Science and Technology Center (McNulty Hall)
(973) 761-9044
https://www.shu.edu/biology/
Faculty: Bitsaktsis; Bundy; Chang; Chu (Director of Graduate Studies); Cottrell (Chair); Hill; Klaus; Ko; Martin; Nichols (Director of Health Professions); Zhou
Faculty Associates: Baglio, Ranasinghe; Tall
Lecturers: Pettit
Faculty Retired and Emeritus: Blake; Glenn* Hsu*; Rabacchi; Moldow
The Department of Biological Sciences offers programs of study leading to the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, a dual degree program (B.S./M.S.) in Molecular Bioscience, Master of Science in Molecular Bioscience with concentrations in Microbiology, Neuroscience, and Business Administration, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular Bioscience. The Department of Biological Sciences also offers three dual degree programs: Physical Therapy (B.S./D.P.T.), Physician Assistant (B.S./M.S.), and Athletic Training (B.S./M.S.A.T. and B.A./M.S.A.T.) with the School of Health and Medical Sciences. At the undergraduate level, the Department of Biological Sciences also offers an interdisciplinary minor program in Environmental Sciences.
The Biology Honors Program offers the opportunity for students to work closely with faculty members on sustained research projects, leading to the presentation of their work at scientific forums and published papers. The Biology Honors Program is open to students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 in science courses. Students must complete at least 8 credits of biology research under the direction of a faculty member (BIOL 2181, 3191-3194), present their work at two scientific forums, and submit a biology honors thesis (BIOL 4186):
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
BIOL 2181 | Biology Honors I (optional) | 1 |
BIOL 3191 | Biology Research I | 2 |
BIOL 3192 | Biology Research II | 2 |
BIOL 3193 | Biology Research III | 2 |
BIOL 3194 | Biology Research IV (optional) | 2 |
BIOL 4186 | Bio Honors-Senior Thesis | 1 |
From these credits in the Honors Program, up to four credits may be applied as biology electives toward the completion of the 14 biology elective credits needed for the major, the remaining credits will be counted as general electives. Honors students will also receive training in the responsible conduct of research and are encouraged to continue their research over the Summer.
Students with a score of 4 or higher in the Biology Advanced Placement Exam may waive the natural science requirement of the College of Arts and Sciences B.A. Core Curriculum. The credits may be assigned to BIOL 1101 Introduction to Biology. This course is not part of the requirements for biology majors.
The Department of Biological Sciences welcomes transfer students. The department may accept General Biology I/II, General Chemistry I/II, General Physics I/II and Calculus I/II or Statistics for science majors with a grade of C or better. Students are required to complete BIOL 2221 Genetics/BIOL 2222 Genetics Lab, BIOL 4199 Senior Biology Seminar , and at least two biology elective courses at Seton Hall University. In addition, B.S. students are required to take BIOL 2238 Cell Biology/BIOL 2239 Cell Biology Lab, and B.A. students are required to take BIOL 3243 Ecology and Stewardship at Seton Hall University in order to graduate with the biology major from Seton Hall. All requirements for the major must be met.
Prerequisites for all biology major elective courses:
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
BIOL 1211 & BIOL 1212 | General Biology- Organisms and General Biology-Organisms Lab | 4 |
BIOL 1222 & BIOL 1223 | General Biology-Cell and General Biology-Cell Lab | 4 |
BIOL 2221 & BIOL 2222 | Genetics and Genetics Lab | 4 |
MATH 1015 | Pre Calc Math Alg and Trig | 4 |
Individual courses may have additional prerequisites as shown in the course descriptions. Students must check with biology department advisers to make sure courses are acceptable before registering.
Students entering as pre-science majors may declare the biology major after completing the following courses with a science GPA of 2.0 or better:
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
BIOL 1211 & BIOL 1212 | General Biology- Organisms and General Biology-Organisms Lab | 4 |
CHEM 1123 & CHEM 1125 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry Lab I | 4 |
MATH 1015 | Pre Calc Math Alg and Trig | 4 |
or MATH 1401 | Calculus I | |
Total Hours | 12 |
If students have completed additional courses toward the major, their science GPA must be 2.0 or above in order to declare the biology major.
To continue as a biology major after earning 30 or more credits, a student must have earned a minimum 2.0 GPA in the major requirements (biology, chemistry, math, and physics courses). Students whose GPA is less than 2.0 will be counseled about an alternate major. Students may continue to take biology courses for which they have satisfied the prerequisites, and may request reinstatement in the biology major at a later time. Note that the University requires a 2.0 GPA (minimum “C” average) in the major and overall in order to graduate.
In addition to meeting the standards and requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, a degree candidate must complete major requirements. Each major program is designed with sufficient flexibility to ensure scheduling of arts and humanities courses for a broad liberal arts education. The undergraduate major in biology provides a strong background in the biological sciences in preparation for careers in any area of biology, medicine, dentistry and related professions. Through biology elective courses, the program gives students the opportunity to become familiar with different specialized areas of biology and to engage in independent library or laboratory research.
Each student in the major is assigned a faculty member who serves as academic adviser during the student’s undergraduate years. The adviser provides continuity of information and guidance to help plan the student’s academic program, evaluate progress, and explore career goals. While all students are required to take certain courses (see departmental requirements), each student selects courses and develops a specific program in consultation with the academic adviser. It is each student’s responsibility to meet all program requirements.
For information on Health Professions see the Health Professions/Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Advisory Committee section of the catalogue.
Note to Students: The following listing represents those courses that are in the active rotation for each department, i.e., have been offered in the past five years. Some departments have additional courses offered more rarely but still available – to find the complete list of all official courses for a department, please use the “Course Catalogue Search” function in Self-Service Banner
Equivalent courses taken elsewhere may be accepted as prerequisites. Students should check with their adviser to make sure courses are acceptable before registering.
BIOL 1211 General Biology- Organisms/BIOL 1212 General Biology-Organisms Lab, BIOL 1222 General Biology-Cell/BIOL 1223 General Biology-Cell Lab, and BIOL 2221 Genetics/BIOL 2222 Genetics Lab are prerequisites for all biology major elective courses. Individual courses may have additional prerequisites/corequisites as shown in the following course descriptions. Students must check with their adviser to make sure prerequisites/corequisites are met before registering for courses.
From the combined course groups of Biology Honors, Independent Study, Co-op, and Biology Research a maximum of 4 credits may be counted toward biology major credits for the B.S. and B.A. degrees. Any additional credits earned in those three course groups will be counted as general electives.
Core waivers will be considered for incoming students who transfer with an Associate’s Degree in Biology. Please contact the department for more information.
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