that, combined with successfully passing the California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET), leads to a California Single Subject Teaching Credential in Biology. The Professional Teacher Preparation Program leading to a California Teaching Credential at Biola University is subject to change in response to new legislation. See a credential analyst in the School of Education for current information on completing the requirements for a teaching credential. Students must consult with both their major advisor and a School of Education advisor.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Biological Science, Secondary Instruction students meet the Core Curriculum requirement of 12 credits in behavioral science, history, science, and mathematics within the major. The foreign language requirement is met by two years of high school study in the same language or four credits of college foreign language. PHIL 215 is strongly recommended and meets the Philosophy Core Curriculum requirement. | ||
Program Courses | ||
Students must complete a minimum of 31 credits of Biological Science courses and a minimum of 18 credits of Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics courses including the following: 1 | ||
BIOS 103 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 3 |
BIOS 111 & BIOS 113 | Fundamentals of Cellular and Molecular Biology and Fundamentals of Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory | 4 |
BIOS 112 & BIOS 114 | Fundamentals of Organismal Biology and Fundamentals of Organismal Biology Laboratory | 4 |
BIOS 200 | Sophomore Writing Seminar | 1 |
BIOS 236 | Principles of Human Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
or BIOS 281 | Physiology | |
BIOS 312 | Cell and Molecular Biology | 3 |
BIOS 332 & BIOS 334 | Genetics and Laboratory in Genetics | 4 |
BIOS 401 | General Ecology | 4 |
CHEM 107 | Introduction to Chemistry 2 | 3 |
CHEM 105 & CHEM 115 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
CHEM 106 & CHEM 116 | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Lab | 4 |
CHEM 301 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
or CHEM 321 | Basic Organic and Biochemistry | |
HIST 200 | United States History To 1865 3 | 3 |
or POSC 225 | Survey of American Government | |
PHSC 111 & PHSC 117 | Physics I and Physics I Laboratory 4 | 4 |
or PHSC 100 & PHSC 117 | Physics I with Foundations and Physics I Laboratory | |
or PHSC 132 & PHSC 134 | General Physics I: Mechanics and Heat and General Physics I Laboratory | |
PSYC 200 | Introduction to Psychology 5 | 3 |
MATH 210 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics | 3 |
or MATH 318 | Biostatistics | |
Select at least 4 credits of Biological Science elective courses | 4 | |
Education Courses | ||
LEDU 301 | Introduction to Teaching | 3 |
LEDU 330 | Psychological Foundations of Education | 3 |
LEDU 341 | Methods of Teaching Linguistically Diverse Students | 3 |
LEDU 425 | Secondary Content Area Reading | 3 |
LEDU 433 | Single Subject Pedagogy | 2 |
LEDU 438 | Secondary Curriculum, Differentiation, and Assessment | 3 |
Student teaching (12 credits) may be taken as a graduate student and is not required for undergraduate graduation. Please meet with an advisor in the School of Education. | ||
Secondary Student Teaching I | ||
Secondary Student Teaching II | ||
Program Course Requirements: 72-75 credits | ||
Core Curriculum Requirements 6 | 51-55 | |
Total Credits | 123-130 |
- 1
The following courses do not count as supporting science or major electives: BIOS 100, BIOS 105, BIOS 120, BIOS 128, BIOS 130.
- 2
CHEM 107 is waived for students who meet the qualifications to enter CHEM 105. See the current Placement Options for CHEM 105 for more information.
- 3
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing requires that a teaching credential candidate must have completed a minimum 2-credit course that covers the U.S. Constitution or fulfill this requirement by examination. Biola University students may complete this requirement by taking either HIST 200 or POSC 225 with a grade of C or better. Students receiving AP college credit for either HIST 200 or POSC 225 will also meet this requirement. Transfer coursework must be reviewed by a credential analyst in the School of Education. Either course fulfills the History Core Curriculum requirement.
- 4
All students who do not meet one of the Physics 111 Placement Options must enroll in PHSC 100. The prerequisite for PHSC 132 is MATH 150 or an Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus AB or BC score of 4 or higher.
- 5
Fulfills the Behavioral Science Core Curriculum requirement.
- 6
See Core Curriculum Program section for details.
Secondary Education Minor
For those interested in teaching Biology at the high school level, this minor provides coursework that, combined with successfully passing the California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET), leads to a California Single Subject Teaching Credential in Biology. The Professional Teacher Preparation Program leading to a California Teaching Credential at Biola University is subject to change in response to new legislation. See a credential analyst in the School of Education for current information on completing the requirements for a teaching credential. Students must consult with both their major advisor and a School of Education advisor. Refer to the Education section of the catalog or meet with a credential analyst in the School of Education for program requirements.
Candidates who take the following 20 credits qualify for a Secondary Education Minor:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Program Courses | ||
Behavioral Science Coursework | ||
PSYC 200 | Introduction to Psychology 1 | 3 |
Teacher Preparation Coursework 2 | ||
LEDU 301 | Introduction to Teaching | 3 |
LEDU 330 | Psychological Foundations of Education | 3 |
LEDU 341 | Methods of Teaching Linguistically Diverse Students | 3 |
LEDU 425 | Secondary Content Area Reading | 3 |
LEDU 433 | Single Subject Pedagogy | 2 |
LEDU 438 | Secondary Curriculum, Differentiation, and Assessment | 3 |
Total Credits | 20 |
- 1
PSYC 200 will count toward the Core Curriculum requirement for Behavioral Science.
- 2
In order to apply the Teacher Preparation Coursework classes towards any California credential, students must earn at least a B- in each of these classes.