BA & BS in Biology

Undergraduate
International Year (3 semesters) Intensive English Program (IEP) (1 semester)

TOEFL (iBT) 45 overall
IELTS 4.5 overall
Pearson (PTE) Not Accepted
Pearson Versant 41-42
Duolingo 65
Gao Kao English 75/120: 95/150
GPA: Undergraduate: 2.25 for International Year

Up to 28 credits toward degree

International Year (3 semesters)
TOEFL (iBT) 50 overall
IELTS 5.0 overall
Pearson (PTE) 42
Pearson Versant 43-47
Duolingo 75
Gao Kao English 77/120; 99/150
GPA: Undergraduate: 2.25 for International Year

Up to 27 credits toward degree

International Year (2 semesters)
TOEFL (iBT) 60 overall
IELTS 5.5 overall
Pearson (PTE) 45
Pearson Versant 48-54
Duolingo 85
Gao Kao English 83/120; 105/150
GPA: Undergraduate: 2.25 for International Year

Up to 27 credits toward degree

International Year (1 semester)
TOEFL (iBT) 80 overall OR SAT with minimum score in critical reading of 500 is accepted in place of qualifying IELTS or TOEFL score
IELTS 6.5 overall OR SAT with minimum score in critical reading of 500 is accepted in place of qualifying IELTS or TOEFL score
Pearson (PTE) 58
Pearson Versant 64 or higher
Duolingo 105
Gao Kao English 95/120: 115/150
GPA: Undergraduate: 2.25 for International Year

Up to 27 credits toward degree

Direct Admission
TOEFL (iBT) 80 overall OR SAT with minimum score in critical reading of 500 is accepted in place of qualifying IELTS or TOEFL score
IELTS 6.5 overall OR SAT with minimum score in critical reading of 500 is accepted in place of qualifying IELTS or TOEFL score
Pearson (PTE) 58
Pearson Versant 64 or higher
Duolingo 105
Gao Kao English Not Accepted
GPA: Undergraduate: 2.5 for Direct Admission

Biology Major Requirements
BIO 140. Foundations of Biology I [C3NS] 4.00
BIO 150. Foundations of Biology II 4.00
BIO 240. Genetics 4.00
BIO 250. Quantitative Ecology and Evolution 4.00
Total: 16 Credit Hours

Additional Biology Course Requirements - 24 credits
Students in the biology major must complete at least 24 credit hours of approved biology courses and at least 16 of these must be at the 300 and 400 levels. Also, one course must be from a group of courses on organismal diversity and two courses must have a laboratory component. Courses in both lists may count for both requirements. 

Three credits of independent research (BIO 497 and/or BIO 499) may be used for one, but only one, of the laboratory courses.

Choose at least one organismal diversity courses:
BIO 309. Marine and Freshwater Invertebrates 3.00
BIO 310. Marine Biology 3.00
BIO 320. Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates 4.00
BIO 340. Morphology and Anatomy of Vascular Plants 4.00
BIO 345. Animal Field Biology 3.00
BIO 357. Galápagos Islands: Biodiversity and Conservation 3.00
BIO 360. Plant Biology 3.00
BIO 364. Human Uses of Plants 3.00
BIO 386. Field Botany 4.00
BIO 402. Forest Ecology 4.00
BIO 405. Vertebrate Paleontology 3.00
GEOL 405. Vertebrate Paleontology 3.00
BIO 412. Mammalogy 4.00
BIO 420. Medical Parasitology 3.00
BIO 430. Ornithology: Research and Current Advances 4.00
BIO 470. Morphology of Nonvascular Plants 4.00
BIO 484. Aquatic Microbiology 3.00
BIO 486. Systematics of Vascular Plants 4.00
Choose at least two laboratory courses:
BIO 318. Experimental Vertebrate Development 2.00
BIO 320. Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates 4.00
BIO 340. Morphology and Anatomy of Vascular Plants 4.00
BIO 342. Mathematical Models in Biology 3.00
MATH 342. Mathematical Models in Biology 3.00
BIO 343L. Immunology Laboratory 1.00
BIO 345. Animal Field Biology 3.00
BIO 346. Bacterial Discovery 2.00
BIO 348L. Medical Microbiology Laboratory 1.00
BIO 350. Paleobiology 4.00
BIO 354. Global Climate Change and Life: Ecological and Biological Impacts of Climate Variability 4.00
BIO 364L. Laboratory in Human Uses of Plants 1.00
BIO 366. Environmental Ecology and Evolution 4.00
BIO 370. Animal Physiology 4.00
BIO 386. Field Botany 4.00
BIO 387L. Environmental Microbiology Laboratory 1.00
BIO 400. Geology and Ecology of the Bahamas 3.00
GEOL 400. Geology and Ecology of the Bahamas 3.00
BIO 402. Forest Ecology 4.00
GEOG 402. Forest Ecology 4.00
BIO 410. Advanced Human Anatomy 3.00
BIO 412. Mammalogy 4.00
BIO 416. Human Embryology 4.00
BIO 420L. Medical Parasitology Lab 1.00
BIO 430. Ornithology: Research and Current Advances 4.00
BIO 432. Light Microscopy 4.00
BIO 445. Neurobiology 4.00
BIO 446. Experimental Neurobiology 4.00
BIO 448. Developmental Neurobiology 4.00
BIO 449. Insect Ecology 4.00
BIO 452. Population Ecology 4.00
BIO 455. Plant Physiology 4.00
BIO 456. Landscape Ecology 4.00
BIO 457. Biological Applications of Geographic Information Systems 4.00
BIO 459. Freshwater Ecology 4.00
BIO 460. Plant Biotechnology 4.00
BIO 465. Environmental Toxicology 4.00
BIO 470. Morphology of Nonvascular Plants 4.00
BIO 480. Advanced Molecular Biology 4.00
BIO 481. Genomics 4.00
BIO 482. Human Histology 4.00
BIO 483. Bioinformatics 4.00
BIO 484. Aquatic Microbiology 3.00
BIO 486. Systematics of Vascular Plants 4.00
BIO 490. Mechanics of Animal Movement 4.00

Additional Information
Only one Topics in Biology (BIO 426/427) may fulfill one of the laboratory course and/or organismal requirements. A list of the topics that may be used is available in the biology department office. These can be repeated with a change in topic, but only 12 credits from BIO 426/427 can be applied toward the 40-hour biology course requirement.

When choosing additional biology courses to complete the 40 credit hour requirement, students are strongly encouraged to discuss their career interests with an adviser who can help select courses best suited to their needs. Students are encouraged to participate in independent research and teaching courses with a faculty mentor, though a maximum of eight credits of BIO 492,BIO 494,BIO 495, BIO 496, BIO 497, BIO 499 and ISC 450 can be counted toward the biology major.

Cognate Requirements
The following five groups of support courses are required for the biology major. Consult your academic adviser about which courses are appropriate.

Required Courses
Complete all of the following: 11 Credit Hours
CHEM 131. General Chemistry I [C3PP] 3.00
CHEM 131L. General Chemistry Laboratory [C3PP] 1.00
CHEM 132. General Chemistry II 3.00
CHEM 132L. General Chemistry Laboratory 1.00
CHEM 241. Organic Chemistry I 3.00
Choose one of the following: 3 Credit Hours
Chemistry beyond the minimum requirement is recommended in many areas of biology. Consult with your adviser about which courses are appropriate. Students who take BIO 361/CHEM 361 in addition to CHEM 242, CHEM 353,CHEM 354 or GEOL 355/CHEM 355 will have BIO 361/CHEM 361 applied toward their BIO 300-400-level elective requirements. BIO 361/CHEM 361 may not be used for both a chemistry cognate and a biology major elective.

CHEM 242. Organic Chemistry II 3.00
BIO 361. Biochemistry I 3.00
CHEM 361. Biochemistry I 3.00
CHEM 353. Environmental Chemistry 3.00
CHEM 354. Environmental Chemistry Field Camp 3.00
GEOL 355. Geochemistry of Natural Waters 3.00
CHEM 355. Geochemistry of Natural Waters 3.00
Choose one of the following sets of courses: 4-7 Credit Hours
Mathematics beyond the minimum requirement is desirable in many areas of biology. Consult your adviser about which courses are appropriate.

MATH 231. Calculus with Functions I [C3QR] 3.00
MATH 232. Calculus with Functions II 3.00
MATH 233. Calculus with Modeling I [C3QR] 3.00
MATH 234. Calculus with Modeling II 3.00
MATH 235. Calculus I [C3QR] 4.00
Choose one of the following courses: 3-4 Credit Hours
Statistics beyond the minimum requirement is desirable in many areas of biology. Consult your adviser about which courses are appropriate.

MATH 220. Elementary Statistics [C3QR] 3.00
MATH 229. Introduction to Applied Statistics Using R [C3QR] 3.00
MATH 285. Data Analysis 4.00
MATH 318. Introduction to Probability and Statistics 4.00
Choose one of the following sets of courses: 8 Credit Hours
PHYS 140. College Physics I [C3PP] 3.00
PHYS 140L. General Physics Laboratory [C3PP] 1.00
PHYS 150. College Physics II 3.00
PHYS 150L. General Physics Laboratory 1.00
PHYS 240. University Physics I [C3PP] 3.00
PHYS 240L. University Physics Laboratory I [C3PP] 1.00
PHYS 250. University Physics II 3.00
PHYS 250L. University Physics Laboratory II 1.00
Biology Recommended Schedule for Majors
First semester first year biology majors are encouraged to start with a 14-15 hour course load. This will generally include BIO 140, CHEM 131 and CHEM 131L, and/or a math course plus General Education. The work load will then be increased in the second semester based on the level of first semester success.

First Year
BIO 140. Foundations of Biology I [C3NS] 4.00 1
BIO 150. Foundations of Biology II 4.00
CHEM 131. General Chemistry I [C3PP] 3.00 1
CHEM 132. General Chemistry II 3.00 1
CHEM 131L. General Chemistry Laboratory [C3PP] 1.00
CHEM 132L. General Chemistry Laboratory 1.00
Mathematics courses 4-7 Credit Hours 1
General Education: Cluster One 9-12 Credit Hours
Total: 29-35 Credit Hours
Footnote
1 Fulfills General Education: Cluster Three.

Second Year
BIO 240. Genetics 4.00
BIO 250. Quantitative Ecology and Evolution 4.00
CHEM 241. Organic Chemistry I 3.00
CHEM 242. Organic Chemistry II 3.00
or
BIO 361. Biochemistry I 3.00
or
CHEM 361. Biochemistry I 3.00
or
GEOL 355. Geochemistry of Natural Waters 3.00
or
CHEM 355. Geochemistry of Natural Waters 3.00

Mathematics course 3-4 Credit Hours
General Education: from Clusters Two, Four and Five 12 Credit Hours
Total: 29-30 Credit Hours
Third Year
Upper-level biology laboratory courses 8 Credit Hours
Biology elective 3-4 Credit Hours
Physics courses 8 Credit Hours
General Education: from Clusters Two, Four and Five 7 Credit Hours
Electives 6 Credit Hours
Total: 32 Credit Hours

Fourth Year
Upper-level biology laboratory course 4 Credit Hours
Biology electives 9 Credit Hours
General Education: from Clusters Two, Four and Five 3 Credit Hours
Electives 15 Credit Hours
Total: 31 Credit Hours

Pricing* Undergraduate 

• IEP (1 semester) International Year (3 semester) $42,385 
• International Year (3 semester) $33,650 
• International Year (2 semester) $24,150 
• International Year (1 semester) $12,075 
• Direct Admit $24,875 
• Program Tuition Estimated Room, Board & Fees $17,048 - $17,470** 

*Pricing is subject to change.

 **2-semester estimate. 

• Undergraduate Pathway Scholarship Scholarship Available - Upto $8,000 
• Undergraduate Direct Admission Scholarship Scholarship Available - Upto $6,000 

*Direct admission scholarship is available in each year