B.S. in Biology
Contact Person:
Glenn Johnson, Chair
207B Stowell, (315) 267-2710, johnsong@potsdam.edu
39 credit hours required. Plus 27-28 credits of cognates.
Special Notes for Biology Majors (B.A. and B.S.)
With approval of adviser and Department of Biology chair, no more than four credit hours from the combination of BIOL 475, 485, and biologically-based internships may be used as part of the departmental semester-hour requirement. This restriction is not intended to discourage students from taking any of these courses, but to ensure adequate diversity and breadth in pursuit of the biology major.
All credits submitted for the minimum departmental credits for the biology major must be 2.0/S or higher. This does not assume a 2.0 average, but a 2.0 in each course.
No student may enroll more than two times in any course offered by the Department of Biology without written permission of the instructor, the department chair and the dean.
Consult with a departmental adviser for recommended coursework outside the major.
All courses are 3 credits unless noted. Credits are divided as follows:
| Credits | ||
| Required Courses |
19 | |
| BIOL 151 | General Biology I (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 152 | General Biology II (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 300 | Ecology (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 311 | Genetics (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 483 | Current Topics in Biology | |
Physiology Component |
4 |
|
| Choose at least one of the following in consultation with adviser: |
||
| BIOL 303 | Plant Physiology (4 credits) |
|
| BIOL 404 |
Human Anatomy and Physiology 2 (4 credits) |
|
| BIOL 407 | Cell Physiology (4 credits) |
|
| BIOL 410 | Human Physiology (4 credits) |
|
| BIOL 413 | Neurophysiogy (4 credits) |
|
| BIOL 440 | Comparative Animal Physiology (4 credits) |
|
| Concentration Courses | 16 | |
|
Please note that concentrations are primarily used as a tool to better advise students within the various subdisciplines of Biology. Students are not required to take the courses listed under each concentration. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Concentration Recommended for everyone taking this concentration: |
||
| BIOL 319 | Evolutionary Biology |
|
Recommended at least 12 hours from the following concentration specific electives* |
||
| BIOL 305 |
Comparative Anatomy of the Vertebrates (4 credits) |
|
| BIOL 312 | Insect Ecology (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 320 | Microbiology (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 330 | Natural History of Lower Vertebrates (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 331 | Natural History of Higher Vertebrates (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 334 | Biology of Woody Plants | |
| BIOL 350 | Biotic Communities of South Florida | |
| BIOL 351 | Biology of Northern Ecosystems | |
| BIOL 355 | Invertebrate Biology (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 375 | Behavioral Evolution (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 400 | Field Ecology (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 402 | Conservation Biology | |
| BIOL 409 | Fresh Water Ecology (4 credits) | |
| *Or additional upper division biology courses to reach at least 39 hours in major. | ||
Cell and Molecular Biology Concentration Recommended for everyone taking this concentration: |
||
| BIOL 320 | Microbiology (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 407 | Cell Physiology (4 credits) | |
Recommended at least 8 hours from the following concentration specific electives* |
||
| BIOL 321 | Cell Structure | |
| BIOL 410 | Human Physiology (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 413 | Neurophysiology (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 415 | Virology | |
| BIOL 420 | Medical Microbiology | |
| BIOL 425 | Techniques in Molecular Biology | |
| BIOL 426 | Immunobiology | |
| BIOL 431 | Developmental Biology | |
| BIOL 455 | Molecular Genetics | |
| *Or additional upper division biology courses to reach at least 39 hours in major. | ||
Anatomy and Physiology Concentration Recommended for everyone taking this concentration: |
||
| BIOL 305 |
Comparative Anatomy of the Vertebrates (4 credits) |
|
| or |
||
| BIOL 403 & 404 |
Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 & 2 (8 credits) |
|
Recommended at least 12 hours from the following concentration specific electives:* |
||
| BIOL 320 | Microbiology (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 325 | Morphology of Lower Plants and Algae (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 326 | Morphology of Higher Land Plants | |
| BIOL 407 | Cell Physiology (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 410 | Human Physiology (4 credits) |
|
| BIOL 413 | Neurophysiology (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 431 | Developmental Biology | |
| *Or additional upper division biology courses to reach at least 39 hours in major. | ||
Pre-med and Pre-health sciences Concentration Recommended for everyone taking this concentration: |
||
| BIOL 320 | Microbiology (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 410 | Human Physiology (4 credits) | |
| Recommended at least 8 hours from the following concentration specific electives: |
||
| BIOL 407 | Cell Physiology (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 413 | Neurophysiology (4 credits) | |
| BIOL 415 | Virology | |
| BIOL 420 | Medical Microbiology | |
| BIOL 426 | Immunology | |
| BIOL 431 | Developmental Biology | |
| BIOL 445 | Human Genetic Diseases | |
| *Or additional upper division biology courses to reach at least 39 Human Genetic Diseases hours in major. | ||
|
Marine Biology Concentration The Marine Biology Concentration is completed by taking summer courses through an affiliation with the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Marine Science. Potsdam students travel to the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL) in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Students pay in-state tuition and benefit from a reduced cost for room and board. Biology students who do not elect the concentration may also take any course offered at GCRL at a reduced rate and with preferred levels of acceptance. Courses include Marine Science I - Marine Biology (prerequisite for most other courses), Oceanography, Shark Biology, Marine Mammals, Marine Ecology, and Marine Invertebrate Zoology. Courses such as Coastal Ecology for Teachers may be of interest to students who are not biology majors. |
||
Cognate Requirements |
Credits 27-28 |
|
| MATH 151 | Calculus I (4 credits) |
|
| CHEM 105 | General Chemistry (4 credits) |
|
| CHEM 106 | General Chemistry II (4 credits) |
|
| CHEM 341 | Organic Chemistry I2(4 credits) |
|
Plus one of the following: |
||
| STAT 100 | Probability and Statistics I |
|
| MATH 125 | Probability and Statistics I |
|
| MATH 152 | Calculus II (4 credits) |
|
| Plus physics sequence of: | ||
| PHYS 101 & 202 | College Physics I and II3 (8 credits) | |
| or | ||
| PHYS 103 and 204 | University Physics I and II4 (8 credits) | |
Notes
- All cognate courses must be completed with a 2.0/S or higher.
- CHEM 342 Organic Chemistry II is highly recommended for most biology majors; CHEM 342 and CHEM 425 Biochemistry I are highly recommended for the pre-med and pre-health sciences concentration.
- College Physics is preferred to University Physics for most majors. Please consult with your adviser.
- MATH 151 and 152 (Calculus I and Calculus II) are corequisites for the University Physics sequence.