The following is a brief description of the major requirements and is not intended to be the official version. Please consult the Catalog for the official requirements.
To receive a B.S. in Biology from JMU, students must complete 40 credit hours of Biology (BIO) courses including the four (lecture+lab) "Core" courses and 24 credit hours of BIO electives. Of the 24 credits of BIO electives, up to 8 credits may be at the 200 level (excluding BIO 270/L). Of the 16 credits of required BIO 300-400 level credits, one course must be from the list Organismal Diversity courses and two courses must be from the list of Laboratory courses (see below). Three credits of independent research (BIO 497 and/or 499) may be used for one of the laboratory courses. One BIO elective course may count for both an Organismal course and a Lab course at the same time. A maximum of 8 credit hours of BIO 492, 494, 495, 496, 497, 499, and ICSI 450 can be counted toward the major.
Students must also fulfill several cognate requirements (math, chemistry, physics), general education requirements, and meet the overall JMU degree requirements. Students interested in a concentration within the Biology major may refer to the online catalog for the Neuroscience, Microbiology, and Ecology and Evolution concentration details.
Biology Core Courses (16 credits)
- BIO 140 Foundations of Biology I, 3.00 (C- minimum grade)
- BIO 140L Foundations of Biology I Lab, 1.00 (C- minimum grade)
- BIO 150 Foundations of Biology II, 3.00 (C- minimum grade)
- BIO 150L Foundations of Biology II Lab, 1.00 (C- minimum grade)
- BIO 240 Genetics, 3.00
- BIO 240L Genetics Lab, 1.00
- BIO 250 Quantitative Ecology and Evolution, 3.00
- BIO 250L Quantitative Ecology and Evolution Lab, 1.00
Cognate Requirements
- Calculus
- Statistics
- General Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry
- Physics
Refer to the Catalog for specific requirements.
General Education Requirements
- Refer to the General Education website for specific requirements
- Note that Cluster III requirements are met within the major courses.
Biology Electives (24 credits)
- At least one course from Organismal Diversity list
- At least two courses from Laboratory list
- Up to 8 credits of BIO 200 level courses may be counted (excluding BIO 270/L)
- Enough additional BIO elective courses to complete 24 credits
Organismal Diversity Courses (must take 1*)
- BIO 310. Marine Biology, 3.00
- BIO 320. Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates, 4.00
- BIO 357. Galápagos Islands: Biodiversity and Conservation, 3.00
- BIO 360. Plant Biology, 3.00
- BIO 364. Human Uses of Plants, 3.00
- BIO 386. Field Botany, 3.00
- BIO 402. Forest Ecology, 4.00
- BIO/GEOL 405. Vertebrate Paleontology, 3.00
- BIO 412. Mammalogy, 4.00
- BIO 420. Medical Parasitology, 3.00
- BIO 430. Ornithology: Research and Current Advances, 4.00
- BIO 484. Aquatic Microbiology, 3.00
- BIO 486. Systematics of Vascular Plants, 4.00
*courses in common between lists may be counted for both requirements.
Laboratory Courses (must take 2*)
- BIO 318. Experimental Vertebrate Development, 2.00
- BIO 320. Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates, 4.00
- BIO/MATH 342. Mathematical Models in Biology, 3.00
- BIO 343L. Immunology Laboratory, 1.00
- BIO 346. Laboratory in Bacterial Pathogenomics, 2.00
- BIO 348L. Medical Microbiology Laboratory, 1.00
- BIO 350. Paleobiology, 4.00
- BIO 354. Global Climate Change and Life: Ecological and Biological Impacts of Climate Variability, 4.00
- BIO 364L. Laboratory in Human Uses of Plants, 1.00
- BIO 360L. Plant Biology Laboratory, 1.00
- BIO 370. Animal Physiology, 4.00
- BIO 386. Field Botany, 4.00
- BIO 387L. Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, 1.00
- BIO/GEOL 400. Geology and Ecology of the Bahamas, 3.00
- BIO 402. Forest Ecology, 4.00
- BIO 410. Advanced Human Anatomy, 3.00
- BIO 412. Mammalogy, 4.00
- BIO 416. Human Embryology, 4.00
- BIO 420L. Medical Parasitology Lab, 1.00
- BIO 427 Topics in Biology: Variable Topics, 1-4.00
- BIO 430. Ornithology: Research and Current Advances, 4.00
- BIO 432. Light Microscopy, 4.00
- BIO 445. Neurobiology, 4.00
- BIO 446. Experimental Neurobiology, 4.00
- BIO 448L. Developmental Neurobiology Laboratory, 1.00
- BIO 449. Insect Ecology, 4.00
- BIO 452. Population Ecology, 4.00
- BIO 455. Plant Physiology, 4.00
- BIO 457. Biological Applications of Geographic Information Systems, 4.00
- BIO 459. Freshwater Ecology, 4.00
- BIO 480L. Advanced Molecular Biology, 1.00
- BIO 481. Genomics, 4.00
- BIO 482. Human Histology, 4.00
- BIO 483. Bioinformatics, 4.00
- BIO 484. Aquatic Microbiology, 3.00
- BIO 486. Systematics of Vascular Plants, 4.00
- BIO 490. Mechanics of Animal Movement, 4.00
*courses in common between lists may be counted for both requirements.
Special Requirements
Grades of “C- ” or higher must be earned in the following courses: BIO 140, BIO 140L, BIO 150, BIO 150L, CHEM 131, CHEM 131L, and CHEM 132. Students with upper division biology transfer credits applicable toward the major or minor are transferred as specific courses or as BIO 426/427, Topics in Biology. Credits not applicable toward the major or minor, but applicable toward the 120 hour degree requirement, are transferred as BIO 000. A maximum of 8 credit hours of freshman (100) level BIO courses may be applied to the biology major or minor requirements.
