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2016-2017 University Catalog
Biology, BA
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Banner Code: SC-BA-BIOL
College: College of Science
Department: Biology
Students must fulfill all Requirements for Bachelor’s Degrees including the Mason Core . Additionally, the College Requirements for the BA Degree (outlined below) must also be met.
Important information and departmental policies are listed in the Department of Biology section of this catalog.
Students must complete degree requirements with:
- A minimum GPA of 2.00 in the 32 credits of BIOL courses listed below
- A minimum GPA of 2.00 in the supporting courses listed below
Additionally:
- Students may apply no more than 4 credits of BIOL 103 or BIOL 104 toward elective credit (or equivalent transfer credit at the 100 to 200-level) if taken before the successful completion of BIOL 213 .
- Biology majors must earn a minimum grade of ‘C’ in all of the biology core courses listed below. A grade of ‘C’ or better must be earned in BIOL 213 in order to advance to other core requirements.
- Students may repeat BIOL 213 once, but a second time only with permission of the Department of Biology .
- Students may not count BIOL 124 and/or BIOL 125 toward any biology major requirement.
- Students who take BIOL 310 and BIOL 330 may not count BIOL 303 and/or BIOL 304 toward any biology major requirement.
- BIOL 308 meets the writing intensive requirement for this major.
- BIOL 493 , BIOL 495 , and BIOL 497 do not satisfy the requirements of the BA degree which state that students must complete at least one upper division course that includes a laboratory. The courses do, however, count as non-laboratory electives.
Teacher Licensure
Students majoring in biology who wish to pursue a career teaching secondary school may consider applying for the undergraduate certificate program offered by the College of Education and Human Development as an option in seeking an initial Virginia teaching license. The certificate includes current endorsement and licensure coursework embedded within your major. Students apply to add this as a secondary program during their sophomore year and complete required content and education coursework leading to initial licensure in the state of Virginia within 120 credits.
Other routes to licensure include the Biology, BA or BS/Curriculum and Instruction, Accelerated MEd (Secondary Education Biology Concentration) or select traditional Master’s programs. Please contact the Undergraduate Advisor in College of Education and Human Development for more information.
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Biology Core Courses (22 credits)
All candidates for the Biology, BA must complete biology core courses as follows:
Biology Electives (10 credits)
- Complete 10 credits of additional biology courses
- Of which, at least 6 credits must be upper division, and at least one of these upper division courses must include a laboratory.
Computer Science (3 credits)
Note
Students expecting to enter graduate or professional school are strongly encouraged to complete:
Mason Core, BA Requirements and Elective Credits (63-68 credits)
In order to meet a minimum of 120 credits, this degree requires an additional 63-68 credits, which may be applied towards any remaining Mason Core requirements (outlined below), Requirements for Bachelor’s Degrees , College Requirements for the BA Degree (outlined below), and elective courses. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with their advisors to ensure that they fulfill all requirements.
College Requirements for the BA Degree
Except where expressly prohibited, a course used to fulfill this college-level requirement may also be used simultaneously to satisfy other requirements such as Mason Core requirements, other college-level requirements, or requirements for the major. In some cases, the requirements listed below may be superseded by requirements of the degree program and the Mason Core .
Philosophy or Religious Studies (3 credits)
Choose any course in philosophy (PHIL) or religious studies (RELI), except for PHIL 323 and PHIL 324 .
Social and Behavioral Sciences (3 credits)
Choose one approved Mason Core: Social and Behavioral Science course in addition to the Mason Core -required course for a total of 6 credits. The two courses used to fulfill the combined college-level and university requirements must be from different disciplines.
This requirement may be fulfilled by completing any course in ANTH, CRIM, ECON, GOVT, HIST (except HIST 100 or HIST 125 ), LING, PSYC, or SOCI, and the following GGS courses:
Foreign Language (0-3 credits)
Intermediate-level proficiency in one foreign language is required. This requirement may be fulfilled by completing a course in a foreign language numbered 202, 209, or 210 (or higher-level courses taught in the language), or by achieving a satisfactory score on an approved proficiency test. Students who are already proficient in a second language may be eligible for a waiver of this requirement. Additional information on waivers can be found via the college’s Office of Academic and Student Affairs.
Mason Core
Please note that some Mason Core requirements may already be fulfilled by the major requirements listed above.
Expand each item below for a link to specific course lists for each category:
Foundation Requirements (15-19 credits)
Core Requirements (22 credits)
Synthesis/Capstone Requirement (minimum 3 credits)
Degree Total: Minimum 120 credits
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