Biological & Environmental Sciences

Biology Courses & Requirements

Degrees Offered:

  • B.A.: Biology
  • B.S.: Biology
  • Minors: Biology

Biological & Environmental Sciences Related Areas of Study:

Course Listings

  • Click here to read complete descriptions of the Biology courses offered at Wittenberg.

Degree Requirements:

Requirements for Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Biology - 58 to 61 credits

The biology major consists of forty to forty-three credits of biology in Areas I-IV below, 10 credits of chemistry, and eight credits of supporting sciences (specified below).

Requirements for Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biology - 68 to 71 credits

Forty to forty-three credits of biology in Areas I-IV below, 10 credits of chemistry, 4 credits of statistics, plus fourteen credits in other supporting sciences (specified below). This degree is intended for those students who need additional sciences required for entry into graduate programs leading to technical science careers or the Ph.D. in a biological field.

Area I: Foundational Courses in Biology (14 credits)

BIOL 170 and BIOL 180 must be taken by all majors and minors as the basic prerequisites to all Biology courses above the 100 level. BIOL 170 and BIOL 180 may be taken in either order.

  • BIOL 170: Concepts in Biology: Biological Information, Reproduction and Evolution – 5 credits
  • BIOL 180: Concepts in Biology: Energy and Resources in Biology – 5 credits

BIOL 201 and BIOL 202 must be taken by all Biology majors and should be taken by the second semester of their sophomore year. BIOL 201 and BIOL 202 may be taken in either order and need not be taken during the same semester.

  • BIOL 201: Biological Literacy – 2 credits
  • BIOL 202: Principles of Evolution – 2 credits

Area II: Breadth of the Biological Experience (12-15 credits)

A minimum of four credits from each of the following three groups:

Group 1: Cellular/Molecular/Developmental Biology

  • BIOL 210: Fundamentals of Neuroscience – 5 credits
  • BIOL 212: Cell Biology – 5 credits
  • BIOL 214: Developmental Biology – 5 credits
  • BIOL 215: Genetics – 5 credits
  • BIOL 219: Immunology – 4 credits
  • BIOL 310: Molecular Biology – 5 credits
  • BIOL 316: Molecular Genetics and Bioinformatics – 5 credits

Group 2: Physiology

  • BIOL 220: Neurobiology – 5 credits
  • BIOL 221: Pharmacology – 4 credits
  • BIOL 223: Human Pathophysiology – 4 credits
  • BIOL 226: Vertebrate Zoology – 5 credits
  • BIOL 227: Microbiology – 5 credits
  • BIOL 229: Science Behind Addiction – 4 credits
  • BIOL 324: Animal Physiology – 5 credits
  • BIOL 325: Human Anatomy and Physiology I – 5 credits
  • BIOL 326: Human Anatomy and Physiology II – 4 credits
  • BIOL 327: Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory – 1 credit

Group 3: Ecology/Evolutional/Organismal Biology

  • BIOL 230: The Woody Plants of Ohio – 4 credits
  • BIOL 232: Herpetology – 5 credits
  • BIOL 233: Ornithology – 5 credits
  • BIOL 235: Morphology and Taxonomy of Vascular Plants – 5 credits
  • BIOL 238: Entomology – 5 credits
  • BIOL 239: Marine Invertebrates – 5 credits
  • BIOL 241: Freshwater Ecology – 5 credits
  • BIOL 242: Behavioral Ecology – 5 credits
  • BIOL 244: Conservation Biology – 5 credits
  • BIOL 245: Wildlife Managements – 5 credits
  • BIOL 247: Marine Ecology – 5 credits
  • BIOL 248: Comparative Communities-Bahamas – 5 credits
  • BIOL 346: Ecology – 5 credits
  • BIOL 347: Evolution – 4 credits

Area III: Biological Electives (10 credits)

At least 10 additional credits from the above courses or

  • BIOL 104 - BIOL 148 (up to 4 credits may count, but only if taken before a declared major)
  • BIOL 250: Topics (topic varies with offering)
  • BIOL 258: Extended Field Studies*
  • BIOL 492: Directed Research*
  • BIOL 493: Internship*
  • BIOL 494: Topic Seminar* (topic varies with offering)
  • BIOL 499: Honors Thesis*

*Up to five credits of each may count toward the major

Area IV: Senior Capstone (4 credits)

  • BIOL 406: Senior Capstone Seminar – 4 credits

Area V: Chemical Foundations (10 credits)

  • CHEM 121: Models of Chemical System I – 5 credits
  • CHEM 162: Models of Chemical Systems II – 5 credits

Area VI: Supporting Science (8 credits for B.A., 18 credits for B.S.)

Bachelor of Arts: A minimum of eight credits from Chemistry (201 or higher), Mathematics (127 or higher), Geology (150 or higher), Computer Science (150 or higher), Physics (107 or higher), Environmental Science (101 or higher), Marine Science (200 or higher). It is not required that all the credits be taken from the same department.

The following courses also satisfy the requirements in supporting sciences:

  • BUSN 210: Statistics
  • HSS 170: Introduction to Exercise Science
  • HSS 250: Nutrition
  • HSS 275: Biomechanics
  • HSS 350: Gross Anatomy
  • HSS 370: Exercise Physiology
  • MATH 120: Elementary Functions (BA only)
  • PSYC 201: Statistics
  • PSYC 202: Experimental Design
  • PSYC 311: Behavioral Neuroscience

Bachelor of Science: 4 credits of statistics (DATA 227, PSYC 201, or BUSN 210) plus 14 additional credits from the above departments or courses.

Requirements for Minor in Biology

A minor in biology requires 22 credits, including BIOL 170 and BIOL 180, plus 12 additional credits in biology courses at the 200-level or above.

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