Microbiology, Immunology, & Infectious Disease B.S.
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa. The Microbiology, Immunology, & Infectious Disease major emphasizes microbial structure and function as well as interactions with human health. This is a graduate prep program and is appropriate for students interested in research careers in academia or private or government laboratories. It is also an excellent concentration for pre-medical sciences students.
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 - Microbiology, Immunology, & Infectious Disease
Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Biology/Microbiology Lower-Division Core | ||
| 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 Microbiology Core Courses | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| BIOB 410 | Immunology | 3 |
| 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 |
| Advanced Infectious Disease Elective | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | 3-4 | |
| Pathogenic Microbes | ||
| General Parasitology and General Parasitology Lab | ||
| Virology | ||
| Ecology of Infectious Diseases | ||
| Biochemistry | ||
| Complete either one semester or one year of Biochemistry courses: | 4-6 | |
| Biochemistry | ||
| Advanced Biochemistry I and Advanced Biochemistry II | ||
| Additional Upper-Division Depth Courses in Microbiology | ||
| Complete 6 credits of the following courses. Infectious Disease electives may be counted here as long as the are not already applying to the Infectious Disease Elective requirement. | 6 | |
| Immunology Laboratory | ||
| Phylogenics and Evolution | ||
| Genomics | ||
| 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 | ||
| Mathematics & Computer Science | ||
| Complete two of the following courses. Only one may be in calculus. | 7-8 | |
| Introduction to Computer Science | ||
| Applied Calculus | ||
or M 171 | Calculus I | |
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
| Chemistry | ||
| 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 |
| 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 | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines Requirement | ||
| To complete the General Education Requirement for Writing in the Disciplines, Microbiology, Immunology & Infectious Disease students can either take a complete writing course (in or outside of DBS) or partial writing courses (2-3) within the DBS Distributed Model. | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 89-93 | |
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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 141N & CHMY 142N |
College Chemistry I and College Chemistry I Lab |
5 |
| M 162 or M 171 |
Applied Calculus or Calculus I |
4 |
| BIOB 194 | Your Future in Biology | 1 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOB 170N & BIOB 171N |
Principles of Biological Diversity and Principles of Biological Diversity Lab |
5 |
| CHMY 143N & CHMY 144N |
College Chemistry II and College Chemistry II Lab |
5 |
| WRIT 101 | College Writing I | 4 |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Sophomore | ||
| Autumn | ||
| BIOB 260 | Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| CHMY 221 & CHMY 222 |
Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab |
5 |
| BIOM 360 & BIOM 361 |
General Microbiology and General Microbiology Lab |
5 |
| Elective | 1 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOB 272 | Genetics and Evolution | 4 |
| CHMY 223 & CHMY 224 |
Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry II Lab |
5 |
| CSCI 150 | Introduction to Computer Science 1 | 3 |
| Intermediate Writing Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Junior | ||
| Autumn | ||
| BCH 480 | Advanced Biochemistry I 1 | 3 |
| PHSX 205N & PHSX 206N |
College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory 1 |
5 |
| BIOM 327 | Vector-Borne Diseases: Public Health Perspectives 1 | 3 |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| BCH 482 | Advanced Biochemistry II 1 | 3 |
| BIOM 415 | Microbial Diversity Ecology & Evolution | 3 |
| PHSX 207N & PHSX 208N |
College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory |
5 |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Senior | ||
| Autumn | ||
| BIOB 410 | Immunology | 3 |
| BIOM 450 & BIOM 451 |
Microbial Physiology and Microbial Physiology Lab (offered odd fall) |
4 |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | |
| Upper Division Elective | 5 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOM 410 & BIOM 411 |
Microbial Genetics and Experimental Microbial Genetics Lab (offered even spring) |
4 |
| BIOM 402 | Pathogenic Microbes 1 | 3 |
| BIOM 435 | Virology 1 | 3 |
| General Education Requirement | 6 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Total Hours | 121 | |
Last 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.