Biology, B.S.
Visit the Biology Department page for more information on the program and access to advising.
Program Description
Students interested in Biology, or related fields, are encouraged to earn at least a baccalaureate degree (BS). Many professions (e.g., Pharmacy or Medicine) require additional post -baccalaureate education. The BS degree in Biology may be used for entry into a career or in preparation for graduate (Masters/PhD) or professional schools (medical, dental, pharmacy, etc.).
Matriculation Requirements
BIOL 1610 College Biology I or BIOL 1610H College Biology I with C- or higher and approval of Biology Department advisor.
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
| General Education Requirements: Students must successfully complete one G/I course to meet graduation requirements | 33 Credits | |
| ENGL 1010 | Introduction to Academic Writing | 3 |
| or ENGL 1005 | Foundations of Academic Writing | |
| ENGL 2010 | Intermediate Academic Writing | 3 |
| MATH 1050 | College Algebra | 4 |
| or MATH 1055 | College Algebra with Preliminaries | |
| Complete one of the following: | 3 | |
| US History to 1877 and US History since 1877 (6) | ||
| American History (3) | ||
| US Economic History (3) | ||
| American Heritage (3) | ||
| American National Government (3) | ||
| Complete the following: | ||
| Distribution Courses: | ||
| BIOL 1610 | College Biology I | 4 |
| or BIOL 1610H | College Biology I | |
| CHEM 1210 | Principles of Chemistry I | 4 |
| Personal, Professional, and Civic Growth GE class | 3 | |
| Humanities Distribution | 3 | |
| Fine Arts Distribution | 3 | |
| Social/Behavioral Science | 3 | |
| Discipline Core Requirements | 58 Credits | |
| BIOL 1615 | College Biology I Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 1220 | Principles of Chemistry II | 4 |
| BIOL 1620 | College Biology II | 3 |
| BIOL 1625 | College Biology II Laboratory | 1 |
| BIOL 3400 | Cell Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 3500 | Genetics | 3 |
| BIOL 3550 | Molecular Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 3600 | Biological Chemistry | 3 |
| BIOL 3700 | General Ecology | 3 |
| BIOL 4500 | Principles of Evolution | 3 |
| BIOL 4920R | Professional Development | 1 |
| BIOL 4970R | Biology Colloquium | 1 |
| BIOL 4940 | Student Seminar | 2 |
| Complete one of the following upper division lab courses: One course from this category needs to be taken although only 1 credit hour is required | 1 | |
| Introduction to Data Analysis for Biologists (3) | ||
| Guided Research Experience (1-3) | ||
| Cell Biology Laboratory (1) | ||
| Advanced Genetics Laboratory (1) | ||
| Experiments in Molecular Biology (1) | ||
| Phylogenetics (4) | ||
| Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics (3) | ||
| Microbial Ecology (4) | ||
| General Microbiology Laboratory (1) | ||
| Applied Virological Methods (3) | ||
| Mycology (4) | ||
| Ethnobotany (4) | ||
| Plant Anatomy (4) | ||
| Plant Systematics (3) | ||
| Plant Pathology (3) | ||
| Plant Physiology and Plant Physiology Laboratory (4) | ||
| Plant Tissue Culture (4) | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Principles of Statistics (4) | ||
| Trigonometry and Calculus I (7) | ||
| PHYS 2010 | College Physics I | 4 |
| PHYS 2015 | College Physics I Lab | 1 |
| PHYS 2020 | College Physics II | 4 |
| PHYS 2025 | College Physics II Lab | 1 |
| CHEM 1215 | Principles of Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 1225 | Principles of Chemistry II Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 2310 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 2315 | Organic Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 2320 | Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 2325 | Organic Chemistry II Laboratory | 1 |
| Elective Requirements Students must successfully complete one G/I course to meet graduation requirements | 29 Credits | |
| Choose 3 credits from any MICR electives. 1 | 3 | |
| Choose 3 credits from any BOT electives. 1 | 3 | |
| Choose 3 credits from any ZOOL electives. 1 | 3 | |
| Additional credits to meet credit and upper-division requirements. | 20 | |
- 1
Upper division is suggested to meet upper division requirements
Graduation Requirements
- Completion of a minimum of 120 semester credits.
- If an AA or AS degree has been earned, a maximum of 64 of these credits may apply toward the BS.
- At least 30 credit hours in residence at UVU or satellite sites are required, with 10 hours earned during the last 45 hours.
- A minimum of 40 credits must be upper-division (numbered 3000 or above).
- A minimum of 40 credits must be in the major (BIOL, BOT, BTEC, MICR, or ZOOL prefixes), 30 of which must be upper-division. A minimum of nine Department credits must be taken at UVU.
- Except for 4900R Special Topics courses, a maximum cumulative total of 9 credits in any combination of upper division Departmental courses with an "R" designation may count toward graduation.
- Complete Biology Department core courses with a grade of "C-" or higher in each course.
- Achieve a minimum overall GPA of 2.0 with a minimum GPA of 2.25 in biology department courses.
- Complete the appropriate application for graduation form.
- Successful completion of at least one Global/Intercultural course.
- Successful completion of two writing enriched (WE) courses.
-
Complete Departmental Assessment conducted by the Dept. of Biology Assessment Coordinator.
-
Complete an exit survey administered by the Biology Department.
Graduation Plan
This graduation plan is a sample plan and is intended to be a guide. Your specific plan may differ based on your Math and English placement and/or transfer credits applied. You are encouraged to meet with an advisor and set up an individualized graduation plan in Wolverine Track.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Credit Hours | |
| ENGL 1010 or ENGL 1005 | Introduction to Academic Writing or Foundations of Academic Writing | 3 |
| American Institutions | 3 | |
| Fine Arts Distribution | 3 | |
| Humanities Distribution | 3 | |
| MATH 1050 or MATH 1055 | College Algebra or College Algebra with Preliminaries | 4 |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| BIOL 1610 or BIOL 1610H | College Biology I or College Biology I | 4 |
| BIOL 1615 | College Biology I Laboratory | 1 |
| ENGL 2010 | Intermediate Academic Writing | 3 |
| CHEM 1210 | Principles of Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 1215 | Principles of Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 |
| Personal, Professional, and Civic Growth GE class | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Semester 3 | ||
| BIOL 1620 | College Biology II | 3 |
| BIOL 1625 | College Biology II Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 1220 | Principles of Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 1225 | Principles of Chemistry II Laboratory | 1 |
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Principles of Statistics | ||
| Trigonometry | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Credit Hours | 13 | |
| Semester 4 | ||
| BIOL 3500 | Genetics | 3 |
| CHEM 2310 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 2315 | Organic Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 |
| Social/Behavioral Science Distribution | 3 | |
| Elective | 5 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Semester 5 | ||
| BIOL 3700 | General Ecology | 3 |
| BIOL 3400 | Cell Biology | 3 |
| CHEM 2320 | Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 2325 | Organic Chemistry II Laboratory | 1 |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester 6 | ||
| BIOL 3600 | Biological Chemistry | 3 |
| PHYS 2010 | College Physics I | 4 |
| PHYS 2015 | College Physics I Lab | 1 |
| BIOL 3550 | Molecular Biology | 3 |
| Zoology Elective | 3 | |
| BIOL 4970R | Biology Colloquium | 1 |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Semester 7 | ||
| BIOL 4500 | Principles of Evolution | 3 |
| Botany Elective | 3 | |
| PHYS 2020 | College Physics II | 4 |
| PHYS 2025 | College Physics II Lab | 1 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Semester 8 | ||
| BIOL 4920R | Professional Development | 1 |
| Micr Elective | 4 | |
| BIOL 4940 | Student Seminar | 2 |
| Elective | 8 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
An online graduation plan offers students a flexible yet structured approach to their academic journey. While this sample serves as a general guideline, individual plans may differ based on Math and English placement scores. Meeting with an academic advisor is strongly recommended to customize plans and ensure all graduation requirements are met.
Online course options are available at https://www.uvu.edu/online/courses/index.html, and advising support is available through your assigned advisor.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Credit Hours | |
| ENGL 1010 or ENGL 1005 |
Introduction to Academic Writing or Foundations of Academic Writing |
3-4 |
| American Inst. | 3 | |
| Fine Arts | 3 | |
| Humanities | 3 | |
| MATH 1050 or MATH 1055 |
College Algebra or College Algebra with Preliminaries |
4 |
| Credit Hours | 16-17 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| BIOL 1610 | College Biology I | 4 |
| BIOL 1615 | College Biology I Laboratory | 1 |
| ENGL 2010 | Intermediate Academic Writing | 3 |
| CHEM 1210 | Principles of Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 1215 | Principles of Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 |
| Personal, Pro, & Civic Growth | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Semester 3 | ||
| BIOL 1620 | College Biology II | 3 |
| BIOL 1625 | College Biology II Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 1220 | Principles of Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 1225 | Principles of Chemistry II Laboratory | 1 |
| MATH 1060 or MATH 1210 |
Trigonometry or Calculus I |
3-4 |
| Credit Hours | 12-13 | |
| Semester 4 | ||
| BIOL 3500 | Genetics | 3 |
| CHEM 2310 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 2315 | Organic Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 |
| Soc/Behavioral Science | 3 | |
| Elective | 5 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Semester 5 | ||
| BIOL 3700 | General Ecology | 3 |
| BIOL 3400 | Cell Biology | 3 |
| CHEM 2320 | Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHEM 2325 | Organic Chemistry II Laboratory | 1 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| BIOL 4970R | Biology Colloquium | 1 |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester 6 | ||
| BIOL 3600 | Biological Chemistry | 3 |
| PHYS 2010 | College Physics I | 4 |
| PHYS 2015 | College Physics I Lab | 1 |
| BIOL 3550 | Molecular Biology | 3 |
| ZOOL 1090 | Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology | 3 |
| BIOL 4970R | Biology Colloquium | 1 |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Semester 7 | ||
| BIOL 4500 | Principles of Evolution | 3 |
| BOT 3800 | Ethnobotany | 4 |
| PHYS 2020 | College Physics II | 4 |
| PHYS 2025 | College Physics II Lab | 1 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Semester 8 | ||
| BIOL 4920R | Professional Development | 1 |
| MICR 3450 | General Microbiology | 3 |
| MICR 3455 | General Microbiology Laboratory | 1 |
| BIOL 4940 | Student Seminar | 2 |
| Elective | 8 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120-122 | |
Program Learning Outcomes
- Apply the process of science through the use of hypothesis testing in the design and completion of scientific experiments
- Critically evaluate scientific information
- Quantitatively analyze scientific data through graph interpretation, statistical analysis, and problem solving
- Effectively communicate scientific information in both written and oral formats.
- Explain fundamental biological concepts including cell biology, genetics, evolution, ecological principles, organismal biology, and biodiversity
- Apply scientific concepts both across and outside of biology that demonstrate interdisciplinary understanding
Natural sciences managers
- Total Positions100,100
- Field Growth7.5%
- Median Salary$157,740
- Average Openings8.3
Biological scientists, all other
- Total Positions66,800
- Field Growth5.6%
- Median Salary$91,100
- Average Openings5.4
Life scientists, all other
- Total Positions8,000
- Field Growth6.5%
- Median Salary$86,950
- Average Openings0.4
Agricultural technicians
- Total Positions19,600
- Field Growth5.9%
- Median Salary$43,180
- Average Openings3.0
Food science technicians
- Total Positions25,100
- Field Growth7.3%
- Median Salary$49,090
- Average Openings3.9
Forensic science technicians
- Total Positions18,600
- Field Growth13.6%
- Median Salary$64,940
- Average Openings2.7
Biological science teachers, postsecondary
- Total Positions64,900
- Field Growth8.4%
- Median Salary$83,920
- Average Openings5.6
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- Total Positions1,071,400
- Field Growth-0.6%
- Median Salary$65,220
- Average Openings64.0