The program in biological sciences,
administered through the Division of Life Sciences Office of
Undergraduate Instruction, is intended to provide a broad and
comprehensive training in modern biology. This course of study is
recommended for those who wish to study biology as part of their
liberal arts education, preparing them for a career in one of the
health professions, graduate studies in biology, a teaching career in
secondary schools (courses in education also are required), as well as
employment in various areas of the life sciences. If a student wishes
to concentrate his or her studies in a specific area of biology, he or
she should consider a major offered by one of the departments in the
Division of Life Sciences or in Cook College. Faculty advisers are
available to assist each student with course selection and program
requirements.
A minimum of 20 credits of course work from
among general biology, genetics, and life sciences electives must be
completed in residence. In other words, no more than 16 credits in this
part of the major requirements may be transferred from any institution
outside of Rutgers-New Brunswick/Piscataway. This rule is intended to
assure that students receiving degrees from Rutgers-New Brunswick/
Piscataway have taken a minimum number of courses in their major with
this faculty. Please keep in mind that although a course may transfer
from another institution into one of the Rutgers-New
Brunswick/Piscataway colleges, it will not necessarily be accepted
toward the major in biological sciences. Therefore, all transfer
courses must be evaluated and accepted by the Advising Office of the
Office of Undergraduate Instruction in order to count toward the major.
As indicated earlier, students must complete both terms of general
biology at the same institution or on the same campus of Rutgers before
becoming eligible to declare the biological sciences major.
The course requirements for the biological sciences major are divided
into two sections, the life sciences core courses and the life sciences
electives.
Required Life Sciences Core Courses (47 credits)
01:119:101-102 General Biology (4,4)
01:160:161-162 General Chemistry (4,4) or 01:160:163-164 Honors General Chemistry (4,4)
01:160:171 Introduction to Experimentation (1)
01:160:307-308 Organic Chemistry (4,4) or 01: 160:315-316 Principles of Organic Chemistry (4,4)
01:160:311 Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2)
01:447:380 Genetics (4)
01:640:135, 138 *Calculus for the Biological Sciences (4,4)
or 01:640:151-152 Calculus for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (4,4)
01:750:203-204 General Physics (3,3) **
01:750:205-206 General Physics Laboratory (1,1) **
Life Sciences Electives (24 credits)
It is highly recommended that students meet with life sciences adviser
in the Division of Life Sciences Office of Undergraduate Instruction
when planning their elective courses. It is important that the courses
taken complement each other as much as possible and are not merely a
collection of unrelated topics.
The electives must include at
least three laboratory courses, only one of which may be satisfied by
research work. General biology laboratory and "library research" do not
qualify for this requirement. A minimum of six courses (18 credits)
must be at the 300 or 400 level, including at least three separate
laboratory courses or three courses with a laboratory component. The
laboratory associated with genetics (382 or equivalent), if taken, may
be used to satisfy one of the three laboratory requirements.
No course at the 100 level may be used to satisfy the life sciences
elective requirements. A maximum of 6 credits of independent
study/research/honors research may be used toward the 24 elective
credits. Please keep in mind that a minimum grade-point average of 2.8
is required to enroll in an independent study/research course in
biological sciences. Research courses can satisfy only one of the three
laboratory requirements, regardless of number of credits. Courses taken
on a Pass/Fail basis may not be used to satisfy requirements for the
major in biological sciences. The elective courses must
include at least one course each from the Cell Biology and Neuroscience
146, Genetics 447, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry 694, and Natural
Resource Management 704 subject areas. A list of approved courses in
subject areas in addition to those in the Division of Life Sciences
(Biological Sciences 119, Cell Biology and Neuroscience 146, Genetics
447, and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry 694) will be published by
the Advising Office of the Office of Undergraduate Instruction. It is
recommended strongly that students consult this list, which is
available on the web site, prior to registering for their courses.
Generally, acceptable courses from other departments on any campus of
Rutgers University have a year of general biology as a prerequisite;
however, there are exceptions. It is imperative for students to consult
the published list and/or meet with an adviser. Cooperative education
credits may not be used to satisfy requirements for the major in
biological sciences, unless prior approval has been obtained from the
Office of Undergraduate Instruction.
