The bachelor of science (B.S.) degree in biology is offered as a joint program between Rutgers University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) through their Federated Department of Biological Sciences. The B.S. major requires 35 credits of coursework in biological sciences, plus cognate courses in chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Courses are offered on both the Rutgers and NJIT campuses. Please notice that the B.S. program has a computational biology cluster and additional cognate courses in mathematics.
Upon successful completion of General Biology 120:101 and 102 (8 credits), with grades of C or better, Rutgers students can officially declare their intention to pursue a course of study leading to a B.S. degree in biology.
To declare their major and their preference for the bachelor of science curriculum, Rutgers students must visit the Biological Sciences Office in Boyden Hall Room 206 to submit an application for admission to the major. At this time the student's record will be reviewed and, if accepted into the major, an academic major adviser will be assigned. Students should meet with their adviser regularly, at least once a semester, to plan their course of study.
After General Biology 101 and 102, students take 120:201 Foundations of Biology: Cell and Molecular Biology (3 credits) and 120:202 Foundations Laboratory (1 credit) as their core curricular requirements; these four courses provide students with the necessary background to enroll in upper-division courses. Please be aware that many upper-division courses require completion of both the General Biology and Foundations of Biology: Cell and Molecular Biology as prerequisites.
Beyond the core courses, all students must successfully complete one course from each of four biological concepts clusters and two courses designated as laboratory/field experience courses.
Students complete their course of study by successfully completing, with grades of C or better, courses in biological sciences for a minimum of 35 credits.
Among the courses successfully completed for the B.S. degree, one of those courses must be recognized as Writing Intensive (WI). Students should check the WI status of courses before registering, as the roster of WI courses may vary from semester to semester.
All cognate courses must be completed with grades of C or better. Cognate courses can be completed by enrolling in the appropriate courses either at Rutgers or at NJIT. Please note that in the case of sequential cognate courses the entire sequence must be completed at one or the other campus. Courses offered by NJIT are indicated as School 28 or with the prefix NJIT.
1. CORE COURSES
21:120:101,102 General Biology (4,4)
21:120:201 Foundations of Biology: Cell and Molecular Biology (3)
21:120:202 Foundations of Biology: Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory (1)
2. BIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS CLUSTERS
Students must complete one course from each of the four clusters listed below.
A) Ecological and Evolutionary Framework
28:120:205 Foundations of Biology: Ecology and Evolution (3)
28:120:206 Foundations of Biology: Ecology and Evolution Laboratory (1)
28:120:222 Evolution (3)
21:120:280 Ecology (3)
21:120:282 Animal Behavior (3)
21:120:370 Plant Ecology (3)
B) The Functional Organism
21:120:211 Plant Kingdom (4)
21:120:230 Biology of Seed Plants (4)
21:120:330 Plant Physiology (4)
21:120:335 General Microbiology (4)
21:120:340 Mammalian Physiology (4)
21:120:342 Developmental Biology Lecture (3)
21:120:343 Developmental Biology Laboratory (4)
C) Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms
21:120:352 Genetics (3)
21:120:355 Cell Biology (3)
21:120:356 Molecular Biology (3)
21:120:360 Biochemistry (3)
D) Computational Biology
NJIT Math 371 Physiology and Medicine (3)
NJIT Math 372 Population Biology (3)
NJIT Math 373 Intro Mathematical Biology (3)
NJIT Math 430 Computational Neuroscience (3)
3. LABORATORY/FIELD EXPERIENCE
21:120:211 Plant Kingdom (4)
21:120:227 Biology of Invertebrates (4)
21:120:230 Biology of Seed Plants (4)
21:120:285 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy (4)
21:120:311 Taxonomy Vascular Plants (4)
21:120:313 Mycology (WI) (4)
21:120:325 Animal Parasites (3)
21:120:326 Parasitology Laboratory (1)
21:120:328 Ecology of Birds (3)
21:120:330 Plant Physiology (4)
21:120:335 General Microbiology (4)
21:120:340 Mammalian Physiology (4)
21:120:342 Developmental Biology (4)
21:120:343 Developmental Biology Lab (1)
21:120:371 Field Studies in Plant Ecology (3)
21:120:380 Field Ecology (3)
21:120:405
Microanatomy of Tissues (4)
21:120:430 Plant Growth and Development (4)
21:120:451 Lab in Cell Biophysics (4)
21:120:486
Tropical Field Biology (2)
28:120:205 Foundations of Biology: Ecology and Evolution (3)
28:120:206 Foundations of Biology: Ecology and Evolution
Laboratory (1)
28:120:405
Cell Physiology and Imaging (4)
28:120:475
Ecological Field Methods (3)
4. ADDITIONAL COURSE OFFERINGS
This is not an additional requirement, but rather a list of elective courses that can be used to complete the 35 course credits needed for the biology major.
28:120:225 Insects and Human Society (3)
21:120:325 Animal Parasites (3)
21:120:326 Parasitology Laboratory (1)
21:120:342 Developmental Biology (4)
21:120:343 Developmental Biology Lab (1)
21:120:345 Comparative Vert Physiology (3)
21:120:346 Neurobiology (3)
21:120:350 Immunology (3)
21:120:365 Evolution of Humans (3)
21:120:402 Biology of Cancer (3)
21:120:422 Biological Invasions (3)
21:120:445 Endocrinology (3)
21:120:455 Molecular Cell Biology (3)
21:120:456 Virology (3)
21:120:472 Environmental Assessment (3)
21:120:491 Problems in Biology (1-3)
21:120:492
Problems in Biology (1-3)
21:120:493 Seminar in Biology (1)
21:120:494 Seminar in Biology (1)
28:120:368 Ecology and Evolution of Disease (3)
28:120:375 Conservation Biology (3)
28:120:383 Neural Basis of Behavior (3)
28:120:447 Cell and Systems Neurobiology (3)
28:120:448 Neuropathophysiology (3)
5A. COGNATE COURSES
21:160:113,114 General Chemistry Laboratory (1,1)
21:160:115,116 General Chemistry (4,4)
21:160:331 Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2)
21:160:335,336 Organic Chemistry I (4,4)
21:750:203,204 General Physics (4,4)
21:750:205,206 Introductory Physics Laboratory (1,1)
21:640:135, 136, 235 Calculus I (4, 4, 4)
21:198:101,102 Computers and Programming (3,3) or
NJIT BNFO 135,136 Programming in Bioinformatics (3,3)
21:640:473 Numerical Analysis (3) or
28:640:340 Applied Numerical Methods (3) or
21:640:314 Elementary Differential Equations (3) or
28:640:222 Differential Equations (3)
21:640:219 Basic Linear Algebra (3) or
28:640:226 Discreet Analysis (3) or
28:640:340 Applied Numerical Methods (3)
5B. ALTERNATE COGNATE COURSES AT NJIT
NJIT Chem 124 General Chemistry Laboratory (1)
NJIT Chem 125 General Chemistry I (3)
NJIT Chem 126 General Chemistry II (3)
NJIT Chem 243 Organic Chemistry I (3)
NJIT Chem 244 Organic Chemistry II (3)
NJIT Chem 244A Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2)
NJIT Phys 111 Physics I (3)
NJIT Phys 121 Physics II (3)
NJIT Phys 111A Physics Laboratory I (1)
NJIT Phys 121A Physics Laboratory II (1)
NJIT Math 111, 112, 211 Calculus I, II, III (4, 4, 3)
