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, 13.203 Russian 3, 13.204 Russian 4; 14.102 Italian 2; or 16.106 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.
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.
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