Bloomsburg University Academic Programs
Academic Catalog

Biology (B.A.)

Department of Biological and Allied Health Sciences, College of Science and Technology

Effective Fall, 2009

Biology majors should schedule 50.290 Writing in Biology in their sophomore year. If 50.290 cannot be scheduled, 20.201 English Composition II may be substituted. In addition to general education requirements, additional free elective hours are required to meet the university requirement of 120 hours for a baccalaureate degree.

Foreign language requirement. Choose any one of the following courses: 10.101 French 1,10.102 French 2, 10.203 French 3; 10.204 French 4; 11.101 German 1, 11.102 German 2, 11.203 German 3, 11.204 German 4; 12.101 Spanish 1;12.102 Spanish 2, 12.203 Spanish 3, 12.204 Spanish 4; 13.102 Russian 2, 13.103 Russian 3, 13.104 Russian 4; 14.102 Italian 2; 18.102 Latin 2 or 19.102 Chinese 2.

A maximum of 3 cr hr of 50.490 may be applied as biology elective credit toward the degree. A maximum of 6 cr hr from among 50.390, 50.391, 50.490, 50.493 and 50.494 may be applied as biology elective credit toward the degree.

Students seeking Secondary Education Certification in Biology must declare majors in both Biology (BA) and Secondary Education (Biology) and complete the full Biology (BA) course sequence as well as the Secondary Education Professional Course and Certification requirements. Students must consult their advisers in both departments each semester regarding course selection and other certification requirements. Full program requirements for students seeking Secondary Education Certification in Biology may be found at http://www.bloomu.edu/catalog/f2009/cops/sec_biology.php

Students intending to apply to graduate programs in Physical Therapy or Physician Assistant are strongly encouraged to pursue the B.A. in Biology.

Pre-Physical Therapy

Physical therapists examine, diagnose, and treat patients that have a variety of musculoskeletal, cardiac, neurological, and pulmonary problems. They carry out programs to help increase a patient’s strength and flexibility, to relieve pain, and to help limit permanent physical disabilities. Most physical therapy degree programs are now at the doctoral level, although there are still a few at the master’s level. Students complete a bachelor’s degree (we strongly recommend the Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology) at Bloomsburg then transfer to a physical therapy program where they earn a masters (M.S. PT) or a doctoral (D.PT) degree. These programs are usually 2 or 3 years in length. Bloomsburg students have been admitted to many different schools; there are 14 in Pennsylvania. Bloomsburg has affiliation agreements with Thomas Jefferson University and Drexel-Hahnemann University that guarantee admission to our students providing specific undergraduate requirements are met.

http://www.TJU.edu/jchp/pt/index.cfm

http://www.mcphu.edu/cnhp/rehab/programs/dpt/

Pre-Physician Assistant

Physician assistants work under the supervision of and in collaboration with physicians. They provide a broad range of diagnostic, educational, and therapeutic patient care services. There is currently a great deal of variation in the length of physician assistant education programs and the degrees granted. Some programs offer certificates of completion, some offer bachelor’s degrees, and others offer master’s degrees. Students may complete 2 or 3 years of core science and math courses at Bloomsburg and then transfer into a physician assistant program, or they can complete the Bachelor of Arts in Biology and then transfer into a masters PA degree program. Bloomsburg students have been admitted into many different physician assistant schools; there are 14 in Pennsylvania.

Required courses:

50.114 Concepts in Biology I

50.115 Concepts in Biology II

50.242 Microbiology

50.271 Cell Biology

50.332 Genetics

50.351 Ecology

50.479 Integrated Physiology Laboratory

And at least one of the following physiology lecture courses:

50.472 Animal Cell Physiology

50.474 Vertebrate Systems Physiology

50.477 Plant Physiology

50.478 Microbial Physiology

50.480 Comparative Animal Physiology

Mathematics

53.141 Introduction to Statistics

Physical Sciences

52.115 Chemistry for the Sciences I

52.116 Chemistry for the Sciences II

52.230 Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry or 54.111 Introduction to Physics I

And 13 additional biology (minimum of 9 credits in biology) and other science electives to total 43 total credits for the major.

Biology and Other Science Electives - choose from the following:

50.200 Dendrology

50.211 Invertebrate Zoology

50.212 Vertebrate Zoology

50.222 Comparative Biology of Plants

50.233 Human Genetics

50.252 Field Zoology

50.263 Field Botany

50.331 Embryology

50.333 Molecular Biology

50.342 Medical Microbiology

50.343 Immunology

50.361 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy

50.364 Vertebrate Histology

50.390 Undergraduate Research in Biology I

50.391 Undergraduate Research in Biology II

50.411 Radiation Biology

50.430 Evolution

50.431 Developmental Biology

50.432 Microbial and Molecular Genetics

50.435 Bioinformatics and Genomic Analysis

50.442 Virology of Mammals

50.444 Plant and Animal Tissue Culture

50.450 Mycology

50.451 Conservation Biology

50.452 Limnology

50.457 Entomology

50.459 Ornithology

50.460 Population Biology

50.461 Animal Behavior

50.472 Animal Cell Physiology

50.474 Vertebrate Systems Physiology

50.476 Neurophysiology

50.477 Plant Physiology

50.478 Microbial Physiology

50.481 Senior Seminar in Biology

50.484 Methods in Biotechnology

50.489 Current Topics in Biology

50.490 Internship in Biological and Allied Health Sciences

50.493 Honors Independent Study I

50.494 Honors Independent Study II

52.230 Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry

52.341 Biochemistry I

52.342 Biochemistry II

53.123 Essentials of Calculus

54.111 Introduction to Physics I

54.112 Introduction to Physics II

55.221 Marine Invertebrates

55.241 Marine Biology

55.250 Wetland Ecology

55.260 Marine Ecology

55.298 Physiology of Marine Invertebrates

55.300 Behavior of Marine Organisms

55.330 Tropical Invertebrates

55.342 Marine Botany

55.343 Marine Icthyology

55.345 Comparative Physiology of Marine Organisms

55.341 Ecology of Marine Plankton

55.432 Marine Evolutionary Ecology

55.441 Biology of Molluscs

55.464 Biological Oceanography

55.470 Research Diver Methods

55.490 Marine Aquaculture

55.491 Coral Reef Ecology

55.492 Marine Mammals

55.493 Behavioral Ecology