Mar 28, 2024  
2011-2012 UMass Dartmouth Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2011-2012 UMass Dartmouth Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Biology Major


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BS degree 

Students may prepare for admission to medical, dental and veterinary colleges and for admission to graduate work in the life sciences. Increasing numbers of students elect to major in biology as a means of providing themselves with a general framework of ideas concerning the interactions of living things. A substantial number of these students proceed toward vocational objectives that do not require a specialist’s knowledge of biology.

Marine Biology Option


The marine biology option is designed to meet the needs of students who aspire to careers in ecology, marine biology, fisheries biology and biological oceanography. Students who elect the Marine Biology Option are urged to plan their program in close cooperation with their advisors. Biology majors who choose the marine biology option have an opportunity to elect marine-oriented courses during their junior and senior years and must meet college degree requirements for the BS degree.

First Two Years Requirements


(common to both options)

First Year


Second Year


First Semester: 17 credits


Humanites/Social Science Electives - 6 credits

Second Semester: 17 credits


Humanties/Social Science Electives - 6 credits

Notes


* Math course to be selected in consultation with the advisor. MTH 111, 112 (Calculus) is recommended for students whose math background is good, and required for later entrance to graduate programs with a molecular or ecological orientation.

It is also a prerequisite for Physical Chemistry. MTH 111, 112 is required for PHY 113, 114 but can be taken concurrently with it.

** PHY 113, 114 may be substituted for PHY 101, 102.

Third and Fourth Year Requirements


(common to both options)

Course selection for the third and fourth years of the biology major must be determined in consultation with an advisor. During the third and fourth year all majors are required to elect at least 18 credits in upper-division biology courses (courses numbered 300 or higher). Upper-division courses in physics, chemistry, engineering, marine science or mathematics; and course credit in BIO 440 441, or 495 may be substituted with the written approval of the advisor and the department chairperson prior to registration in the course. A maximum of 3 credits in biology proseminar may be included in the 18 credits. The requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences must also be met prior to graduation.

Students who have completed the first two years of the biology major may elect to concentrate in courses dealing with the ecology of the coastal zone, its estuaries and inshore waters.

Junior/Senior Electives for Marine Biology Option


Eighteen credits should be elected from upper-division biology courses. At least 12 of these credits must come from the following list of courses:

General Education Departmental Requirements


Students majoring in Biology will meet their departmentally-determined General Education requirements as follows:

Area E


Students may choose a course from the approved list.

Area W, Tier 2


Satisfied by:

Area O


Students may take any course on the approved list

Note


Some undergraduate senior-level courses are offered to graduate students under a corresponding 5xx number with concurrent enrollment but additional work expectations.

Some graduate courses may be open to undergraduates. Please consult your department chairperson. See the Graduate Catalogue for graduate general and program requirements.

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