Requirements for the B.S. in Biology

Biology majors are students in the College of Arts and Sciences, and are subject to its requirements as described in the Creighton Univeristy Undergraduate Bulletin (see the General Requirements and Core Requirements). Specific requirements for the Biology Major (B.S.) are given below. Progress towards these requirements can be checked with the Advise-O-Matic, but students are strongly counseled to discuss specific plans with their major advisor.

Secondary Education students majoring in biology should refer to the specific requirements for their program. There are also two minors offered by the Biology Department.

Biology Major (B. S.)

Application for the major

Students who have completed one Creighton Biology course at the 200-level or above and received a grade of "C" or better are eligible to become Biology majors. The application form is available through a link on the Arts & Sciences Forms for Students page.

Students may declare a preference for a particular faculty member as an advisor.  Preferences will be honored whenever possible, but some faculty may be unable to take on additional advisees.

Requirements for the degree

To earn a B.S., students must meet the following criteria for biology coursework:

Introductory Biology courses (8 credit hours):

• Biology 212 - General Biology: Organismal & Population
• Biology 211 - General Biology: Molecular & Cellular

Biology 211 and 212 are prerequisites for all upper-division Biology courses (unless otherwise indicated).

Upper-division Biology courses (25 credit hours):

A minimum of 25 hours of coursework at the 300-level or greater must be completed, and must include the following:

• At least seven upper-division lecture courses (three or more credit hours each), including
• At least four lectures at the 300 and/or 400 level, and
• At least two lectures at the 500 level.
• At least one course from each of the following three areas as part of the seven lecture requirement:
• Molecular/Cellular: BIO 317, 351, 362, 417, 420, 432, 455, 517, 532, 551, 562, 567
• Organismal: BIO 333, 335, 341, 449, 467, 549, 561, 562, 571
• Population/Ecology/Evolution: BIO 385, 390, 435, 440, 481, 483, 485, 523, 539, 581
• At least four laboratory courses, as either lecture + laboratory or laboratory-only offerings. All 4-credit courses offered by the Biology Department include a laboratory component. Biology 318, 419, 450, 484, 486, 487, 563, and 572 are one or two credit laboratory-only courses. Biology 490 is counted as the equivalent of one lab course if taken twice.

Biology 493, 495, and 497 do not apply towards this nor any other Biology Department requirement.

Upon petition prior to enrollement, courses in departments other than Biology may be approved for Biology major credit; a student may exercise this option for only one such course. See the courses page for a listing of currently approved courses.

Support courses:

Biology majors are also required to take the following courses in supporting areas:

• General Chemistry (Chemistry 203, 204, 205 and 206)
• An additional year of chemistry (Chemistry 315 and 416, or Chemistry 321, 322, 323, and 324)
• General Physics (Physics 211 and 212)

Concentration Major for Secondary Education Students:

Biology majors intending to become secondary level teachers should refer to the specific requirements for that program.

Last modified: October 28, 2009