Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Bulletin 
    
2020-2021 Undergraduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Department of Biology


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Zack Murrell, Chair
Maryam Ahmed, Assistant Chair
Shea R. Tuberty, Assistant Chair

Full faculty listing  

 

The primary mission of the Department of Biology is to provide the student with a well-balanced background in the life sciences. A student majoring in biology will examine the characteristics of life at all levels, from the workings of a single cell to the dynamics of an ecosystem. In addition to providing the student with a broad understanding of and appreciation for life and its processes, the curriculum is designed to prepare students for careers in biology or for studies at the graduate level. To meet these objectives the department has established the degree concentrations listed below, each with a somewhat different focus within the discipline.

Honors Program in Biology

The Department of Biology provides the opportunity for highly qualified students to graduate with departmental honors in Biology. In order to graduate with “Honors in Biology,” the student must have at least a 3.5 overall GPA; a GPA of at least 3.5 in the major (calculation includes cognate courses); and must have completed a minimum of 9 semester hours of honors courses in Biology, including BIO 4518  (Honors Research, 3 s.h.) and BIO 4519  (Biology Honors Thesis, 3 s.h.).

Admission to the Biology Honors Program - Students must apply for admission to the Honors Program in Biology. Applications will be considered by the department’s Honors Committee and by the faculty director of the Biology Honors Program. A student is eligible to apply for admission into the Biology Honors Program if she or he:

  1. has completed at least 45 semester hours of course work with a minimum of 15 semester hours completed at Appalachian State University;
  2. is majoring in one of the degree programs in the Department of Biology;
  3. has completed BIO 2400  or BIO 2700  with a grade of “B” or higher;
  4. has an overall GPA of at least 3.5 and a GPA of at least 3.5 in the major; and
  5. has identified a Biology faculty member who has agreed to direct the student’s Honors Research (BIO 4518  and Biology Honors Thesis (BIO 4519 ).

Space in the Biology Honors Program is limited, and not all students meeting the application criteria may be accepted into the Biology Honors Program. Students must earn a grade of ‘B’ (3.0 grade points) or higher on all honors coursework taken to fulfill any honors requirements.

Courses of Instruction in Biology (BIO) and General Science (GS)

This catalog reflects fall and spring semester offerings. Go to www.summerschool.appstate.edu for courses offered in summer terms. (For an explanation of the prefixes used in the following courses, see the listing of Course Prefixes.)

Programs

    Bachelor of ScienceBachelor of ArtsMinor

    Courses

      BiologyGeneral Science

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