The Biology Degree
- UK-Core and Gen-Ed Requirements: 21 credits
- College of A&S Requirements: 12 credits (BA) or 6 credits (BS) + foreign language
- Pre-major Requirements: 21 credits (BA) or 25 credits (BS)
- The Biology Major: 54 credits (BA) or 56 credits (BS)
- Core Courses: 20 credits (BA) or 24 credits (BS)
- Outside Department Courses: 7-9 credits (BA) or 17 credits (BS)
- Electives (BS only): 15 credits
- Minor + Electives (BA option A only): 25-27 credits
- Topical Focus + Electives (BA option B only): 25-27 credits
UK-CORE AND GEN-ED REQUIREMENTS
Intellectual Inquiry
Arts & Creativity ( 1 course)
Social Sciences ( 1 course)
Humanity ( 1 course)
[Natural/ Physical/ Mathematical
Science: covered by major]
Quantitative Reasoning
Statistical Inferential Reasoning
[Both courses covered by major]
Foreign Language
[Covered by the College requirements]
Composition and Communication
CIS or WRD 110
CIS or WRD 111
Citizenship
Global Dynamics ( 1 course)
Community, Culture, and Citizenship
( 1 course)
Number of credits: 21
COLLEGE OF A&S REQUIREMENTS
Social Sciences
1 course for BS
2 courses for BA
May not double-dip
with UK-Core courses
Humanities
1 course for BS
2 courses for BA
May not double-dip
with UK-Core courses
Race & Ethnicity
1 course
May double-dip
with UK-Core courses
Free electives
Minimum 6 credits
of courses that do not
count towards any other requirement
[Natural Sciences and lab requirements: satisfied by major]
Foreign Language
Option 1
Complete 202 level
of one language
Option 2
[2 years of High School language or
Complete 102 level of one language] + Complete 201 level of a second language
Number of credits
BA: 12 + language credits; BS: 6 + language credits
Add 3 credits if R&E course is
separate from UK-Core courses
PRE-MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
Introductory Biology Series
BIO 148 Introductory Biology I
BIO 152 Introductory Biology II
BIO 155 Biological Research Skills Lab
General Chemistry Series
CHE 105
(or CHE 109+CHE110)
CHE 107
CHE 111
CHE 113
Calculus
BS: MA 137
MA 138
BA: MA 113 or
MA 123 or
MA 137
Number of credits
BS: 25 credits
BA: 21 credits
The Biology Major
All courses from this point on are considered “WITHIN THE MAJOR”
BA: minimum 54 credits within the major
BS: minimum 56 credits within the major
CORE COURSES
Senior Seminar
BIO 425
Tier I Core
BIO 303 Evolution
BIO 304 Genetics
Tier II Core
BS students take all 3
BA students take any 2
BIO 315 Cell Biology
BIO 325 Ecology
BIO 350 Animal Physiology OR
BIO 430G Plant Physiology
Statistics
STA 296
Number of credits
BS: 24 credits
BA: 20 credits
OUTSIDE BIOLOGY
Organic Chemistry
CHE 230 (BA & BS)
CHE 231 (BA & BS)
CHE 232 (BS only)
Physics
BA: PHY 211 or PHY 151*
BS: PHY 211 + PHY 213
Number of credits
BS: 17 credits
BA: 7-9 credits
*PHY 151 is not accepted by many professional schools
ELECTIVES (BS)
Declare a track in the Fall of your Junior year
15 credits of approved upper-level electives
12 credits from "Track"
3 credits of any other electives"
9 credits MUST have "BIO" course prefix
Any one course should be a GCCR-written course*
*GCCR written course:
- BIO 398
- BIO 404
- BIO 405
- BIO 418
- BIO 430G
- BIO 445
- WRD 305
- WRD 310
- What are the different Tracks?
- How do I declare a Track?
- BIO 350 and BIO 430G count only if NOT taken as Tier II core
- A second BIO 425 can count as an elective
BA option A: Minor + Electives
Minor
Any minor offered at UK
(min 18 credits, some minors can be up to 27 credits)
Which courses are accepted electives?
Upper-level Biology Electives
Minimum 4 credits, up to as many needed to make 54 credits within the major
Min 6 credits to have BIO-prefix (if 6 or fewer needed, all should have BIO prefix)
Any one course should be a GCCR-written course*
*GCCR written course:
- BIO 398
- BIO 404
- BIO 405
- BIO 418
Number of credits:
min. 25, up to as many needed to make 54 credits in major
- Tier II Core courses are counted as electives only if NOT taken for Tier II
- A second BIO 425 can count as an elective
- BIO 430G
- BIO 445
- WRD 305
- WRD 310
BA option B: Topical Focus + Electives
Topical Focus
12 credits of ANY courses that make up a topic (similar to a minor)
Min. 6 credits at 300+ level
Which courses are accepted electives?
13 credits of approved upper-level electives
12 credits from "Track"
1 credit of any other electives"
9 credits MUST have "BIO" course prefix
Any one course should be a GCCR-written course*
- Tier II Core courses are counted as electives only if NOT taken for Tier II
- A second BIO 425 can count as an elective
*GCCR written course:
- BIO 398
- BIO 404
- BIO 405
- BIO 418
Number of credits:
min. 25, up to as many needed to make 54 credits in major
- BIO 430G
- BIO 445
- WRD 305
- WRD 310