The Bachelor’s Degree

• Pre-Medical Concentration
• The Science of the Environment Concentration

Required Courses

Students entering the major must have completed eight semester hours in general chemistry with laboratory, four semester hours in organic chemistry with laboratory, eight semester hours of biology courses (including general biology with laboratory), and one college-level mathematics course (college algebra is not recommended as it will not count toward UIS’ general education math requirement). The general chemistry and general biology courses taken need to be the introductory sequence for science majors. For students completing this course work at UIS, the required courses are:

BIO 141	Unity of Living Organisms	4
BIO 241	Biology of Organisms in the Environment	4
CHE 141	General Chemistry I	4
CHE 142	General Chemistry II	4
CHE 267	Organic Chemistry I	3
CHE 268	Organic Chemistry I Laboratory	1

 Up to 12 semester hours of approved lower-division courses may be transferred from an accredited institution of higher education to make up deficiencies.

Transfer Courses

Transfer courses must have a grade of C or better (grades of C- or lower will not be accepted).

Advising

Students with junior and senior standing should meet with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Biology advisor before initial registration. The student should prepare a plan to ensure that all requirements are being met and discuss this plan with the college advisor. The department recommends that students take BIO 301 and CHE 267/CHE 268 Organic Chemistry I Laboratory no later than the fall of their junior year.

Students are expected to complete organic chemistry before taking cell biology. The department also recommends that CHE 322 Laboratory Techniques be taken as early as possible following completion of the introductory chemistry sequence. BIO 345 General Microbiology and BIO 346 General Microbiology Lab,  BIO 351 Organismal Botany, BIO 361 Comparative Vertebrate Biology, and BIO 371 Principles Of Ecology  can be taken in the junior year. In the senior year, students can take BIO 311 Cell Biology, BIO 381 Genetics and biology electives. Cell biology can be taken earlier (e.g., junior year) assuming the organic chemistry requirement has been met. Pre-professional students (pre-med, pre-vet, pre-pharmacy, pre-dental) should meet with a Natural Science Division pre-professional advisor when planning their program. They should also consult the pre-professional website: www.uis.edu/preprofessional/.

Grading Policy

To be able to enroll in upper division courses, students must earn at least a C in BIO 141 and BIO 241. To earn a Biology degree, students must have at least a C (2.0) average in the required biology courses (including the biology elective). Because writing is a core skill for biologists, students must earn at least a C to receive credit in BIO 301. Those performing below this level (C- or lower) are required to retake the course.

Degree Requirements

Prerequisite Courses (for upper division course work)

BIO 141	Unity of Living Organisms	4
BIO 241	Biology of Organisms in the Environment	4
CHE 141	General Chemistry I	4
CHE 142	General Chemistry II	4
CHE 267	Organic Chemistry I 1	3
CHE 268	Organic Chemistry I Laboratory 1	1