Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Emphasis
Course Requirements
The Core Curriculum is designed to foster critical thinking skills and introduce students to basic domains of thinking that transcend disciplines. The Core applies to all majors. Information on specific classes in the Core can be found at https://www.marshall.edu/gened/.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Curriculum | ||
| Core 1: Critical Thinking | ||
| FYS 100 | First Yr Sem Critical Thinking | 3 |
| Critical Thinking Course | 3 | |
| Critical Thinking Course | 3 | |
| Core 2 | ||
| ENG 101 | Beginning Composition | 3 |
| ENG 201 | Advanced Composition | 3 |
| CMM 103 | Fund Speech-Communication | 3 |
| Select one of the following math requirements: | 3-5 | |
| Applied Calculus | ||
| Calculus/Analytic Geom I (CT) | ||
| BSC 120 & BSC 120L | Principles of Biology I and Principles of Biology I Lab | 4 |
| Core II Humanities | 3 | |
| Core II Social Science | 3 | |
| Core II Fine Arts | 3 | |
| Additional University Requirements | ||
| Writing Intensive | 3 | |
| Writing Intensive | 3 | |
| Multicultural or International | 3 | |
| BSC 491 | Capstone Experience 1 | 2 |
| Major-Specific | ||
| BSC 121 & BSC 121L | Principles of Biology and Prin of Biology II Lab 1 | 4 |
| CHM 211 | Principles of Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHM 217 | Principles of Chem Lab I | 2 |
| CHM 212 | Principles Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHM 218 | Principles of Chem Lab II | 2 |
| Select one of the following organic chemistry requirements: | ||
| Intro Organic Chemistry | ||
| Organic Chemistry I | ||
| Area of Emphasis-Specific | ||
| BSC 320 | Principles of Ecology | 4 |
| BSC 340 | Principles of Evolution | 3 |
| BSC 417 | Biostatistics | 3 |
| BSC 324 | Principles of Genetics | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 4-5 | |
| Principles of Microbiology (and BSC 304, Microbiology Lab) | ||
| Principles Cell Biology | ||
| Principles of Human Anatomy (and BSC 332L, Principles of Human Anatomy Lab) | ||
| Principles of Human Physiology (and BSC 334L, Principles of Human Physiology Lab) | ||
| Select a minimum of 18 credits from the following: | 18 | |
| Invertebrate Zoology | ||
| Ichthyology | ||
| Ornithology | ||
| Mammalogy | ||
| Remote Sensing/GIS Appl | ||
| Dgtl Image Proc/GIS Model | ||
| Plant Taxonomy | ||
| Plant Physiology | ||
| Phycology | ||
| Animal Physiology | ||
| Comp Vertebrate Anatomy | ||
| Animal Parasitology | ||
| Systematics | ||
| Medical Entomology | ||
| Plant Ecology | ||
| Limnology | ||
| Emerging Infect Diseases | ||
| Microbial Genetics | ||
| Microbial Ecology | ||
| Molecular Biology | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Biology of Reptiles | ||
| Biology of Amphibians | ||
| Introductory Biochemistry | ||
| BSC Technical Electives: Select a minimum of 16 credits of 300 or 400-level BSC or closely related courses for technical electives. GEO 426 is strongly recommended. Students may wish to complete the Geospatial Information Science Certificate in Geography. The courses must be approved by the department chair. | 16 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
- 1
Capstone Experience: It is the responsibility of each student to consult his/her advisor regarding details of meeting the capstone requirement. The capstone may be a traditional independent study research project under the supervision of a faculty member selected by the student, participation in a classroom-based capstone course, or the development and implementation of an internship, co-op, or community-based project. Students must have completed a minimum of 16 hours of BSC coursework before they will be permitted to register for Capstone.
Major Information
- Students must pass BSC 120 Principles of Biology I and BSC 120L Principles of Biology I Lab and earn a grade of C or better in BSC 121 Principles of Biology and BSC 121L Prin of Biology II Lab, CHM 211 Principles of Chemistry I and CHM 212 Principles Chemistry II before they can enroll in any upper-level BSC course except BSC 227 Human Anatomy, BSC 227L Human Anatomy Lab , BSC 228 Human Physiology, BSC 228L Human Physiology Lab, BSC 250 Microbiol & Human Disease and BSC 250L Microbio and Human Disease Lab.
- BSC 104 Introduction to Biology, BSC 105 Human Biology , BSC 227 Human Anatomy , BSC 227L Human Anatomy Lab, BSC 228 Human Physiology, BSC 228L Human Physiology Lab, BSC 250 Microbiol & Human Disease and BSC 250L Microbio and Human Disease Lab do not count towards a BSC major and cannot substitute for any required or elective BSC courses.
-
A minimum of 15 hours of 400-level credit is required.
-
Students are required to know and track their degree requirements for graduation or for entrance to a professional school.
-
In addition to the Core General Education requirements, the College of Science requires 3-5 hours of Calculus, and 40 hours of upper-level credit.
- The CHM coursework provides a Chemical Sciences minor.
- Coursework listed as “elective” may vary for each student. Students are encouraged to use elective hours toward a 2nd minor or toward prerequisites.
- Students are strongly encouraged to select courses that meet two or more core or college requirements. For example, a writing intensive literature course could satisfy the Core II Humanities requirement as well as the university writing intensive requirement.
- Course offerings and course attributes are subject to change. Please consult each semester’s schedule of courses for availability and attributes.
- MTH 140 Applied Calculus requires an ACT Mathematics score of 24 or higher. Students with an ACT Mathematics score of less than 24 will be placed in the appropriate prerequisite mathematics courses.
- All Biological Sciences majors are required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of credits in the Department of Biological Sciences.
Semester Plan
The Department of Biological Sciences is committed to teaching students about the science of life from molecular to global scales. A degree in Biological Sciences prepares students for careers and graduate study in diverse fields such as human and veterinary medicine, dentistry, biomedical and pharmaceutical research, environmental consulting, wildlife ecology, and K12 or higher education. Students completing the Area of Emphasis in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology will be prepared for a wide range of careers including ecology, paleontology, environmental education, and may take positions with universities, museums, state or federal government agencies (USFS, USFWS, USGS, DNR, EPA); environmental consulting firms; conservation agencies; and non-governmental organizations.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Credit Hours | |
| BSC 120 & BSC 120L | Principles of Biology I and Principles of Biology I Lab | 4 |
| MTH 140 | Applied Calculus or Calculus/Analytic Geom I (CT) | 3-5 |
| ENG 101 | Beginning Composition | 3 |
| Core I Critical Thinking | 3 | |
| UNI 100 | Freshman First Class | 1 |
| Credit Hours | 14-16 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| BSC 121 & BSC 121L | Principles of Biology and Prin of Biology II Lab | 4 |
| FYS 100 | First Yr Sem Critical Thinking | 3 |
| Core II Fine Arts | 3 | |
| CMM 103 | Fund Speech-Communication | 3 |
| Free Elective (MTH 122 recommended for PHY prerequisite) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| BSC 320 | Principles of Ecology | 4 |
| CHM 211 | Principles of Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHM 217 | Principles of Chem Lab I | 2 |
| ENG 201 | Advanced Composition | 3 |
| Core II Social Science (CT) (PSY 201 or SOC 200) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| CHM 212 | Principles Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHM 218 | Principles of Chem Lab II | 2 |
| BSC 417 | Biostatistics | 3 |
| Core I Critical Thinking | 3 | |
| BSC 324 or BSC 340 | Principles of Genetics or Principles of Evolution | 3-4 |
| Credit Hours | 14-15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| CHM 327 or CHM 355 | Intro Organic Chemistry or Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
| BSC 324 or BSC 340 | Principles of Genetics or Principles of Evolution | 3-4 |
| Area of Emphasis Elective | 3 | |
| Area of Emphasis Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15-16 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Area of Emphasis Elective | 4 | |
| Area of Emphasis Elective | 4 | |
| Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Core II Humanities | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| Technical Electice | 3 | |
| Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Technical Elective | 4 | |
| Multicultural or International | 3 | |
| Writing Intensive | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| BSC 491 | Capstone Experience (C) | 2 |
| BSC Core Course (300 level) | 3-4 | |
| Technical Elective | 4 | |
| Area of Emphasis Elective | 4 | |
| Writing Intensive | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16-17 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120-125 | |