The bachelor of science (B.S.) degree in biology is offered as a joint program between Rutgers University-Newark and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) through their Federated Department of Biological Sciences. The B.S. major requires 38 credits of coursework in biological sciences, plus cognate courses in chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Courses are offered at both Rutgers-Newark and NJIT. Please notice that the B.S. program has a computational biology cluster and additional cognate courses in mathematics.
Upon successful completion of Concepts in Biology (120:200) and one of the two Foundation course pairs (201/202 or 205/206) with a grade of C or better, Rutgers-Newark 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-Newark students must visit the biological sciences office in Boyden Hall Room 206 to submit an application for admission to the major or visit our department's academic advising website for instructions: https://sasn.rutgers.edu/academics-admissions/academic-departments/biological-sciences/undergraduate-programs/academic-advising. 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 completing Concepts in Biology, students take 120:201 Foundations of Biology: Cell and Molecular Biology (3) and 120:202 Foundations Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory (1), and 120/216:205 Foundations of Biology: Ecology and Evolution (3) and 120/216:206 Foundations Ecology and Evolution Laboratory (1) as their core curricular requirements; these five courses provide students with the necessary background to enroll in upper-division courses. Please be aware that many upper-division courses require the successful completion of Concepts in Biology, Foundations of Biology: Cell and Molecular Biology, and Foundations of Biology: Ecology and Evolution 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 38 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.
B.S. in Biology (38 credits in biology courses--one course must be writing intensive)
1. Core Course Requirements (12 credits required)
21:120:200 Concepts in Biology (4)
21:120:201 Foundations of Biology: Cell and Molecular Biology (3)
21:120:202 Foundations of Biology: Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory (1)
21:120/216:205 Foundations of Biology: Ecology and Evolution (3)
21:120/216:206 Foundations of Biology: Ecology and Evolution Laboratory (1)
2. Concept Clusters (13-14 credits)
A) Ecological and Evolutionary Framework (one course required, 3-4 credits)
21:120/216:211 Plant Kingdom (4)
21/28:120/216:222 Evolution (3)
21:120/216:280 Ecology (3)
28:120:382 Animal Behavior (3)
B) The Functional Organism (4 credits required)
21:120/216:230 Biology of Seed Plants (4)
21:120/216:330 Plant Physiology (4)
21:120:335 General Microbiology (4)
21/28:120:340 Mammalian Physiology (4)
*21:120:342/343 Developmental Biology Lecture (3) and Developmental Biology Laboratory (1)
.
C) Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms (one course required, 3 credits)
21/28:120:352 Genetics (3)
21:120:355 Cell Biology (3)
21:120:356 Molecular Biology (3)
21:120:360 Biochemistry (3)
D) Computational Biology (one course required, 3 credits)
21:120:404 Introduction to Neuroanatomy: Structure and Function (3)
21:120:452 Lab in Molecular Biotechniques (4)
21:219:222 Fundamentals of Data Visualization in R (3)
21:219:330 Ethical Issues in Data Science (3)
21:640:327 Probability and Statistics (3)
3. Laboratory/Field Experience (one course required)
21:120/216:211 Plant Kingdom (4)
21:120/216:230 Biology of Seed Plants (4)
28:120:321 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy (4)
21:120:325/326 Animal Parasites and Parasitology Lecture and Laboratory (4)
21:120/216:328 Ecology of Birds (3)
21:120/216:330 Plant Physiology (4)
21:120:335 General Microbiology (4)
21/28:120:340 Mammalian Physiology (4)
21/28:120:342/343 Developmental Biology and Developmental Biology Laboratory (4)
21:120:353 Experimental Genetics (4)
21:120:361 Experimental Biochemistry (4)
21:120/216:380 Field Ecology (4)
21:120/216:381 Ecological History of North America (3)
28:120:385 Evolution of Animal Behavior Laboratory (3)
21:120:404 Introduction to Neuroanatomy (4)
21:120:405
Microanatomy of Tissues (4)
21:120/216:430 Plant Growth and Development (4)
28:120:451
Cell Physiology and Imaging (4)
21:120:452 Laboratory in Molecular Biotechniques (4)
28:120:475
Ecological Field Methods (3)
4. Biology B.S. Electives
21:120/216:305 Vertebrate Evolution (3)
28:120:315 Principles in Neurobiology (3)
28:120:337 Collective Intelligence of Biological Systems (3)
28:120:338 Ecology of the Dining Hall (3)
21/28:120:350 Immunology (3)
21:120:365 Evolution of Humans (3)
28:120:368 Ecology and Evolution of Disease (3)
21:120/216:370 Plant Ecology (3)
28:120:375 Conservation Biology (3)
28:120:382 Animal Behavior (3)
28:120:383 Neural Basis of Behavior (3)
28:120:398 Visualizing Biology (3)
28:120:400 Biology of Science Fiction (3)
21:120:402 Biology of Cancer (3)
21:120:412 Teaching Internship in Biology (1)
21:120/216:422 Biological Invasions (3)
28:120:423 Physiological Mechanisms (3)
28:120:424 Comparative Physiology (3)
28:120:432 Introduction to Computational Neuroscience (3)
28:120:440 Cell Biology of Disease (3)
28:120:441 Introduction to Neurophysiology (3)
28:120:443 Biology of Addiction (3)
21:120:444 Cellular Neurobiology (3)
21:120:445 Neuroendocrinology (3)
28:120:447 Systems Neurobiology (3)
28:120:448 Neuropathophysiology (3)
28:120:453 Applied Genetics and Genomics (3)
21:120:454 Epigenetics (3)
21:120:455 Molecular Cell Biology (3)
28:120:475 Ecological Field Methods and Analysis (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)
28:120:498 Special Topics in Biology (3)
5. Cognate Courses
21:160:113 General Chemistry Laboratory I (1)
21:160:114 General Chemistry Laboratory II (1)
21:160:115 General Chemistry I (4)
21:160:116 General Chemistry II (4)
21:160:331 Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2)
21:160:335 Organic Chemistry I (4)
21:160:336 Organic Chemistry II (4)
21:198:101 Computers and Programming I (3)
21:198:102 Computers and Programming II (3)
21:640:135 Calculus I (4)
21:640:136 Calculus II (4)
21:640:235 Calculus III (4)
21:750:203,204 Algebra-Based Introductory Physics I,II (4,4) or
21:750:213,214 Calculus-Based Introductory Physics I,II (4,4)
21:750:205,206 Algebra-Based Introductory Physics Laboratory I,II (1,1) or
21:750:215,216 Calculus-Based Introductory Physics Laboratory I,II (1,1)
School of Arts and Sciences-Newark 
