Microbiology
Microbiology is a fundamental biological science which offers a variety of challenges and opportunities. Microbiologists have made some of the most important scientific discoveries in this century. Since 1910, approximately one-third of the Nobel Prizes in medicine and physiology have been awarded to microbiologists. The discipline covers a wide spectrum of specialized interest areas that illustrate how microbes affect human and animal health, our environment, food safety, food technology, and the biotechnology industry. In recent years, the field of microbiology has had a major impact upon virtually all other scientific disciplines. For this reason, even students who choose to major in other fields may benefit from a minor in microbiology.
Students majoring in microbiology are well prepared to enter graduate school, veterinary school, and medical school, or to establish careers in food or pharmaceutical industries, hospitals, public health agencies, universities, research laboratories, and other biomedical industries.
Major Requirements
Major: Microbiology
Degree Type: B.S.
Minimum Degree Credits to Graduate: 128
General Education Requirements for Baccalaureate Degree
- A list of approved general education courses is available here .
- General education courses may be used to satisfy requirements for both general education and the major, minor, and program emphases, where applicable. Students should carefully review the major, minor, and program emphases requirements for minimum grade restrictions, should they apply.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Communication (C) | 12 | |
| College Composition I | ||
| College Composition II | ||
| Fundamentals of Public Speaking | ||
Upper Division Writing † | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning (R) † | 3 | |
| Science and Technology (S) † | 10 | |
| Humanities and Fine Arts (A) † | 6 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (B) † | 6 | |
| Wellness (W) † | 2 | |
| Cultural Diversity (D) *† | ||
| Global Perspectives (G) *† | ||
| Total Credits | 39 | |
| * | May be satisfied by completing courses in another General Education category. |
| † | May be satisfied with courses required in the major. Review major requirements to determine if a specific upper division writing course is required. |
Major Requirements
A grade of ‘C’ or better is required for the microbiology core and elective requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses for Microbiology Major | ||
| MICR 350 & 350L | General Microbiology and General Microbiology Lab | 5 |
| MICR 352 & 352L | General Microbiology II and General Microbiology Lab II | 5 |
| MICR 354 | Scientific Writing | 3 |
| MICR 480 | Bacterial Physiology | 3 |
| MICR 482 | Bacterial Genetics & Phage | 3 |
| MICR 486 | Capstone Experience in Microbiology | 3 |
| Elective Courses for Microbiology Major - Select a minimum of 21 credits from the following: | 21 | |
| Fifteen (15) of the 21 credits must have a MICR prefix. No more than 3 credits may come from courses numbered 371-399 or 491-499 to fulfill this requirement. | ||
| Study Tour Abroad | ||
or MICR 492 | Study Abroad | |
| Individual Study | ||
| Animal Cell Culture Techniques | ||
| Infectious Disease Pathogenesis | ||
| Infectious Disease Pathogenesis Laboratory | ||
or MICR 460L | Pathogenic Microbiology Laboratory | |
| Microbial Ecology | ||
| Food Microbiology | ||
| Clinical Parasitology | ||
| Basic Immunology | ||
| Immunology and Serology Laboratory | ||
| Clinical Immunology | ||
| Epidemiology | ||
| Virology | ||
| Microbial Genomics with Computational Laboratory | ||
| Seminar | ||
| Undergraduate Research | ||
| Individual Study | ||
| Field Experience | ||
| Methods of Biochemical Research | ||
| Methods of Recombinant DNA Technology | ||
| Cellular Signal Transduction Processes and Metabolic Regulations | ||
| Molecular Biology of Gene Expression | ||
| Evolution | ||
| General Ecology | ||
| Wetland Science | ||
| Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Biogeochemistry | ||
| Hematology | ||
| Intermediate Genetics | ||
| Fungal Biology | ||
| Introduction to Soil Science | ||
| Soil Ecology | ||
| Cell Biology | ||
| Related Requirements for the Microbiology Major | ||
| AGRI 189 | Skills for Academic Success 1 | 1 |
| BIOL 150 & 150L | General Biology I and General Biology I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 151 & 151L | General Biology II and General Biology II Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 121 & 121L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory (May satisfy general education category S) | 4 |
| CHEM 122 & 122L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory (May satisfy general education category S) | 4 |
| CHEM 341 & 341L | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 342 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
| BIOC 460 & 460L | Foundations of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I and Foundations of Biochemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOC 461 | Foundations of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II | 3 |
| PHYS 211 & 211L | College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory (May satisfy general education category S) | 4 |
| PHYS 212 & 212L | College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory (or higher (May satisfy general education category S) | 4 |
| PLSC 315 & 315L | Genetics and Genetics Laboratory (May satisfy general education category S) | 4 |
| STAT 330 | Introductory Statistics (May satisfy general education category R) | 3 |
| Select one of the following or higher level math: | 3-4 | |
| Trigonometry | ||
| Precalculus | ||
| Applied Calculus I | ||
| Total Credits | 92 | |
| 1 | AGRI189 is only required for first-time, first-year students--A first-time, first-year student is defined as a student who has not yet completed a college course as a college student. Students that are not first-time, first-year students that either transfer into the university or change their major are not required to take AGRI 189. |
Degree Requirements and Notes
- A cumulative 2.50 GPA is required for graduation.
Minor Requirements
Microbiology Minor
Minor Requirements
Required Credits: 16
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| MICR 350 & 350L | General Microbiology and General Microbiology Lab | 5 |
| Elective Courses: Select 11 credits from the following: | 11 | |
| No more than 3 credits may come from courses numbered 491-499 to fulfill this requirement. | ||
| General Microbiology II | ||
| General Microbiology Lab II | ||
| Study Tour Abroad | ||
| Animal Cell Culture Techniques | ||
| Microbial Ecology | ||
| Food Microbiology | ||
| Pathogenic Microbiology | ||
or MICR 450 | Infectious Disease Pathogenesis | |
| Pathogenic Microbiology Laboratory | ||
or MICR 450L | Infectious Disease Pathogenesis Laboratory | |
| Clinical Parasitology | ||
| Basic Immunology | ||
| Immunology and Serology Laboratory | ||
| Clinical Immunology | ||
| Epidemiology (see SAFE) | ||
| Virology | ||
| Bacterial Physiology | ||
| Microbial Genomics with Computational Laboratory | ||
| Bacterial Genetics & Phage | ||
| Seminar | ||
| Individual Study | ||
| Field Experience | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Total Credits | 16 | |
Minor Requirements and Notes
- A minimum of 8 credits must be taken at NDSU.
- Students must earn a 2.50 minimum GPA for the minor with a grade of ‘C’ or better in the courses used to satisfy the minor requirements.
