Integrative Microbiology B.A.
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa. The Integrative Microbiology major takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of microbial structure and function and encourages the integration of microbiology with the study of other disciplines.
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 Arts - Integrative Microbiology
Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Biology & Microbiology Core Courses 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 |
| Major Courses | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| BIOM 360 | General Microbiology | 3 |
| BIOM 361 | General Microbiology Lab | 2 |
| BIOM 410 | Microbial Genetics | 3 |
| BIOM 411 | Experimental Microbial Genetics Lab | 1 |
| BIOM 415 | Microbial Diversity Ecology & Evolution | 3 |
| BIOM 450 | Microbial Physiology | 3 |
| BIOM 451 | Microbial Physiology Lab | 1 |
| Microbiology Electives | ||
| Complete 9 credits of the following courses: | 9 | |
| Immunology and Immunology Laboratory | ||
| Phylogenics and Evolution | ||
| Genomics | ||
| Aquatic Microbial Ecology | ||
| Vector-Borne Diseases: Public Health Perspectives | ||
| Pathogenic Microbes and Pathogenic Microbes Laboratory | ||
| Host-Microbe Interactions | ||
| General Parasitology and General Parasitology Lab | ||
| Virology | ||
| Ecology of Infectious Diseases | ||
| Advanced Undergraduate Research | ||
| Chemistry | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| BCH 380 | Biochemistry | 4 |
| CHMY 121N | Introduction to General Chemistry | 4 |
| CHMY 123 | Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry | 4 |
| CHMY 124 | Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry Lab | 2 |
| Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics | ||
| Complete two of the following courses. Only one may be in calculus. | 7-10 | |
| Introduction to Computer Science | ||
| Applied Calculus | ||
or M 171 | Calculus I | |
| Calculus II | ||
| College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | ||
| College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory | ||
| Fundamentals of Physics with Calculus I and Physics Laboratory I with Calculus | ||
| Fundamentals of Physics with Calculus II and Physics Laboratory II with Calculus | ||
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
| Integrative Science Electives | ||
| Complete 9 credits of the following courses from any category: | 9 | |
Health Microbiology | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology for Health Professions I and Human Anatomy and Physiology for Health Professions I Laboratory | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology for Health Professions II and Human Anatomy and Physiology for Health Professions II Laboratory | ||
| Reimagining Global Health: Biosocial Perspectives | ||
| Environmental and Occupational Health | ||
Brewing/Oenology | ||
| Analytical Chemistry-Quantitative Analysis | ||
| Introduction to Brewing Science | ||
| Brewing Science | ||
Analytics/Programming | ||
| Interdisciplinary Computer Science I | ||
| Interdisciplinary Computer Science II | ||
| Intro to Computer Modeling | ||
| Statistical Methods I and Computer Data Analysis I | ||
| Statistical Methods II and Computer Data Analysis II | ||
Water Microbiology | ||
| Global Water Crises | ||
| The Water Planet | ||
| Hydrology | ||
| Watershed Dynamics and Management Issues | ||
| Watershed Hydrology | ||
Soil Microbiology | ||
| Soils, Water and Climate | ||
| Soils and Water | ||
| Ecology, Physics and Taxonomy of Soils | ||
| Environmental Soil Science | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines Requirement | ||
| To complete the General Education Requirement for Writing in the Disciplines, Integrative Microbiology students can either take a complete writing course (in or outside of DBS) or partial writing courses (2-3) within the DBS Distributed Model. | ||
| Total Hours | 72-75 | |
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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.
Writing in the Disciplines Distributed Model Courses for Biological Sciences
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1/3 Writing in the Disciplines 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 371 | General Ecology Lab (equivalent to 271) | 2 |
| BIOE 403 | Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy | 4 |
| BIOE 428 | Freshwater Ecology | 5 |
| BIOH 447 | Genes and Development Lab | 3 |
| BIOM 327 | Vector-Borne Diseases: Public Health Perspectives | 3 |
| BIOM 435 | Virology | 3 |
| BIOO 470 | Ornithology | 4 |
| BIOO 475 | Mammalogy | 4 |
| WILD 470 | Conservation of Wildlife Populations | 4 |
| 2/3 Writing in the Disciplines 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 448 | Terrestrial Plant Ecology | 4 |
| BIOE 485 | Plant Evolution | 3 |
| BIOM 499 | Undergraduate Thesis | 3-6 |
| Full Writing in the Disciplines Courses | ||
| BIOH 462 | Principles of Medical Physiology | 3 |
| BIOM 420 | Host-Microbe Interactions | 3 |
Four Year Plan
| Freshman | ||
|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Hours | |
| BIOB 160 & BIOB 161N |
Principles of Living Systems and Principles of Living Systems Lab |
4 |
| CHMY 121N | Introduction to General Chemistry | 4 |
| M 162 or M 171 |
Applied Calculus or Calculus I |
4 |
| BIOB 194 | Your Future in Biology | 1 |
| WRIT 101 | College Writing I | 4 |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOB 170N & BIOB 171N |
Principles of Biological Diversity and Principles of Biological Diversity Lab |
5 |
| CHMY 123 & CHMY 124 |
Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry and Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry Lab |
6 |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Sophomore | ||
| Autumn | ||
| BIOB 260 | Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| BIOM 360 & BIOM 361 |
General Microbiology and General Microbiology Lab |
5 |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOB 272 | Genetics and Evolution | 4 |
| CSCI 150 | Introduction to Computer Science 1 | 3 |
| Intermediate Writing Course | 3 | |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | |
| Elective | 1 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Junior | ||
| Autumn | ||
| BCH 380 | Biochemistry | 4 |
| BIOM 327 | Vector-Borne Diseases: Public Health Perspectives (General Education Requirement) | 3 |
| Integrative Science Elective | 3 | |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOM 415 | Microbial Diversity Ecology & Evolution | 3 |
| BIOM 460 | Ecology of Infectious Diseases 1 | 3 |
| Integrative Science Elective | 3 | |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Senior | ||
| Autumn | ||
| BIOM 450 & BIOM 451 |
Microbial Physiology and Microbial Physiology Lab |
4 |
| Upper Division Elective | 4 | |
| Elective | 7 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOM 410 & BIOM 411 |
Microbial Genetics and Experimental Microbial Genetics Lab |
4 |
| BIOM 435 | Virology 1 | 3 |
| Upper Division Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 5 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 121 | |
Updated Autumn 2025
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Indicates you have a choice of alternative courses for degree completion. See catalog, Degree Works, or your advisor for other options.