Biology B.S. - Human Biological Sciences
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; HUMAN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES CONCENTRATION
The Human Biological Sciences concentration is a pre-professional program for students planning careers in a health-related field. The following is a partial list of possible professions: physical therapy, medicine, dentistry, physician's assistant, alternative medicine, nutrition, and public health.
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 Human Biological Sciences Concentration | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| BIOB 301 | Developmental Biology | 3 |
| BIOB 375 | General Genetics | 3 |
| BIOH 365 & BIOH 366 | Human Anatomy and Physiology for Health Professions I and Human Anatomy and Physiology for Health Professions I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOH 370 & BIOH 371 | Human Anatomy and Physiology for Health Professions II and Human Anatomy and Physiology for Health Professions II Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOM 360 | General Microbiology | 3 |
| Additional Upper-Division Courses Required for the Human Biological Sciences Concentration | ||
| Biochemistry Requirement 2 | ||
| Complete one of the following sequences: | 4-6 | |
One Semester: | ||
| Biochemistry | ||
Full Year: | ||
| Advanced Biochemistry I and Advanced Biochemistry II | ||
| Additional Depth in Human Biological Sciences | ||
| Complete two of the following courses: | 6-8 | |
| Biochemistry Research Lab | ||
| Immunology | ||
| Advanced Cellular & Molecular Biology | ||
| Comparative Animal Physiology | ||
| Endocrinology | ||
| Phylogenics and Evolution | ||
| Genomics | ||
| Undergraduate Thesis | ||
| Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy | ||
| Behavior & Evolution | ||
| Hematology | ||
| Genes and Development Lab | ||
| Principles of Medical Physiology | ||
| Pathogenic Microbes | ||
| Microbial Genetics | ||
| Host-Microbe Interactions | ||
| General Parasitology and General Parasitology Lab | ||
| Virology | ||
| Microbial Physiology | ||
| Mathematics and Psychology | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| M 162 | Applied Calculus | 4 |
| or M 171 | Calculus I | |
| PSYX 100S | Intro to Psychology | 3 |
| STAT 216 | Introduction to Statistics | 4 |
| Chemistry 3 | ||
| Complete one of the following sequences of general and organic chemistry: | 10-20 | |
Introductory Chemistry (10 credits): | ||
| Introduction to General Chemistry | ||
| Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry and Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry Lab | ||
Advanced Chemistry (20 credits): | ||
| College Chemistry I and College Chemistry I Lab | ||
| College Chemistry II and College Chemistry II Lab | ||
| Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab | ||
| Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry II Lab | ||
| 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 take 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 Human Biological Sciences concentration does not require a specific advanced writing course. | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 78-92 | |
- 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.
- 2
If introductory chemistry is completed, then BCH 380 must be taken. Either BCH 380 or BCH 480/BCH 482 may be taken if the advanced chemistry sequence is completed.
- 3
Students who begin in the advanced chemistry sequence may substitute those courses for introductory sequence courses at the discretion of the major advisor. If students plan to apply to a graduate or professional school such as medical or dental, they should plan to complete the advanced chemistry sequence. If they plan to pursue nursing or a graduate program in physical therapy, the introductory chemistry sequence is most likely sufficient. The advanced chemistry option is more flexible, and keeps more options open for future careers. Check the requirements of your intended professional program to help determine which sequence is most appropriate.
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 |