Biological Sciences
A Biological Sciences degree is available in a traditional broad-based sequence or in an Environmental Science option.
Biological Sciences Standard Option
Biological Sciences is a comprehensive field of biology that prepares students for a variety of careers in human health, environmental science, conservation, and plant and animal biology. With its many areas of emphasis, the program integrates studies in zoology, botany, and biological sciences and offers students the flexibility to customize their field of study to align course selection with educational and professional goals. The program integrates broad-based biology foundation classes with specializations such as biomedical science or conservation biology, in later years. With appropriate course selection, the Biological Sciences degree also can provide a broad understanding of the complex relationship between the living and nonliving world. Students will be able to choose a research based course that focuses on plants, wildlife, antibiotics, or learning.
Environmental Science Option
Environmental Science is characterized by an integrative, multidisciplinary approach to environmental issues of concern to humans. This represents an exciting, rewarding area of science, which requires an especially strong academic background and an ability to think both analytically and comprehensibly.
For students interested in careers that address solving environmental problems, there is the Biological Sciences major with an Environmental option. This rigorous option incorporates balanced studies in the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, and earth sciences) with social sciences (economics, political science, and sociology). It also involves technology, business, law, ethics, and human relations and behavior. Students interested in this option should visit with an adviser to obtain the specific requirements. Environmental Science students may not pursue a minor in Biology.
Biological Sciences Education and Comprehensive Science Education Majors
Students interested in Biological Sciences Education or Comprehensive Science Education are encouraged to declare a double major in the discipline and in education (i.e., Biological Sciences Education and Biological Sciences). Such double majors may be earned by successful completion of a few additional credits. Students should contact advisers in Biological Sciences for details.
Students who intend to teach life sciences in the secondary schools should make their intentions known to the School of Education and consult with a biology education adviser in the Department of Biological Sciences early in their programs to make certain that they have a well-designed program and take the professional education courses required for state teacher certification.
The Comprehensive Science Education major is designed to prepare the secondary general science teacher. This major is an especially good preparation for students who may find themselves teaching several different science courses. Information about curriculum and other requirements is available from the School of Education and the education adviser in the Department of Biological Sciences. Biological Sciences Education and Comprehensive Science Education majors cannot pursue a minor in Biology.
Major Requirements
Major: Biological Sciences - Standard
Degree Type: B.A. or B.S.
Minimum Degree Credits to Graduate: 120
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. |
College Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree – An additional 12 credits Humanities and Social Sciences and proficiency at the second year level in a modern foreign language. * | 12 | |
| Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree – An additional 6 credits in Humanities or Social Sciences * | 6 | |
| * | Humanities and Social Sciences may be fulfilled by any course having the following prefix: ADHM, ANTH, ARCH, ART, CJ, CLAS, COMM, ECON, ENGL, FREN, GEOG, GERM, HDFS, HIST, LA, LANG, MUSC, PHIL, POLS, PSYC, RELS, SOC, SPAN, THEA, WGS, or any course from the approved list of general education courses in humanities and social sciences (general education categories A and B). These credits must come from outside the department of the student’s major. |
Major Requirements
Except for courses offered only as pass/fail grading, no course may be taken Pass/Fail
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Sciences Core Requirements - Standard Option | ||
| BIOL 150 & 150L | General Biology I and General Biology I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 151 & 151L | General Biology II and General Biology II Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 189 | Skills for Academic Success 1 | 1 |
| BIOL 252 | Plant and Animal Diversity | 3 |
| BIOL 270 | Antibiotic Drug Discovery | 3 |
| or BIOL 271 | Wildlife Ecology and Conservation: An undergraduate research course | |
| or BIOL 272 | Research Experience: Learning in Biology | |
| BIOL 315 & 315L | Genetics and Genetics Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 359 | Evolution | 3 |
| BIOL/ZOO 364 | General Ecology | 3 |
| or ZOO 370 | Cell Biology | |
| BIOL 491 | Seminar | 2 |
| Electives: Select 15 credits of any 300 or 400 level courses offered in the department: | 15 | |
| Biomedical Genetics and Genomics | ||
| Ecotoxicology | ||
| Wetland Science | ||
| Cellular Mechanisms of Diseases | ||
| Structure and Diversity of Plants and Fungi | ||
| Plant Physiology | ||
| Plant Systematics | ||
| Plant Ecology | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Comparative Chordate Morphology | ||
| Vertebrate Histology | ||
| Invertebrate Zoology | ||
| Ichthyology | ||
| Herpetology | ||
| Ornithology | ||
| Animal Physiology | ||
| Physiological Ecology | ||
| Endocrinology | ||
| Hormones and Behavior | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Wildlife Ecology and Management | ||
| Wildlife and Fisheries Management Techniques | ||
| Developmental Biology | ||
| Related Required Courses | ||
| MATH 146 | Applied Calculus I (May satisfy general education category R) | 4 |
| or MATH 165 | Calculus I | |
| 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 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 or 8 | |
| Survey of Organic Chemistry | ||
| Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Laboratory and Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry II Laboratory | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 or 8 | |
| Fundamentals of Physics (May satisfy general education category S) | ||
| College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory and College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory (May satisfy general education category S) | ||
| Total Credits | 54-60 | |
| 1 | BIOL 189 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 BIOL 189. |
Department NOTES
- Students may not minor in biology with this major
Major Requirements
Major: Biological Sciences - Environmental Science Option
Degree Type: B.A. or B.S.
Minimum Degree Credits to Graduate: 120
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. |
College Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree – An additional 12 credits Humanities and Social Sciences and proficiency at the second year level in a modern foreign language. * | 12 | |
| Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree – An additional 6 credits in Humanities or Social Sciences * | 6 | |
| * | Humanities and Social Sciences may be fulfilled by any course having the following prefix: ADHM, ANTH, ARCH, ART, CJ, CLAS, COMM, ECON, ENGL, FREN, GEOG, GERM, HDFS, HIST, LA, LANG, MUSC, PHIL, POLS, PSYC, RELS, SOC, SPAN, THEA, WGS, or any course from the approved list of general education courses in humanities and social sciences (general education categories A and B). These credits must come from outside the department of the student’s major. |
Major Requirements
Except for courses offered only as pass/fail grading, no course may be taken Pass/Fail.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Sciences Core Requirements - Environmental Science Option | ||
| BIOL 150 & 150L | General Biology I and General Biology I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 151 & 151L | General Biology II and General Biology II Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 189 | Skills for Academic Success 1 | 1 |
| BIOL 359 | Evolution | 3 |
| BIOL 491 | Seminar | 2 |
| BIOL 315 & 315L | Genetics and Genetics Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL/ZOO 364 | General Ecology | 3 |
| BIOL 480 | Ecotoxicology | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Structure and Diversity of Plants and Fungi | ||
| Plant Physiology | ||
| Plant Systematics | ||
| Intermediate Genetics | ||
| Range Plants | ||
| Plant Ecology | ||
| Electives: Select 12 credits from the following: | 12 | |
| Plant Physiology | ||
| Intermediate Genetics | ||
| Cell Biology | ||
| Vertebrate Histology | ||
| Animal Physiology | ||
| Endocrinology | ||
| Developmental Biology | ||
| Structure and Diversity of Plants and Fungi | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Comparative Chordate Morphology | ||
| Invertebrate Zoology | ||
| Ichthyology | ||
| Herpetology | ||
| Ornithology | ||
| Mammalogy | ||
| Wetland Science | ||
| Range Plants | ||
| Plant Ecology | ||
| Antibiotic Drug Discovery | ||
| Hormones and Behavior | ||
| Physiological Ecology | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Wildlife Ecology and Management | ||
| Wildlife and Fisheries Management Techniques | ||
| Related Required Courses | ||
| CHEM 121 & 121L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 122 & 122L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory | 4 |
| GEOL 105 & 105L | Physical Geology and Physical Geology Lab | 4 |
| GEOL 106 & 106L | The Earth Through Time and The Earth Through Time Lab | 4 |
| MATH 146 | Applied Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 147 | Applied Calculus II | 4 |
| PHYS 211 & 211L | College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | 4 |
| PHYS 212 & 212L | College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory | 4 |
| SOIL 217 | Introduction to Meteorology & Climatology | 3 |
| SOIL 410 | Soils and Land Use | 3 |
| STAT 330 | Introductory Statistics | 3 |
| Select one from the following: | 3 or 4 | |
| Geochemistry | ||
| Analytical Chemistry I and Analytical Chemistry I Laboratory | ||
| Select one of the following: | 7 or 10 | |
| Survey of Organic Chemistry and Elements of Biochemistry | ||
| Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Laboratory and Organic Chemistry II and Foundations of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I | ||
| Total Credits | 80-91 | |
| 1 | BIOL 189 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 BIOL 189. |
Department notes
- Students may not minor in biology with this major
Minor Requirements
Biological Sciences Minor
Minor Requirements
Required Credits: 17
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| BIOL 150 | General Biology I | 3 |
| BIOL 150L | General Biology I Laboratory | 1 |
| BIOL 151 | General Biology II | 3 |
| BIOL 151L | General Biology II Laboratory | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
BOT 314 | ||
| Structure and Diversity of Plants and Fungi | ||
| Plant Physiology | ||
| Plant Ecology | ||
| Electives | Department approved 300-400 level courses | 6 |
| Total Credits | 17 | |
Minor Requirements and Notes
- A minimum of 8 credits must be taken at NDSU.
- Botany and Zoology majors may not minor in Biological Sciences.
