Biological Sciences, Bachelor of Science College of Biological Sciences
Departments of Evolution & Ecology; Microbiology & Molecular Genetics; Molecular & Cellular Biology; Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior; and Plant Biology
The Program
The Biological Sciences major is broad in concept, spanning the numerous core disciplines of biology. The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) program includes preparatory work in mathematics, general and organic chemistry, physics, and introductory level biology, as well as upper division core classes emphasizing the breadth of biological sciences. Students in the B.S. degree program complete additional upper division biology coursework, for which they can choose classes from a variety of different areas such as molecular biology and genetics, animal behavior, plant growth and development, bioinformatics, marine biology, forensics, and microbiology research and internships are encouraged.
Career Alternatives
The degree program prepares students for admission to graduate schools or professional schools, leading to either a variety of professional health careers or further study in basic and applied areas of biology. They provide suitable preparation for careers in teaching, biological and biotechnological research with various governmental agencies or private companies, government regulatory agencies, environmental consulting, biological illustration and writing, pharmaceutical sales, biological/environmental law, and biomedical engineering.
Faculty Advisor
Lesilee Rose, Ph.D.
Advising
Biology Academic Success Center (BASC) in 1023 Katherine Esau Science Hall (formerly Sciences Laboratory Building); 530-752-0410.
Teaching Credential Subject Representative
Associate Director of Teacher Education (School of Education); see the Teaching Credential/M.A. Program.
Bodega Marine Laboratory Program
Students interested in Marine Biology should visit Marine & Coastal Science Major & Bodega Marine Laboratory.
The major requirements below are in addition to meeting University Degree Requirements & College Degree Requirements; unless otherwise noted. The minimum number of units required for the Biological Sciences Bachelor of Science is 98.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Preparatory Subject Matter | ||
| Biological Science | 15 | |
| Introduction to Biology: Essentials of Life on Earth and Introduction to Biology: Principles of Ecology & Evolution and Introduction to Biology: Biodiversity & the Tree of Life | ||
| Chemistry | ||
| Choose the 002 or 004 series: 1 | 15 | |
| General Chemistry and General Chemistry and General Chemistry | ||
| General Chemistry for the Physical Sciences & Engineering and General Chemistry for the Physical Sciences & Engineering and General Chemistry for the Physical Sciences & Engineering | ||
| Choose the 008 or 118 series: 2 | 6-12 | |
| Organic Chemistry: Brief Course and Organic Chemistry: Brief Course | ||
| Organic Chemistry for Health & Life Sciences and Organic Chemistry for Health & Life Sciences and Organic Chemistry for Health & Life Sciences | ||
| Mathematics | ||
| Choose the 017 or 021 series: 3 | 8-12 | |
| Calculus for Biology & Medicine and Calculus for Biology & Medicine and Calculus for Biology & Medicine | ||
| Calculus and Calculus and Calculus (Recommended) | ||
| Physics | 12 | |
| General Physics and General Physics and General Physics | ||
| Preparatory Subject Matter Subtotal | 56-66 | |
| Depth Subject Matter | ||
| Section 1: Core Curriculum | ||
| BIS 101 | Genes & Gene Expression | 4 |
| BIS 104 | Cell Biology | 3 |
| BIS 105 | Biomolecules & Metabolism | 3-6 |
| or BIS 102 & BIS 103 | Structure & Function of Biomolecules and Bioenergetics & Metabolism | |
| Section 2: Depth Subject Topics | ||
| Choose one from each topic: | 21-26 | |
| Statistics | ||
| Applied Statistics for Biological Sciences | ||
| Evolution | ||
| Introduction to Evolution | ||
| Ecology | ||
| Introduction to Ecology | ||
| General Ecology | ||
| Microbiology | ||
| Introductory Microbiology | ||
| General Virology | ||
or MIC 162 DISCONTINUED | ||
MMG 170 | ||
or MIC 170 DISCONTINUED | ||
| Plant Physiology or Development | ||
| Developmental Plant Anatomy | ||
| Plant Physiology | ||
| Plant Growth & Development | ||
| Molecular & Cellular Biology of Plants | ||
| Plant Morphology & Evolution | ||
| Plant Biochemistry | ||
| Animal Physiology, Behavior or Development | ||
| Neurobiology | ||
| Systemic Physiology | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Cell Signaling in Health & Disease | ||
NPB 141 | (Discontinued) | |
| Developmental Biology | ||
| Section 3: Laboratory Requirement | ||
| Course(s) selected to fulfill the laboratory requirement may also satisfy restricted elective or depth subject matter units (but not both). | ||
| Choose course(s) for a minimum total of six hours/week of laboratory or field work from the list of courses below: | ||
Choose two with three hours lab or field work/week: | ||
| Running, Swimming & Flying | ||
| Paleobotany | ||
| Experimental Ecology & Evolution in the Field | ||
| Experimental Ecology & Evolution in the Field | ||
| Computer Programming for Biologists | ||
| Introductory Microbiology Laboratory | ||
| Neurobiology Laboratory | ||
| Systemic Physiology Laboratory | ||
| Physiology of Reproduction Laboratory | ||
| Comparative Vertebrate Organology | ||
| Plant Ecology | ||
| Population Biology of Invasive Plants & Weeds | ||
Other courses with approval of Faculty Advisor. | ||
Choose one course with six hours lab or field work/week: | ||
| Genomics Laboratory | ||
| Phylogenetic Analysis of Vertebrate Structure | ||
| Mechanical Design in Organisms | ||
| Biology of Invertebrates Laboratory | ||
EVE/PLB 108 | (Discontinued) | |
| Experimental Invertebrate Biology | ||
| Human Gross Anatomy Laboratory | ||
| General Microbiology Laboratory | ||
| Microbial Diversity Laboratory | ||
| Molecular Biology & Biochemistry Laboratory | ||
| Cell Biology Laboratory | ||
| Principles of Genetics Laboratory | ||
NPB 141P | (Discontinued) | |
PLB/PLS 102 | (Discontinued) | |
| Developmental Plant Anatomy | ||
PLB/EVE 108 | (Discontinued) | |
| Plant Morphology & Evolution | ||
| Introductory Mycology | ||
Other courses with approval of the Faculty Advisor. | ||
| Section 4: Restricted Electives | ||
| Choose at least three or more courses for a minimum of 11 units from the list of Approved Upper Division Restrictive Electives and/or laboratory courses. No class or laboratory used to satisfy a Section 1 or a Section 2 course requirement may be used as a restricted elective. | 11 | |
| Students may choose any combination of approved courses that align with their academic or career objectives. Up to three of the 11 units may be fulfilled by approved seminar or research courses. | ||
| Total Units | 98-116 | |
- 1
With BASC advisor approval, these combinations these combinations also satisfy the Chemistry requirement: CHE 004A-CHE 002A (3 units w/no lab)-CHE 002B-CHE 002C; CHE 004A-CHE 004B-CHE 002C.
- 2
With BASC advisor approval, this combination also satisfies the Organic Chemistry requirement: CHE 118A-CHE 008B.
- 3
With BASC advisor approval, this combination also satisfies the Mathematics requirement: MAT 021A-MAT 017B-MAT 017C; MAT 017A-MAT 021B.
Approved Seminar/Research Courses
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Courses numbered 189, 190/190C, 192, 194H, and 199 in ABI, ANS, BIS, BIT, ENH, ENT, ETX, EVE, MCB, MIC, MMG, NPB, PLB, PLP, PLS, VEN, WFC, as well as: | ||
| BIS 122P | Population Biology & Ecology/Advanced Laboratory Topics | 5 |
| BIS 123 | Undergraduate Colloquium in Marine Science | 1 |
| BIS 133 | Collaborative Studies in Mathematical Biology | 3 |
| EVE/ESP 111 | Marine Environmental Issues | 1 |
| MIC 191 | Introduction to Research for Advanced Undergraduates (Pending Approval) | 1 |
| or MMG 191 DISCONTINUED | ||
| MCB 138 | Undergraduate Seminar in Biochemistry | 1 |
| MCB 139 | Undergraduate Seminar in Biochemistry | 2 |
| MCB 148 | Undergraduate Seminar in Cell Biology | 2 |
| MCB 158 | Undergraduate Seminar in Developmental Biology | 2 |
| MCB 178 | Undergraduate Seminar in Molecular Genetics | 1 |
| MCB 191 | Introduction to Research | 1 |
| MCB 193 | Advanced Research | 3 |
| NPB 139 | Frontiers in Physiology | 3 |
| NPB 159 | Frontiers in Behavior | 3 |
| NPB 169 | Frontiers in Neurobiology | 3 |
Approved Upper Division Restricted Electives
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ANG 105 | Horse Genetics | 3 |
| ANG 107 | Genetics & Animal Breeding | 5 |
| ANS 104 | Principles & Applications of Domestic Animal Behavior | 4 |
| ANS 123 | Animal Growth & Development | 4 |
| ANS 170 | Ethics of Animal Use | 4 |
| ANT 151 | Primate Evolution | 4 |
| ANT 152 | Human Evolution | 5 |
| ANT 153 | Human Genetics: Mutation & Migration | 5 |
| ANT 154A | The Evolution of Primate Behavior | 5 |
| ANT 154B | Primate Evolutionary Ecology (Discontinued) | 5 |
| ANT 155 | Primate Conservation Biology | 4 |
| ANT 157 | Advanced Human Genetics | 2 |
| ANT 157L | Advanced Human Genetics Lab | 4 |
| AVS 100 | Avian Biology | 3 |
| AVS 103 | Avian Development & Genomics | 3 |
| AVS 115 | Raptor Biology | 3 |
| BIM 140 | Protein Engineering | 4 |
| BIM 143 | Biomolecular Systems Engineering: Synthetic Biology | 4 |
| Biological Sciences (BIS)―all upper division courses. 1 | ||
| BIT 150 | Applied Bioinformatics | 4 |
| BIT 160 | Principles of Plant Biotechnology | 3 |
| BIT 161A | Genetics & Biotechnology Laboratory | 6 |
| BIT 161B | Plant Genetics & Biotechnology Laboratory | 4 |
| CHE 107A | Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences | 3 |
| CHE 107B | Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences | 3 |
| CHE 108 | Molecular Biochemistry | 3 |
| CHE 130A | Principles of Medicinal Chemistry | 3 |
| CHE 130B | Computational Drug Design | 3 |
| CHE 150 | Chemistry of Natural Products | 3 |
| ECS 124 | Theory & Practice of Bioinformatics | 4 |
| EDU 110 | Educational Psychology: General | 4 |
| EDU/GEL 181 | Teaching in Science & Mathematics | 2 |
| EDU/GEL 183 | Teaching High School Mathematics & Science | 3 |
| ENH 105 | Taxonomy & Ecology of Environmental Plant Families | 4 |
| ENH 150 | Genetics & Plant Conservation: The Biodiversity Crisis (Discontinued) | 3 |
| Entomology (ENT)―all upper division courses. 1 | ||
| ESP 106 | Environmental Data Science | 4 |
| ESP 110 | Principles of Environmental Science | 4 |
| ESP/GEL 116N | Oceanography | 3 |
| ESP 121 | Population Ecology | 4 |
| ESP 123 | Introduction to Field & Laboratory Methods in Ecology | 4 |
| ESP 124 | Marine & Coastal Field Ecology | 3 |
| ESP 151 | Limnology | 4 |
| ESP 151L | Limnology Laboratory | 3 |
| ESP 155 | Wetland Ecology | 4 |
| Environmental Toxicology (ETX)―all upper division courses. 1 | ||
| Evolution & Ecology (EVE)―all upper division courses. 1 | ||
| Exercise Biology (EXB)―all upper division courses. 1 | ||
| FST 102A | Malting & Brewing Science | 4 |
| FST 104 | Food Microbiology | 3 |
| GDB 101 | Epidemiology | 4 |
| GDB 103 | Microbiome of People, Animals, & Plants | 3 |
| GEL 107 | Earth History: Paleobiology | 3 |
| GEL 107L | Earth History: Paleobiology Laboratory | 2 |
| GEL 108 | Earth History: Paleoclimates | 3 |
| GEL/ESP 116N | Oceanography | 3 |
| GEL 141 | Evolutionary History of Vertebrates | 3 |
| GEL 144 | Historical Ecology | 3 |
| GEL/ESP 150A | Physical & Chemical Oceanography | 4 |
| GEL/ESP 150B | Geological Oceanography | 3 |
| GEL/ESP 150C | Biological Oceanography | 4 |
| HDE 100A | Infancy & Early Childhood | 4 |
| or HDE 100AV | Infancy & Early Childhood | |
| HDE 100C | Adulthood & Aging | 4 |
| HDE/ENT 117 | Longevity | 4 |
| HPH 115 | Cannabis & Cannabinoids in Physiology & Medicine (Discontinued) | 3 |
| Molecular & Cellular Biology (MCB)―all upper division courses. 1 | ||
| Microbiology (MIC)―all upper division courses. 1 | ||
| Microbiology & Molecular Genetics (MMG)―all upper division courses. 1 | ||
| MMI 188A | Human Immunology | 3 |
| or MMI 188B | Human Immunology | |
| NEM 100 | Plant Nematology | 4 |
| NEM 110 | Introduction to Nematology | 2 |
| Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior (NPB)―all upper division courses. 1 | ||
| NUT/ETX 104 | Environmental & Nutritional Factors in Cellular Regulation & Nutritional Toxicants | 4 |
| PHI 108 | Philosophy of the Biological Sciences | 4 |
| Plant Biology (PLB)―all upper division courses. 1 | ||
| PLP 120 | Introduction to Plant Pathology | 4 |
| PLP 130 | Fungal Biology & Disease | 3 |
| PLS 100A | Metabolic Processes of Cultivated Plants | 3 |
| PLS 100B | Growth & Yield of Cultivated Plants | 3 |
| PLS 101 | Agriculture & the Environment | 3 |
| PLS/ESM 144 | Trees & Forests | 4 |
| PLS 147 | California Plant Communities | 3 |
| PLS 150 | Sustainability & Agroecosystem Management | 4 |
| PLS 152 | Plant Genetics | 4 |
| PLS 154 | Introduction to Plant Breeding | 4 |
| PLS 162 | Urban Ecology | 3 |
| PLS 172 | Biology and Quality of Harvested Crops | 4 |
| PMI 126 | Fundamentals of Immunology | 3 |
| PMI 127 | Medical Bacteria & Fungi | 3 |
| PMI 128 | Biology of Animal Viruses | 3 |
| SAS/HIS 109 | Environmental Change, Disease & Public Health | 4 |
| SAS 110 | Applications of Evolution in Medicine, Human Behavior, & Agriculture | 4 |
| SOC 163 | Population Health: Social Determinants & Disparities in Health | 4 |
| SSC 111 | Soil Microbiology | 4 |
| STA 101 | Advanced Applied Statistics for the Biological Sciences | 4 |
| STS/ANT 129 | Health & Medicine in a Global Context | 4 |
| STS/ENL 164 | Writing Science | 4 |
| UWP 111C | Specialized Topics in Journalism: Science Journalism | 4 |
| UWP 120 | Rhetorical Approaches to Scientific & Technological Issues | 4 |
| UWP 121 | History of Scientific Writing | 4 |
| VEN 110 | Grapevine Growth & Physiology | 3 |
| VME 158 | Infectious Disease in Ecology & Conservation | 3 |
| Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology (WFC)―all upper division courses. 1 | 3 | |
- 1
Courses numbered 198 do not fulfill restricted elective units without advisor approval. Discussion section courses, those noted with a "D" do not fulfill restricted elective units. Only 3 units of approved seminar or research courses can be applied to the restrictive electives.