Biological Sciences

This is an archived copy of the 2018-19 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://bulletin.ndsu.edu.

Major Requirements

Major: Biological Sciences - Standard

Degree Type: B.A. or B.S.
Minimum Degree Credits to Graduate: 120

University Degree Requirements

  1. Satisfactory completion of all requirements of the curriculum in which one is enrolled.
  2. Earn a minimum total of 120 credits in approved coursework.  Some academic programs exceed this minimum.
  3. Satisfactory completion of the general education requirements as specific by the university.
  4. A minimum institutional GPA of 2.00 based on work taken at NDSU.
  5. At least 36 credits presented for graduation must be in courses number 300 or higher.
  6. Transfer Students: Must earn a minimum of 60 credits from a baccalaureate-degree granting or professional institituion. 
    1. Of these 60, at least 36 must be NDSU residence credits as defined in #7.
    2. Within the 36 resident credits, a minimum of 15 must be in courses numbered 300 or higher and 15 credits in the major field of study.
  7. At least 36 credits must be NDSU resident credits.  Residence credits include credits registered and paid for at NDSU.

For complete information, please refer to the Degree and Graduation Requirements section of this Bulletin.

University Degree Requirements

  1. Satisfactory completion of all requirements of the curriculum in which one is enrolled.
  2. Earn a minimum total of 120 credits in approved coursework.  Some academic programs exceed this minimum.
  3. Satisfactory completion of the general education requirements as specific by the university.
  4. A minimum institutional GPA of 2.00 based on work taken at NDSU.
  5. At least 36 credits presented for graduation must be in courses number 300 or higher.
  6. Transfer Students: Must earn a minimum of 60 credits from a baccalaureate-degree granting or professional institituion. 
    1. Of these 60, at least 36 must be NDSU residence credits as defined in #7.
    2. Within the 36 resident credits, a minimum of 15 must be in courses numbered 300 or higher and 15 credits in the major field of study.
  7. At least 36 credits must be NDSU resident credits.  Residence credits include credits registered and paid for at NDSU.

For complete information, please refer to the Degree and Graduation Requirements section of this Bulletin.

University General Education Requirements

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 Credits39
  •  A list of university approved general education courses and administrative policies are available here.

College Requirements

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

Major Requirements

Except for courses offered only as pass/fail grading, no course may be taken Pass/Fail

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 189Skills for Academic Success 11
BIOL 252Plant and Animal Diversity3
BIOL 270Antibiotic Drug Discovery3
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 359Evolution3
BIOL 364General Ecology3
or BIOL 370 Cell Biology
BIOL 491Seminar2
Electives: Select 15 credits of any 300 or 400 level courses offered in the department:15
Comparative Chordate Morphology
Plant Systematics
Vertebrate Histology
Invertebrate Zoology
Ichthyology
Herpetology
Ornithology
Animal Physiology
Plant Ecology
Physiological Ecology
Endocrinology
Hormones and Behavior
Structure and Diversity of Plants and Fungi
Conservation Biology
Wildlife Ecology and Management
Wildlife and Fisheries Management Techniques
Biomedical Genetics and Genomics
Ecotoxicology
Wetland Science
Cellular Mechanisms of Diseases
Principles of Plant Physiology
Related Required Courses
MATH 146Applied 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 Credits60-70

Department NOTES

  • Students may not minor in biology with this major