The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Biology (Biological Science), Bachelor of Science

Program Overview 

The Department of Biology is committed to excellence in instruction, scholarly accomplishment, research, professional service, and student success. The Department provides a broad-based undergraduate education in Biology so as to give students the opportunity to pursue a career best-suited to their interests and abilities. Graduates are prepared to enter the workforce or continue their education in graduate or professional school. The Department provides rigorous pre-professional preparation for students seeking careers in biological sciences and health professions.

Specific graduation requirements for this program beyond university bachelor's degree requirements.

  • A 2.5 minimum GPA in Major Requirements is required for graduation.

 

Core Curriculum - 42 hours

The Core Curriculum serves as a broad foundation for the undergraduate degree. All candidates for a bachelor’s degree must achieve core student learning outcomes, including communication, critical thinking, empirical and quantitative skills, teamwork, personal responsibility and social responsibility, by completing courses within each category or component area of the Core Curriculum as outlined below.

The University has approved specific courses that satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements. Approved courses can be found on the Core Curriculum Page. Students seeking the most efficient way to complete the core curriculum and major or minor requirements are advised to take approved courses that can fulfill both requirements. Although core curriculum courses can also be used to fulfill major or minor requirements, earned credits hours are only applied once.

The courses listed below fulfill core curriculum and major requirements. Students who have completed a core curriculum category with courses other than those listed below will still be required to take the listed course(s) to meet major requirements.

020 Mathematics – 3 hours

Choose one:

MATH 1314College Algebra

3

MATH 1414College Algebra

4

MATH 2412Precalculus

4

MATH 2413Calculus I

4

030 Life and Physical Sciences – 6 hours

CHEM 1311General Chemistry I

3

CHEM 1312General Chemistry II

3

040 Language, Philosophy and Culture – 3 hours

Choose one: 

PHIL 1300Critical Thinking

3

PHIL 1301Introduction to Philosophy

3

PHIL 1366Philosophy and History of Science and Technology

3

080 Social and Behavioral Science - 3 hours

SOCI 1301Introduction to Sociology

3

090 Integrative and Experiential Learning – 6 hours

CHEM 1111General Chemistry I Lab

1

CHEM 1112General Chemistry II Lab

1

BIOL 1406General Biology I

4

One-hour lab of lab from BIOL 1406 applies. 

Major Requirements – 63 hours

Required Courses - 44 hours

Biology Foundation

BIOL 1406General Biology I

4

BIOL 1407General Biology II

4

BIOL 3301Biological Evolution

3

BIOL 3409Ecology

4

BIOL 3413Genetics

4

BIOL 4400Biological Communication (Capstone)

4

Science Foundation

CHEM 2323Organic Chemistry I

3

CHEM 2123Organic Chemistry I Lab

1

CHEM 2325Organic Chemistry II

3

CHEM 2125Organic Chemistry II Lab

1

CHEM 3303Biochemistry I

3

Or

CHEM 3387Biochemistry I Honors

3

PHYS 1401General Physics I

4

PHYS 1402General Physics II

4

MATH 1342Elementary Statistical Methods

3

Or

MATH 1343Introduction to Biostatistics

3

Biological Sciences Concentration - 16 hours

Students must take at least one course from each list below. Of the 16 hours, at least 10 hours must be advanced. 

Cell/Molecular Biology

Choose at least one from:

BIOL 3401General Microbiology

4

BIOL 3403Medical Microbiology and Immunology

4

BIOL 3405Histology

4

BIOL 3406Developmental Mechanisms

4

BIOL 3412Cell Biology

4

BIOL 3415Molecular Biology

4

BIOL 4313Endocrinology

3

BIOL 4330Molecular Evolution

3

BIOL 4333Immunology

3

BIOL 4361Neuroscience I: Cellular and Molecular

3

BIOL 4413General Virology

4

BIOL 4417Microbial Genomics

4

BIOL 4418Electron Microscopy

4

BIOL 4421Biotechnology

4

BIOL 4428Medical Genomics

4

Organismal/Environmental

Choose at least one from: 

BIOL 2310Marine Processes and Ecosystem Dynamics

3

BIOL 2428Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy

4

BIOL 3404Conservation Biology

4

BIOL 3407Comparative Embryology

4

BIOL 3408Plant Morphology

4

BIOL 3414Invertebrate Zoology

4

BIOL 3420Environmental Biology

4

BIOL 3425Vertebrate Osteology

4

BIOL 4316Environmental Toxicology

3

BIOL 4318Ethnobotany

3

BIOL 4319Medical Entomology

3

BIOL 4388Global Change Ecology

3

BIOL 4402Marine Zoology

4

BIOL 4403Introduction to Remote Sensing Technology

4

BIOL 4404Ichthyology

4

BIOL 4407Animal Parasitology

4

BIOL 4408Plant Pathology

4

BIOL 4409Herpetology

4

BIOL 4410Marine Botany

4

BIOL 4412Ornithology

4

BIOL 4414Plant Taxonomy

4

BIOL 4415Entomology

4

BIOL 4416Mammalogy

4

BIOL 4423Wildlife Ecology and Management

4

BIOL 4426Marine Ecology

4

BIOL 4427Marine Animal Field Studies

4

BIOL 4432Animal Behavior

4

Physiology

Choose at least one from:

BIOL 1322Human Nutrition

3

BIOL 2401Anatomy and Physiology I

4

BIOL 2402Anatomy and Physiology II

4

BIOL 3310Neurobiology

3

BIOL 3311Mammalian Physiology

3

BIOL 3345Animal Nutrition

3

BIOL 4317Disease Epidemiology

3

BIOL 4362Neuroscience II: System, Developmental, and Disorders

3

BIOL 4405Plant Physiology

4

BIOL 4411Ecological Physiology of Animals

4

Support Courses - 3 hours

PSYC 2301General Psychology

3

Free Electives – 15 hours

Students who elect to take BIOL 4199, BIOL 4299, and/or BIOL 4399 may use up to 8 credit hours towards their free electives. Students should seek approval from the department prior to enrolling these courses to ensure use as free elective credit hours. The courses may not appear in the student’s degree audit unless departmental approval is obtained.  

Free elective credit hours at the advanced level may be needed to achieve the institutional minimum of 42 advanced hours. 

Advanced Minimum Credit Hours: 42

Total Credit Hours: 120