Biotechnology
Major Requirements
Major: Biotechnology
Degree Type: B.S.
Minimum Degree Credits to Graduate: 120
University Degree Requirements
- Satisfactory completion of all requirements of the curriculum in which one is enrolled.
- Earn a minimum total of 120 credits in approved coursework. Some academic programs exceed this minimum.
- Satisfactory completion of the general education requirements as specified by the university.
- A minimum institutional GPA of 2.00 based on work taken at NDSU.
- At least 30 credits must be NDSU resident credits. Resident credits include credits registered and paid for at NDSU.
- At least 36 credits presented for graduation must be in courses numbered 300 or higher.
- Students presenting transfer credit must meet the NDSU residence credits and the minimum upper level credit. Of the 30 credits earned in residence, a minimum of 15 semester credits must be in courses numbered 300 or above, and 15 semester credits must be in the student’s curricula for their declared major.
For complete information, please refer to the Degree and Graduation Requirements section of this Bulletin.
University General Education Requirements
| 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.
- †
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 major requirements to determine if specific courses can also satisfy these general education categories.
- A list of university approved general education courses and administrative policies are available here.
Major requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Biotechnology Requirements | ||
| MICR 189 | Skills for Academic Success 1 | 1 |
| CSCI 114 | Computer Applications | 3 |
| or CSCI 122 | Visual BASIC | |
| MATH 165 | Calculus I | 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 |
| STAT 330 | Introductory Statistics (May satisfy general education category R) | 3 |
| BIOL 150 & 150L | General Biology I and General Biology I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 151 & 151L | General Biology II and General Biology II Laboratory | 4 |
| PLSC 315 & 315L | Genetics and Genetics Laboratory (May satisfy general education category S) Cross-listed as BIOL 315/L | 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 | Foundations of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I | 3 |
| BIOC 461 | Foundations of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II | 3 |
| BIOC 474 | Methods of Recombinant DNA Technology | 3 |
| MICR 350 & 350L | General Microbiology and General Microbiology Lab | 5 |
| MICR 470 | Basic Immunology | 3 |
| MICR 471 | Immunology and Serology Laboratory | 2 |
| MICR 482 | Microbial Genetics | 3 |
| MICR 491 | Seminar (Biotechnology) | 1-2 |
| or BIOC 491 | Seminar | |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Undergraduate Research and Individual Study (2-4 cr. of 493 (research) and 1 cr. of 494 (thesis)) The research and thesis may also be completed as BIOC or PLSC | ||
| FE/Coop Ed/Internship | ||
| Major Elective in Physiology: Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
| Microbial Physiology | ||
| Principles of Plant Physiology | ||
| Animal Physiology | ||
| Major Elective in Biotechnology Technique: Select 7-9 credits from the following: | 7-9 | |
| Methods of Biochemical Research | ||
| Molecular Biology of Gene Expression | ||
| Analytical Chemistry I | ||
| Animal Cell Culture Techniques | ||
| Genomics | ||
| Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology | ||
| Additional Humanities & Fine Arts or Social & Behavioral Sciences Credits | 6 | |
An additional 6 credits from these General Education categories is required for earning a B.S. degree from either the College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources or the College of Science and Mathematics. | ||
| Total Credits | 88-91 | |
- 1
MICR 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 AGRI 189.
Degree Notes:
- The Bachelors of Science degree is the default degree type for this program of study. However, a Bachelor of Arts degree is available if the degree is being earned from the College of Science & Mathematics.
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Degree Requirements: An additional 12 credits of Humanities and/or Social Sciences courses and proficiency of a modern foreign language at the second year level (example: SPAN 201 & 202). Courses for the Humanities and/or 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 current Humanities & Fine Arts (A) and/or Social & Behavioral Sciences (B) General Education list.
Minor Requirements
Minor: Biotechnology
Required Credits: 20
Minor Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOC 460 | Foundations of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I | 3 |
| BIOC 461 | Foundations of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II | 3 |
| PLSC 315 & 315L | Genetics and Genetics Laboratory | 4 |
| Biotechnology Technique Electives: Select 4 credits from the following: | 4 | |
| Methods of Biochemical Research | ||
| Methods of Recombinant DNA Technology | ||
| Animal Cell Culture Techniques | ||
| Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology | ||
| Specialized Electives: Select 6 credits from the following: | 6 | |
| Basic Immunology | ||
| Immunology and Serology Laboratory | ||
| Microbial Genetics | ||
| Introductory Plant Pathology | ||
| Principles of Plant Physiology | ||
| Cell Biology | ||
| Animal Physiology | ||
| Total Credits | 20 | |
Minor Requirements and Notes
- A minimum of 8 credits must be taken at NDSU.