Biology

Dr. Shohreh Amini, Chair

www.temple.edu/biology/

Dr. Joel Sheffield, Faculty Advisor
Biology-Life Sciences Building, Room 311
215-204-8839
joel.sheffield@temple.edu

Evelyn Vleck, Faculty Advisor

Biology-Life Science Building, Room 248P

215-204-6528

evelyn.vleck@temple.edu

Bachelor of Arts

Summary of Requirements for the Degree

1. University Requirements

• Math 0701 (4 s.h.) and/or English 0701 (4 s.h.), if required by placement testing.

• All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses as part of their major.  Following is a list of courses that can be used to satisfy the writing-intensive requirement: Biology 2296*, Biology 3096, Biology 3196 or Biology 3396.

• Students must complete a set of university requirements: General Education (GenEd) or Core.

• New freshmen students starting in the 2009-2010 catalog year are required to complete the General Education Curriculum (25-26 s.h.). See the General Education section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for the GenEd curriculum.

• New transfer students starting in the 2009-2010 catalog year are required to complete the University Core Curriculum requirements (34-35 s.h.) including completion of the library orientation, Temple Information Literacy Tutorial (TILT). See the Core Curriculum section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for the course requirements.

2. College Requirements

• 45 Upper Level (2000+) credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).

• 90 credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).

• Two (2) Upper Level (2000+) Liberal Art courses.

• Second (2nd) Level of a Foreign Language (1002).

3. Major Requirements for Bachelor of Arts (61-64 s.h.)

• Eight (8) Biology courses are required (29-32 s.h.): Biology 1111, 2112, 2227, 2203 or 2296*, 3096 and 3 Biology electives 2000 or above (see course descriptions for exceptions).

• Four (4) Chemistry courses with labs are required (16 s.h.): Chemistry 1031/1033, 1032/1034, 2201/2203, and 2202/2204.

• Two (2) Mathematics courses are required (8 s.h.): Mathematics 1041 and 1042.

• Two (2) Physics courses are required (8 s.h.): Physics 2021 and 2022.

Note: A grade of C or higher in Biology 1111 and Biology 2112 is required to take upper-level Biology courses, and a C- or higher is required unless otherwise specified in all other courses for the major, including course prerequisites. A GPA of 2.0 or better is required in Biology courses in order to graduate.

*Pending writing-intensive program approval.

Suggested Semester by Semester Plan

*Pending writing-intensive program approval.

(F) - Fall only course

(S) - Spring only course

^If the student has taken the necessary prerequisite courses, some of the Biology elective courses may be taken before the Fall semester of Year 4.

Bachelor of Science

Summary of Requirements for the Degree

1. University Requirements

• Math 0701 (4 s.h.) and/or English 0701 (4 s.h.), if required by placement testing.

• All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses as part of their major.  Following is a list of courses that can be used to satisfy the writing-intensive requirement: Biology 2296*, Biology 3096, Biology 3196 or Biology 3396.

• Students must complete a set of university requirements: General Education (GenEd) or Core.

• New freshmen students starting in the 2009-2010 catalog year are required to complete the General Education Curriculum (25-26 s.h.). See the General Education section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for the GenEd curriculum.

• New transfer students starting in the 2009-2010 catalog year are required to complete the University Core Curriculum requirements (34-35 s.h.) including completion of the library orientation, Temple Information Literacy Tutorial (TILT). See the Core Curriculum section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for the course requirements.

2. College Requirements

• 45 Upper Level (2000+) credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).

• 90 credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST) or the College of Liberal Arts (CLA).

3. Major Requirements for Bachelor of Science (78-81 s.h.)

• Nine (9) Biology courses are required (32-36 s.h.): Biology 1111, 2112, 2227, 2203 or 2296*, 3096, and 4 Biology electives 2000 or above (see course descriptions for exceptions).

• Two (2) Cognitive Electives are required (6-8 s.h.), choose from the following: Anthropology 2764, Anthropology 4896; Biology 2000 or above (see course descriptions for exceptions); Chemistry 3301, Chemistry 3302; Electrical Engineering Technology 2104; Mathematics 2043; Physics 2501, Physics 4301; Statistics 5002 (if substituted for Biology 3312; students are not allowed to use both Biology 3312 and Statistics 5002 as upper-level electives).

• Four (4) Chemistry courses with labs are required (16 s.h.): Chemistry 1031/1033, 1032/1034, 2201/2203, and 2202/2204.

• Two (2) Mathematics courses are required (8 s.h.): Mathematics 1041 and 1042.

• Two (2) Physics courses are required (8 s.h.): Physics 2021 and 2022.

Note: A grade of C or higher in Biology 1111 and Biology 2112 is required to take upper-level Biology courses, and a C- or higher is required unless otherwise specified in all other courses for the major, including course prerequisites. A GPA of 2.0 or better is required in Biology courses in order to graduate.

*Pending writing-intensive program approval.

Suggested Semester by Semester Plan

(F) - Fall only course

(S) - Spring only course

^If the student has taken the necessary prerequisite courses, some of the Biology or Cognitive elective courses may be taken before the Spring semester of Year 3. 

Minor requirements

Students interested in acquiring basic knowledge in biology but not wishing to major in the subject may pursue a minor by successful completion of Biology 1111 and Biology 2112 (Introduction to Biology), plus three additional upper-level 2000 or above Biology electives (see course descriptions for exceptions).  At least one of these additional Biology electives must have a laboratory component.

Note that Chemistry 1031 and Chemistry 1032 (with labs) are the co-requisites or prerequisites for Biology 1111 and Biology 2112, and that a grade of C or higher in Biology 1111 and Biology 2112 is required to take Biology electives.  Biology 2227, Biology 2296*, and Biology 3096 can be taken as electives for the minor.  Please consult the Biology Department's advisor when choosing the three additional courses to ensure that prerequisites have been satisfied. (A minimum of 18 credits in Biology is required for the minor.)

*Pending writing-intensive program approval.

Distinction in the Major

Students interested in laboratory research are encouraged to participate in the Biology Research Program. Distinction in Biology is awarded on the basis of independent laboratory projects conducted under the supervision of a faculty member. Admission to the program is by application to the Biology Department during the first semester of the junior year. Completion of this program includes successful completion of Biology 4391 twice (a minimum of 6 s.h. total over two semesters), which together will substitute for one Biology Elective course.

Concentration in Neuroscience

Undergraduate students with an interest in Neuroscience may apply to the Neuroscience Program after declaration of a major in biology or psychology. Upon successful completion of their departmental and Neuroscience Program requirements, students receive a bachelor's degree with a Concentration in Neuroscience.  Please note that the College of Science & Technology now offers a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience - Cellular and Molecular that will result in a phasing out of the Biology Neuroscience Program over the next several years.

Neuroscience Program Requirements

• Completion of three Neuroscience courses with a grade of B or better. Courses may be selected from: Biology 3354, Biology 3356; Communication Sciences & Disorders 3235; Philosophy 5244; Psychology 2501, Psychology 2502.
• One year of Neuroscience research with a faculty member of the Neuroscience Program, with public and written presentation of the results. Two faculty members in the Neuroscience Program must approve the written presentation.
  

Five-Year Combined B.A. or B.S. and Ed.M. Program

Five-Year Master's/Secondary Education Certification Program

This is a combined program between the College of Science & Technology and the College of Education.  For more information, see the following web site:

www.temple.edu/bulletin/Academic_programs/schools_colleges/ed/intro/generalinfo/ed_generalinfo.shtm#teacher