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Biology - B.A.

CIP Code

26.0101

Phyllis Freeman, PhD., Discipline Coordinator


Fisk's Biology faculty are involved actively in research programs in a sundry of fields including developmental biology, molecular biology, microbiology, neuroscience and neuropharmacology.

Undergraduate students have opportunities to work directly with faculty on mentored research programs, and present papers at regional and national scientific meetings, and seminars.  Students may elect to study biology as a basic science interest or because the life sciences offer a basis for careers in biomedical research, teaching, medicine, dentistry and even in such fields as science writing and public affairs. Students planning to major in biology are encouraged to consult with a member of the biology faculty during their first year at Fisk.

The goals of the undergraduate program in biology are to prepare students for:

  • Entry into health professional schools--medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, etc.
  • Entry into graduate schools in the biological sciences and related areas the work force as laboratory personnel
  • Other professions which require a background in biology - including teaching - that through their activities contribute to the welfare and development of society.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of required and elective biology undergraduate major courses, the student will:

  • Explain the scope of life sciences including various aspects of basic and biomedical research;
  • Demonstrate knowledge of key principles and theories of biology;
  • Demonstrate laboratory skills development exemplary of required biological science training and interactive learning experiences; and
  • Apply principles and theories of biology to real life problems.

Program Requirements

Requirements for the undergraduate biology major, in addition to the University degree requirements outlined within this Bulletin, are:

Required Courses

BIOL 101GENERAL BIOLOGY I

3
BIOL 101LGENERAL BIOLOGY I LABORATORY

1
BIOL 102GENERAL BIOLOGY II

3
BIOL 102LGENERAL BIOLOGY II LABORATORY

1
BIOL 221HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I

3
BIOL 221LHUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY I

1
BIOL 222HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II

3
BIOL 222LHUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY II

1
BIOL 350GENETIC PRINCIPLES

3
BIOL 350LGENETIC PRINCIPLES LAB

1
BIOL 360MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY

3
BIOL 360LMOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY LAB

1
BIOL 497SENIOR SEMINAR

1
BIOL 498SENIOR SEMINAR

1
Total Credit Hours:26

Major Electives

Two (2) elective courses (with labs) in biology are required. These courses should be selected in consultation with a biology faculty academic advisor from the advanced undergraduate courses listed below. NSCI 361/NSCI 361L and BIOL 270/BIOL 270L are recommended strongly for students who seek careers in the health sciences.

Students who elect to enroll in Undergraduate Research are only allowed to enroll in two (2) undergraduate research courses; faculty approval is required.

 

 

BIOL 270MICROBIOLOGY

3
BIOL 270LMICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY

1
BIOL 370INTRODUCTION TO CANCER BIOLOGY

3
BIOL 370LINTRODUCTION TO CANCER BIOLOGY

1
BIOL 410MOLECULAR METHODS

3
BIOL 410LMOLECULAR METHODS LAB

1
BIOL 440ESSENTIAL DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

3
BIOL 440LESSENTIAL DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY LAB

1
NSCI 285BIOINFORMATICS I

3
NSCI 285LBIOINFORMATICS I LABORATORY

1
NSCI 361BIOCHEMISTRY I

3
NSCI 361LBIOCHEMISTRY I LABORATORY

1
NSCI 362BIOCHEMISTRY II

3
NSCI 362LBIOCHEMISTRY II LABORATORY

1

BIOL 291UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

1-3
BIOL 292UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

1-3
BIOL 393UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

1-3
BIOL 394UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

1-3
Total Credit Hours:15

Required Cognates

CHEM 113GENERAL CHEMISTRY I

3
And
CHEM 103EXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL CHEMISRY I

1

CHEM 114GENERAL CHEMISTRY II

3
And
CHEM 104EXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY II

1

CHEM 233ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I

3
And
CHEM 203EXPERIMENTS IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I

1

CHEM 234ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II

3
And
CHEM 204EXPERIMENTAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II

1

PHYS 130UNIVERSITY PHYSICS I

3
And
PHYS 130LEXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL PHYSICS I

1

PHYS 140UNIVERSITY PHYSICS II

3
And
PHYS 140LEXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL PHYSICS II

1
Total Credit Hours:24

Mathematics Requirement

In lieu of the CORE mathematics course (CORE 131), biology majors take MATH 120 (or higher level), and prerequisites as indicated by placement test results. Most graduate and professional schools require a minimum of two semesters of college level mathematics and/or statistics.

Total Credit Hours:4

Total Credit Hours: 69

General Education Guidelines

The CORE Curriculum is required for all majors.

  • Group B- Analytical Skills: Math 120 or Math 121
  • Group D- Science: BIOL 101/BIOL101L and CHEM 113/CHEM 103
  • Foreign language: (0-6 credits) – dependent upon the foreign language placement scores. Note that students who plan to enter graduate school in biology or professional school in the biomedical sciences. Demonstrating proficiency beyond the beginner level (101) are required to take a general university elective in order to meet the 120 hours required for graduation.
  • Technology Literacy: (3-4 credits) CSCI 100 or CSCI 110/CSCI 110L.
  • CORE Math requirement – fulfilled typically through Math 101 or Math 110. Note that  MATH100 will not count toward the120 hours required for graduation.
  • The Biology Proficiency, Exit, and Computer Proficiency Examinations are university requirements.
  • If the student begins with MATH 120 or MATH 121, then 14 credits of general electives will be required. However, one should consult literature for graduate and professional schools of choice to determine their requirements in mathematics.

Joint Major

With the exception of the Biology Electives (8 credit hours), students pursuing joint majors MUST complete all major required courses and cognates, with a “C” or better.

Suggested Program Plan - College Algebra

This is the suggested program plan for the students placed in MATH 101 - College Algebra.

First Year, Fall Semester

MATH 101COLLEGE ALGEBRA

3
CORE 100NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION SEMINAR

1
CORE 150COMPOSITION I

3
CSCI 100INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING

3

BIOL 101GENERAL BIOLOGY I

3
And
BIOL 101LGENERAL BIOLOGY I LABORATORY

1

SOC 100INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

3
Total Credit Hours:17

First Year, Spring Semester

MATH 110PRECALCULUS

3
CORE 120CRITICAL THINKING

2
CORE 160COMPOSITION II

3

BIOL 102GENERAL BIOLOGY II

3
And
BIOL 102LGENERAL BIOLOGY II LABORATORY

1

PSY 180GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY

3
GENERAL ELECTIVE

3
Total Credit Hours:18

Second Year, Fall Semester

MATH 120CALCULUS I

4
Or
MATH 121BIOCALCULUS I

4

CHEM 113GENERAL CHEMISTRY I

3
And
CHEM 103EXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL CHEMISRY I

1

PHYS 130UNIVERSITY PHYSICS I

3
And
PHYS 130LEXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL PHYSICS I

1

CORE

3
FOREIGN LANGUAGE 101 - FRENCH OR SPANISH

3
Total Credit Hours:18

Second Year, Spring Semester

CHEM 114GENERAL CHEMISTRY II

3
And
CHEM 104EXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY II

1

PHYS 140UNIVERSITY PHYSICS II

3
And
PHYS 140LEXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL PHYSICS II

1
MATH 390BSPECIAL TOPICS IN MATHEMATICS: BIOSTATISTICS

3
CORE 201INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

3
FOREIGN LANGUAGE 102 - FRENCH OR SPANISH

3

Third Year, Fall Semester

CHEM 233ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I

3
And
CHEM 203EXPERIMENTS IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I

1

BIOL 221HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I

3
And
BIOL 221LHUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY I

1

CORE

3
CORE

3
GENERAL ELECTIVE

3
Total Credit Hours:17

Third Year, Spring Semester

CHEM 234ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II

3
CHEM 204EXPERIMENTAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II

1
BIOL 222HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II

3
BIOL 222LHUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY II

1
Biology Elective Lecture

3
Biology Elective Lab

1
CORE

3
CORE

3
Total Credit Hours:18

Fourth Year, Fall Semester

BIOL 360MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY

3
BIOL 360LMOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY LAB

1
BIOL 497SENIOR SEMINAR

1
CORE

3
CORE

3
GENERAL ELECTIVE

3
Total Credit Hours:14

Fourth Year, Spring Semester

BIOL 350GENETIC PRINCIPLES

3
BIOL 350LGENETIC PRINCIPLES LAB

1
BIOL 498SENIOR SEMINAR

1
CORE

3
CORE

3
NSCI 361BIOCHEMISTRY I

3
NSCI 361LBIOCHEMISTRY I LABORATORY

1
Total Credit Hours:15

The cafeteria style CORE curriculum will be chosen from one of the courses in each of the following groups, A-E.

Suggested Program Plan - Pre Calculus

This is the suggested program plan for the students placed in MATH 110 - Pre Calculus.

First Year, Fall Semester

MATH 110PRECALCULUS

3
CORE 100NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION SEMINAR

1
CORE 150COMPOSITION I

3

BIOL 101GENERAL BIOLOGY I

3
And
BIOL 101LGENERAL BIOLOGY I LABORATORY

1

SOC 100INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

3
CSCI 110INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE I

3
CSCI 110LINTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE I LABORATORY

1
Total Credit Hours:18

First Year, Spring Semester

CORE 120CRITICAL THINKING

2
CORE 160COMPOSITION II

3

BIOL 102GENERAL BIOLOGY II

3
And
BIOL 102LGENERAL BIOLOGY II LABORATORY

1

PSY 180GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY

3

MATH 120CALCULUS I

4
Or
MATH 121BIOCALCULUS I

4
Total Credit Hours:16

Second Year, Fall Semester

CHEM 113GENERAL CHEMISTRY I

3
And
CHEM 103EXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL CHEMISRY I

1

PHYS 130UNIVERSITY PHYSICS I

3
And
PHYS 130LEXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL PHYSICS I

1

CORE

3
FOREIGN LANGUAGE 101 - FRENCH OR SPANISH

3
GENERAL ELECTIVE

3
Total Credit Hours:17

Second Year, Spring Semester

CHEM 114GENERAL CHEMISTRY II

3
And
CHEM 104EXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY II

1

PHYS 140UNIVERSITY PHYSICS II

3
And
PHYS 140LEXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL PHYSICS II

1

MATH 390BSPECIAL TOPICS IN MATHEMATICS: BIOSTATISTICS

3

CORE 201INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

3
FOREIGN LANGUAGE 102 - FRENCH OR SPANISH

3
Total Credit Hours:17

Third Year, Fall Semester

CHEM 233ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I

3
And
CHEM 203EXPERIMENTS IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I

1

BIOL 221HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I

3
And
BIOL 221LHUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY I

1

CORE

3
CORE

3
GENERAL ELECTIVE

3
Total Credit Hours:17

Third Year, Spring Semester

CHEM 234ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II

3
CHEM 204EXPERIMENTAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II

1
BIOL 222HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II

3
BIOL 222LHUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY II

1
Biology Elective Lecture

3
Biology Elective Lab

1
CORE

3
CORE

3
Total Credit Hours:18

Fourth Year, Fall Semester

BIOL 360MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY

3
BIOL 360LMOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY LAB

1
BIOL 497SENIOR SEMINAR

1
CORE

3
CORE

3
GENERAL ELECTIVE

3
Total Credit Hours:14

Fourth Year, Spring Semester

BIOL 350GENETIC PRINCIPLES

3
BIOL 350LGENETIC PRINCIPLES LAB

1
BIOL 498SENIOR SEMINAR

1
CORE

3
CORE

3
NSCI 361BIOCHEMISTRY I

3
NSCI 361LBIOCHEMISTRY I LABORATORY

1
Total Credit Hours:15

The cafeteria style CORE curriculum will be chosen from one of the courses in each of the following groups, A-E.

Suggested Program Plan - Calculus

This is the suggested program plan for the students placed in MATH 120 - Calculus.

First Year, Fall Semester

MATH 120CALCULUS I

4
Or
MATH 121BIOCALCULUS I

4

CORE 100NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION SEMINAR

1
CORE 150COMPOSITION I

3

CHEM 113GENERAL CHEMISTRY I

3
And
CHEM 103EXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL CHEMISRY I

1

CSCI 110INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE I

3
CSCI 110LINTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE I LABORATORY

1
Total Credit Hours:16

First Year, Spring Semester

MATH 390BSPECIAL TOPICS IN MATHEMATICS: BIOSTATISTICS

3
CORE 120CRITICAL THINKING

2
CORE 160COMPOSITION II

3

CHEM 114GENERAL CHEMISTRY II

3
And
CHEM 104EXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY II

1

PSY 180GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY

3
GENERAL ELECTIVE

3
Total Credit Hours:18

Second Year, Fall Semester

BIOL 101GENERAL BIOLOGY I

3
And
BIOL 101LGENERAL BIOLOGY I LABORATORY

1

CHEM 233ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I

3
And
CHEM 203EXPERIMENTS IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I

1

SOC 100INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

3
CORE

3
GENERAL ELECTIVE

3
Total Credit Hours:17

Second Year, Spring Semester

BIOL 102GENERAL BIOLOGY II

3
And
BIOL 102LGENERAL BIOLOGY II LABORATORY

1

CHEM 234ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II

3
And
CHEM 204EXPERIMENTAL ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II

1

PHYS 130UNIVERSITY PHYSICS I

3
PHYS 130LEXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL PHYSICS I

1

And
CORE 201INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

3
GENERAL ELECTIVE

3
Total Credit Hours:18

Third Year, Fall Semester

BIOL 221HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I

3
And
BIOL 221LHUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY I

1

BIOL 360MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY

3
And
BIOL 360LMOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY LAB

1

PHYS 140UNIVERSITY PHYSICS II

3
PHYS 140LEXPERIMENTS IN GENERAL PHYSICS II

1

FOREIGN LANGUAGE 101 - FRENCH OR SPANISH

3
GENERAL ELECTIVE

3
Total Credit Hours:18

Third Year, Spring Semester

BIOL 222HUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II

3
BIOL 222LHUMAN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY II

1
NSCI 361BIOCHEMISTRY I

3
NSCI 361LBIOCHEMISTRY I LABORATORY

1
FOREIGN LANGUAGE 102 - FRENCH OR SPANISH

3
CORE

3
CORE

3
Total Credit Hours:17

Fourth Year, Fall Semester

BIOL 497SENIOR SEMINAR

1
Biology Elective Lecture

3
Biology Elective Lab

1
CORE

3
CORE

3
GENERAL ELECTIVE

3
Total Credit Hours:14

Fourth Year, Spring Semester

BIOL 350GENETIC PRINCIPLES

3
BIOL 350LGENETIC PRINCIPLES LAB

1
BIOL 498SENIOR SEMINAR

1
CORE

3
CORE

3
GENERAL ELECTIVE

3
Total Credit Hours:14

The cafeteria style CORE curriculum will be chosen from one of the courses in each of the following groups, A-E.