Biology, B.A.
Learn more about the Bachelor of Arts in Biology.
The Bachelor of Arts in Biology, which also provides the essential background for professional schools, is appropriate for those who are planning for careers in fields where a science background with additional breadth is advantageous.
Undergraduate Contact Information:
Dr. Robert Sanders, Chair
Biology-Life Sciences Building, Room 255
215-204-8851
Dr. Erik Cordes, Vice Chair
Biology-Life Sciences Building, Room 315A
erik.cordes@temple.edu
215-204-8876
Dr. Joel Sheffield, Faculty Advisor
Juniors/Seniors, Research Questions
Biology-Life Sciences Building, Room 311
215-204-8839
jbs@temple.edu
Dr. Angela Bricker, Faculty Advisor
First Year Students/Sophomore Year Students
Biology-Life Sciences Building, Room 248C
215-204-8578
abricker@temple.edu
Bachelor of Arts
Summary of Requirements for the Degree
- University Requirements
- MATH 0701 (4 s.h.) and/or ENG 0701 (4 s.h.), if required by placement testing.
- All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses at Temple as part of their major. Following is a list of courses that can be used to satisfy the writing-intensive requirement:
Course List Code Title Credit Hours BIOL 2296 Genetics (S) 4 BIOL 3096 Cell Structure and Function (F) 4 BIOL 3396 Scientific Writing for Biology: The Art of Communicating (S) 3
- Students must complete the General Education (GenEd) requirements.
- See the General Education section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for the GenEd curriculum.
- Students who complete CST majors typically receive a waiver for 2 Science & Technology (GS) and 1 Quantitative Literacy (GQ) GenEd courses.
- Students must satisfy general Temple University residency requirements.
- College Requirements
- 45 Upper Level (2000+) credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).
- 90 credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).
- Two (2) Upper Level (2000+) Liberal Art courses.
- Second (2nd) Level of a Foreign Language (1002).
- First Year Seminar Requirement: All students in the College of Science & Technology (CST) are required to take a 1 credit first year seminar course, SCTC 1001 CST First Year Seminar. Other courses that fulfill this requirement may be found on the CST College Requirements page. Only one course in this category may count towards graduation.
- Major Requirements for Bachelor of Arts (60-63 s.h.)
At least 7 courses required for the major must be completed at Temple. At least 4 Biology courses must be completed at Temple.Course List Code Title Credit Hours Biology BIOL 1111 Introduction to Organismal Biology 4 or BIOL 1911 Honors Introduction to Organismal Biology BIOL 2112 Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology 4 or BIOL 2912 Honors Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology BIOL 2227 Principles of Ecology 3 BIOL 2296 Genetics (S) 4 BIOL 3096 Cell Structure and Function (F) 4 Select 3 Biology electives 2200 or above (see course descriptions for exceptions) 9-12 Chemistry Select one of the following: 4 General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry Laboratory IHonors General Chemical Science I
and Honors Chemical Science Laboratory I (F)Select one of the following: 4 General Chemistry II
and General Chemistry Laboratory IIHonors General Chemical Science II
and Honors Chemical Science Laboratory II (S)Select one of the following: 4 Organic Chemistry I
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory IOrganic Chemistry for Majors I
and Organic Majors Laboratory I (F)Organic Chemistry for Honors I
and Organic Honors Laboratory I (F)Select one of the following: 4 Organic Chemistry II
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory IIOrganic Chemistry for Majors II
and Organic Majors Laboratory II (S)Organic Chemistry for Honors II
and Organic Honors Laboratory II (S)Mathematics Select one of the following: 4 Calculus I Honors Calculus I Select one of the following: 4 Introduction to Probability and Statistics for the Life Sciences Calculus II Honors Calculus II Physics PHYS 2021 General Physics I 4 or PHYS 2921 Honors General Physics I PHYS 2022 General Physics II 4 or PHYS 2922 Honors General Physics II Total Credit Hours 60-63 Course List Code Title Credit Hours (F) - Fall only course (S) - Spring only course Note: Grades of C or higher in both CHEM 1031 and CHEM 1032 or their Honors alternates are required to take BIOL 2112. Grades of C or higher in BIOL 1111 and BIOL 2112 or their Honors alternates are required to take upper-level Biology courses, and a C- or higher is required unless otherwise specified in all other courses for the major, including course prerequisites. Most research and independent study courses do not count as Biology electives, such as:
Course List Code Title Credit Hours BIOL 2082 Independent Research I 1 to 4 BIOL 3082 Independent Research II 1 to 4 BIOL 3091 Research Methods 3 BIOL 3681 Cooperative Studies 2 to 4 BIOL 3685 Externship Studies 3 BIOL 4291 Extradepartmental Research 1 to 4 BIOL 4483 Accelerated Research in Biochemistry 3 BIOL 4491 Research in Biochemistry 3 BIOL 4591 Research in Neuroscience 1 to 4
A GPA of 2.0 or better is required in Biology courses in order to graduate.
Distinction in the Major
To be eligible for distinction in the major, a student must retain a grade point average of 3.2 or better (overall and in the major); should register for BIOL 4391 Accelerated Research in Biology or BIOL 4291 Extradepartmental Research for a total of 6 s.h. over two semesters; and must write a final research paper and present his/her research at a departmental research poster session before graduation. A student, however, does not have to enroll in the distinction program in order to participate in departmental research. Other courses (BIOL 2082 Independent Research I and BIOL 3082 Independent Research II), provide credit toward graduation and research experience, and are available to undergraduate students from their sophomore through their senior year. A student may register for BIOL 3082 more than one semester, however only one semester may be completed for a grade. The additional semester may be taken for credit/no credit. In all cases, permission of the faculty and application to the department Honors Committee is required before registering for research credits.
Calculation of Major GPA
Courses listed under the major requirements for the degree will be included in the calculation of the major GPA. Courses that could not apply toward the major as an elective or required course would not be counted in the calculation of the major GPA. This would include BIOL 1011, for example.
A total of up to 3 s.h. of Biology research courses numbered lower than 4000 (to include: BIOL 2082, BIOL 3082, BIOL 3181, BIOL 3281, and BIOL 3681) may be taken for a letter grade. Any additional credits in research courses in this category can be taken only on a CR/NC basis. No research courses numbered lower than 4000 may be used for Biology elective credit.
Suggested Academic Plan
Bachelor of Arts in Biology
Requirements for New Students starting in the 2020-2021 Academic Year
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| General Chemistry I | ||
| Honors General Chemical Science I (F) | ||
| MATH 1041 or 1941 | Calculus I | 4 |
| SCTC 1001 | CST First Year Seminar | 1 |
| General Education/Elective Credits | 6 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL 1111 or 1911 | Introduction to Organismal Biology | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| General Chemistry II | ||
| Honors General Chemical Science II (S) | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Introduction to Probability and Statistics for the Life Sciences | ||
| Calculus II | ||
| Honors Calculus II | ||
| General Education/Elective Credits | 3 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| BIOL 2112 or 2912 | Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Organic Chemistry I | ||
| Organic Chemistry for Majors I (F) | ||
| Organic Chemistry for Honors I (F) | ||
| General Education/Elective Credits | 7 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Principles of Ecology | ||
| Genetics [WI] (S) | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Organic Chemistry II | ||
| Organic Chemistry for Majors II (S) | ||
| Organic Chemistry for Honors II (S) | ||
| General Education/Elective Credits | 9-8 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| BIOL 3096 | Cell Structure and Function [WI] (F) | 4 |
| PHYS 2021 or 2921 | General Physics I | 4 |
| General Education/Elective Credits | 8 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4-3 | |
| Principles of Ecology | ||
| Genetics [WI] (S) | ||
| PHYS 2022 or 2922 | General Physics II | 4 |
| General Education/Elective Credits | 7-8 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| Upper-Level 2200+ Biology Elective1 | 3-4 | |
| Upper-Level 2200+ Biology Elective1 | 3-4 | |
| General Education/Elective Credits | 9-7 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Upper-Level 2200+ Biology Elective1 | 3-4 | |
| General Education/Elective Credits | 13-12 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 123 | |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| (F) - Fall only course | ||
| (S) - Spring only course | ||
| 1 | If the student has taken the necessary prerequisite courses, some of the Biology elective courses may be taken before the Fall semester of Year 4. |