Biology B.S. - Cellular and Molecular Biology
General Degree Requirements
To earn a baccalaureate degree, all students must complete successfully, in addition to any other requirements, the University of Montana General Education Requirements. Please refer to the General Education Requirements page for more information.
Additional requirements for graduation can be found on the Degree/Certificate Requirements for Graduation page.
Unless otherwise noted in individual program requirements, a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in all work attempted at the University of Montana-Missoula is required for graduation. Please see the Academic Policies and Procedures page for information on how your GPA is calculated.
Courses taken to satisfy the requirements of a major, minor, or certificate program must be completed with a grade of C- or better unless a higher grade is noted in the program requirements.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE - BIOLOGY; CELLULAR & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY CONCENTRATION
Cellular and Molecular Biology is the study of cellular, molecular, and physiological aspects of Biology. This concentration is a graduate prep program and is for students interested in academia or research jobs in private or government laboratories. It is also an excellent concentration for pre-medical sciences students.
Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Biology/Microbiology Lower-Division Core 1 | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| BIOB 160 | Principles of Living Systems | 3 |
| BIOB 161N | Principles of Living Systems Lab | 1 |
| BIOB 170N | Principles of Biological Diversity | 3 |
| BIOB 171N | Principles of Biological Diversity Lab | 2 |
| BIOB 260 | Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| BIOB 272 | Genetics and Evolution | 4 |
| Upper-Division Core Courses Required by Cellular & Molecular Biology Concentration | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| BCH 480 | Advanced Biochemistry I | 3 |
| BCH 482 | Advanced Biochemistry II | 3 |
| BIOB 301 | Developmental Biology | 3 |
| BIOB 375 | General Genetics | 3 |
| BIOB 425 | Advanced Cellular & Molecular Biology | 3 |
| BIOM 360 | General Microbiology | 3 |
| BIOM 361 | General Microbiology Lab | 2 |
| Disease Elective | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Immunology | ||
| Virology | ||
| Additional Upper-Division Depth Courses - Lecture | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | 3-4 | |
| Endocrinology | ||
| Phylogenics and Evolution | ||
| Genomics | ||
| Comparative Animal Physiology | ||
| Microbial Genetics | ||
| Host-Microbe Interactions | ||
| Microbial Physiology | ||
| Plant Physiology and Plant Physiology Lab | ||
| Additional Upper-Division Depth Courses - Laboratory | ||
| Complete two of the following courses: | 2-5 | |
| Biochemistry Research Lab | ||
| Immunology Laboratory | ||
| Genes and Development Lab | ||
| Experimental Microbial Genetics Lab | ||
| Microbial Physiology Lab | ||
| Advanced Undergraduate Research | ||
or BIOB 490 | Advanced Undergraduate Research | |
or BCH 490 | Undergraduate Research | |
| Mathematics - Calculus | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | ||
| Applied Calculus | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Chemistry | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| CHMY 141N & CHMY 142N | College Chemistry I and College Chemistry I Lab | 5 |
| CHMY 143N & CHMY 144N | College Chemistry II and College Chemistry II Lab | 5 |
| CHMY 221 & CHMY 222 | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab | 5 |
| CHMY 223 & CHMY 224 | Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry II Lab | 5 |
| Additional Depth in Chemistry | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | 4 | |
| Analytical Chemistry-Quantitative Analysis | ||
| Physical Chemistry-Kinetics & Thermodynamics | ||
| Physics | ||
| Complete one of the following Physics sequences: | 10 | |
Algebra- and Trigonometry-based Physics: | ||
| College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | ||
| College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory | ||
Calculus-based Physics: | ||
| Fundamentals of Physics with Calculus I and Physics Laboratory I with Calculus | ||
| Fundamentals of Physics with Calculus II and Physics Laboratory II with Calculus | ||
| Advanced Writing Requirement | ||
| To complete the Advanced Writing Requirement, Biology students complete 2 or 3 partial writing courses (either three 1/3 writing courses or one 1/3 writing course and one 2/3 writing course) or one complete writing course. The Cellular & Molecular Biology concentration requires two 1/3 writing courses: BCH 482 and BIOB 425. The Advanced Writing Requirement is completed with one additional course, chosen from any of the list below. | 3-9 | |
| Total Hours | 82-92 | |
- 1
The lower-division core should be completed before attempting most upper-division major courses. AP Biology credit with a score of 3 may be substituted for either BIOB 160/BIOB 161N or BIOB 170N/BIOB 171N.
Advanced Writing Distributed Model Courses for Biological Sciences
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1/3 Advanced Writing Courses | ||
| BCH 482 | Advanced Biochemistry II | 3 |
| BIOB 410 | Immunology | 3 |
| BIOB 425 | Advanced Cellular & Molecular Biology | 3 |
| BIOB 483 | Phylogenics and Evolution | 3 |
| BIOE 403 | Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy | 4 |
| BIOE 428 | Freshwater Ecology | 0,5 |
| BIOM 402 | Pathogenic Microbes | 3 |
| BIOO 320 | General Botany | 5 |
| BIOO 434 | Plant Physiology Lab | 1 |
| BIOO 470 | Ornithology | 4 |
| BIOO 475 | Mammalogy | 4 |
| 2/3 Advanced Writing Courses | ||
| BCH 486 | Biochemistry Research Lab | 3 |
| BCH 499 | Senior Thesis/Capstone | 3-6 |
| BIOB 411 | Immunology Laboratory | 2 |
| BIOB 499 | Undergraduate Thesis | 3-6 |
| BIOE 342 | Field Ecology | 5 |
| BIOE 371 | General Ecology Lab (equivalent to 271) | 2 |
| BIOM 411 | Experimental Microbial Genetics Lab | 1 |
| BIOM 499 | Undergraduate Thesis | 3-6 |
| Complete Advanced Writing Course | ||
| BIOH 462 | Principles of Medical Physiology | 3 |
| BIOM 420 | Host-Microbe Interactions | 3 |