• Required Biological Science Courses
• Required Collateral Courses
• Requirements for a Minor in Biological Science
• Required Academic Performance and Standards
• Summary of Requirements 
• Requirements Checklist 
  

REQUIRED BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE COURSES

1. A total of thirty-eight (38) semester hours of biological science courses must be completed for the major. At least twenty (20) of the required thirty-eight semester hours must be taken at FSU. The 38 semester hours include the requirements described below.
    
   1. Nine (9) semester hours of required introductory biology courses including:
      
      BSC 2010 Biological Science I (3 hrs)
      BSC 2010L Biological Science I Lab (1 hr)
      BSC 2011 Biological Science II (3 hrs)
      BSC 2011L Biological Science II Lab (2 hrs)
       
   2. Ten (10) semester hours of required upper division biology courses including:
      
      PCB 3063 Genetics (3 hrs)
      BSC 3402L Experimental Biology Lab (2 hrs)
      BOT 3015 Plant Biology (2 hrs)
      PCB 4674 Evolution (3 hrs)
       
   3. Nineteen (19) semester hours of upper division elective biology courses including:
       
      1. A total of two Area Courses, representing two different Areas:
         
         Area I: Cell and Molecular Biology
         MCB 4403/L  Prokaryotic Biology (3 hrs) & Lab (2 hrs)
         PCB 3134     Cell Structure and Function (3 hrs)
         PCB 4024     Molecular Biology (3 hrs)
         PCB 4253     Animal Development (3 hrs)
         
         Area II: Physiology
         BOT 4503     Plant Physiology (3 hrs)
         PCB 3743     Vertebrate Physiology (3 hrs)
         PCB 4723     Comparative Animal Physiology (3 hrs)
         
         Area III: Ecology and Environmental Science
         BSC 3052     Conservation Biology (3 hrs)
         PCB 3043     General Ecology (3 hrs)
         ZOO 4513    Animal Behavior (4 hrs)
          
      2. Additional upper division elective biology courses at the 3000/4000 level to complete the required thirty-eight (38) semester hours of biological science courses.
          
2. Completion of at least five (5) laboratory and/or field courses in biological science. In addition to the three required laboratory courses, two additional courses designated by an "L" or a "C" must be taken.
    
3. No more than six (6) semester hours of honors work in biological science (BSC 4970), six (6) semester hours of Directed Individual Study (BSC 4900) or Research Methods (BSC 4933), two (2) semester hours of Senior Tutorial (BSC 4931), and one (1) semester hour of Undergraduate Supervised Teaching (BSC 4945) can be applied to the thirty-eight (38) semester hours of biological science coursework.

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REQUIRED COLLATERAL COURSES

1. Mathematics/Statistics: Eight (9) to eleven (11) semester hours including:
   
   MAC 2311: Calculus with Analytical Geometry I (4 hrs) and
   MAP 2480: Biocalculus lab (1hr)
   
   And ONE of the following three options:
   
   
   1. MAC 2312: Calculus with Analytical Geometry II (4 hrs)
   
   
   2. STA 2171: Statistics for Biology (4 hrs)
   
   
   3. STA 2122: Introduction to Applied Statistics (4 hrs) plus one of the following 2nd statistics courses:

          STA 4102   Computational Methods in Statistics I (3 hrs)
          STA 4202   Analysis of Variance and Design of Experiments (3 hrs)
          STA 4203   Applied Regression Methods (3 hrs)
          STA 4222   Sample Surveys (3 hrs)
          STA 4322   Mathematical Statistics (3 hrs)
          STA 4442   Introductory Probability I (3 hrs)
          STA 4502   Applied Nonparametric Statistics (3 hrs)
          STA 4664   Statistics for Quality and Productivity (3 hrs)
          STA 4702   Applied Multivariate Analysis (3 hrs)
          STA 4853   Time Series and Forecasting Methods (3 hrs).
      
       

2. Chemistry: Fifteen (15) semester hours including:
   
   CHM 1045C or 1050/1050L   General Chemistry I (3 hrs) & Lab (1 hr)
   CHM 1046C or 1051/1051L   General Chemistry II (3 hrs) & Lab (2 hrs)
   CHM 2210                         Organic Chemistry I (3 hrs)
   CHM 2211                         Organic Chemistry II (3 hrs)
   
    
3. Physics: Eight (8) to ten (10) semester hours including:

   PHY 2048C General Physics I (5 hrs)   or  PHY 2053C College Physics I (4 hrs) 
                                                     and
   PHY 2049C General Physics II (5 hrs)  or  PHY 2054C College Physics II (4 hrs)

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REQUIREMENTS FOR A MINOR IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE

Students who decide to change their majors from biological science to another major and students from other majors often inquire about the requirements for receiving a minor in biological science. A minor in biological science requires a minimum of twelve (12) semester hours of approved biological science courses to include the following or their equivalents:

BSC 2010  (3 hrs)
BSC 2010L  (1 hr)
BSC 2011  (3 hrs)
BSC 2011L  (2 hrs)

Additional biology elective course (approved for the major) to complete the twelve hours.

All biological science courses applicable to the biological minor must be completed with a grade of C- or better. In addition, a minimum of four (4) of the twelve (12) semester hours required for a biological science minor must be taken at FSU.

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REQUIRED ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND STANDARDS

1. All biological science courses applicable to the major must be completed with a grade of C- or better.
    
2. All required collateral courses in chemistry, physics, mathematics, and statistics must be completed with a grade of C- or better.
    
3. Designation, continuation, and graduation as a biological science major requires a minimum 2.0 biology GPA in all courses taken for the major (biological science, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and statistics). The biology GPA is calculated using all grades earned for courses in the major, whether taking the course for the first time, repeating the course, or repeating the course under the FSU Forgiveness Policy.
    
4. A student who has earned more than five (5) unsatisfactory grades (F, D-, D, D+, U) in courses required for the major (biological science, chemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics), or their prerequisite courses, at FSU or elsewhere, whether or not repeated and whether or not taken under the FSU Forgiveness Policy, will not be permitted to graduate with a degree in biological science.
    
5. A biological science student who has been dismissed from FSU for academic reasons, or who has not been enrolled for two consecutive semesters (including summer), or who must apply for readmission, must meet the degree requirements of the General Bulletin in force on the date of readmission. Readmission to the University does not imply readmission to the biological science department.
    
6. A student who is not in good academic standing in the major (i.e., biology GPA < 2.0 or more than five unsatisfactory grades in courses that apply to the major) may request an exception to the required academic performance and standards noted above by filing a formal appeal to the Department of Biological Science Undergraduate Appeals Committee. To initiate the appeals process, students must meet with Dr. Robert Reeves, Associate Chairman for Undergraduate Studies (850-644-2248; 330 Conradi).

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