Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduate Programs in biology

The Department of Biology offers a core curriculum that trains students in the fundamental concepts and basic principles of the biological sciences. Areas of emphasis--including cellular and molecular biology, microbiology, biotechnology, organismal, ecology and conservation biology, plant biology and physiology-- allow students to specialize to meet diverse career goals.

Biology majors are prepared for academic, industrial, or governmental careers with practical training in field and laboratory biology. The major also prepares students for medical, dental, or veterinary school; graduate school in any area of the biological sciences; training in an allied medical science; or science education.

Follow the links below for information about undergraduate opportunities in the Department of Biology:

Life Sciences Major (40 semester hours)

Required Life Sciences:
101--3 hrs.; 101L--1 hr.; 102--3 hrs.; 102L--1 hr.; 330--3 hrs.; 330L--1 hr.; 350--3 hrs.; 350L--1 hr.; 374--3 hrs.; 374L--1 hr.; 380--3 hrs.; 380L--1 hr.

Electives:
To complete the 40 hours required for the major, a minimum of 16 hours beyond the core curriculum must be selected from the following: 371/371L, 375/375L 403, 405, 406/ 406L, 408/408L, 412, 418, 424/424L, 425/425L, 426/426L, 427/427L, 428/428L, 431, 434, 437/437L, 445, 447, 450, 451, 454, 458/458L, 461/461L, 475, 476, 480, 482/482L, 485, 490, 491, and 492; Capstone 497, 498, 499, Chemistry 431/431L, 432.

BIO 415 is an acceptable elective only for departmental majors pursuing a secondary school teaching curriculum. Four credit hours of BIO 492 may be used to fill the elective requirement.

A portion of the 16 hours of elective credit required of life sciences majors beyond the core curriculum may be composed of courses from cognate areas, subject to the approval of the student's advisor and in agreement with the Department Chairperson. This excludes cognate courses that are prerequisite for courses in the Department of Biology.

Cell and Molecular Biology Emphasis:
Cell Biology or Cellular Development and Cell and Tissue Culture, and Immunology, plus additional electives from the following: BIO 250, 408/408L, 417, 418, 482/482L; Chemistry 431/431L, 432.

Microbiology Emphasis:
Specific courses selected to fulfill the interests and employment opportunities of the student. A possible program might include Bacteriology, Immunology, Virology, and Recombinant DNA. Additional microbiology electives include: Biology 250, 371/371L, 403, 404, 408/408L, , 417, 418, 475, 476, 482, and 482L. A chemistry minor including 7 hours of biochemistry (Chemistry 431/431L, 432) is strongly recommended.

Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Emphasis:
Recombinant DNA, Cell and Tissue Culture, Immunology, and additional electives from the following: Biology 250, 371/371L, 404, 405, 406/406L, 407, 408/408L, 417, 418, 437/437L, 476, 482/482L; Chemistry 431/431L, 432.

Organismal and Conservation Biology Emphasis:
Advanced Ecology, Evolution, Plant Taxonomy, or Vertebrate Zoology, plus electives (8 hours) selected from 250, 421, 425/425L, 426/426L, 427/427L, 428/428L, 447, 451, 454, 458/458L, and 491.

Physiology Emphasis:
A possible program could include Vertebrate Physiology or Plant Physiology; Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy or Plant Anatomy; and additional electives from the following list: 412, 431, 433, 434, 461/461L, 491--Special Topics (recent topics include: Cardiovascular Physiology, Reproductive Physiology, Behavioral Endocrinology, Environmental Physiology).

Plant Biology Emphasis:
Specific courses are selected to fulfill the interests and employment opportunities of the students. A possible program selected from the following list might include Plant Taxonomy, Plant Physiology with laboratory, Plant Anatomy, Virology, and Cell and Tissue Culture with laboratory (Biology 403, 405, 406/406L, 417, 418, 437/437L, 445, 447). A chemistry minor including 7 hours of biochemistry (Chemistry 431/431L, 432) is strongly recommended for some students.

Students enrolled as teaching majors are urged to take a course in developmental biology and a course in conservation as part of the 16 hours of electives beyond the core curriculum.

Prerequisites for the Biology major include the following:
Chemistry 105--3 hrs.; 105L--1 hr.; 106--3 hrs.; 106L--1 hr.; 351--3 hrs.; 351L--1 hr.; 352--3 hrs.; 352L--1 hr.; Mathematics--3?4 hrs. (a course in statistics or calculus, such as Biology 485, or Mathematics 131 or 241); Physics 105--3 hrs.; 105L--1 hr.; 106--3 hrs.; 106L--1 hr. (Total: 27 or more semester hours; thus, no fewer than 67 semester hours in sciences and mathematics are needed to complete a biology major.)

A chemistry or general science minor is recommended to accompany a biology major. Students planning to enter medical school should select Biology 342--4 hrs. and 461--3 hrs. It is recommended that these students consider for inclusion in their course work the following: a chemistry minor, a foreign language, humanities electives, and Psychology 101--3 hrs. Because some physical science courses are prerequisites for the required courses in the Department of Biology, a life sciences major can complete a chemistry minor with a minimum of 7 additional hours.

Life Sciences Minor (51 semester hours)

Required Biology:
101--3 hrs.; 101L--1 hr.; 102--3 hrs.; 102L--1 hr.; 330--3 hrs.; 330L--1 hr.; 350--3 hrs.; 350L--1 hr.; 374--3 hrs.; 374L--1 hr.; 380--3 hrs.; 380L--1 hr.

Prerequisites for the required Biology courses include the following:
Chemistry 105--3 hrs.; 105L--1 hr.; 106--3 hrs.; 106L--1 hr.; 351--3 hrs.; 351L--1 hr.; 352--3 hrs.; 352L--1 hr.; Mathematics--3?4 hrs. (a course in statistics or calculus, such as Biology 485, or Mathematics 131 or 241); Physics 105--3 hrs.; 105L--1 hr.; 106--3 hrs.; 106L--1 hr. (Total: 27 or more semester hours; thus, no fewer than 51 hours in sciences and mathematics are needed to complete a life sciences minor.)

Conservation Minor (27 semester hours, for Life Sciences majors)

Required courses:
Biology 415--3 hrs.; 451--3 hrs.; 455--3 hrs.; Geography 111--3 hrs.; 213--3 hrs.; 411--3 hrs.; Geology 170--3 hrs.; 270--3 hrs.; Recreation and Sport Management 361--3 hrs.

Biology Specialist Curricula for Science Licensure

Either the major or minor area below may be taken as a component of the science education major. All students in the science education major must complete one major area and one minor area, each from a different discipline (biology, physical sciences, earth space sciences, chemistry, general sciences, and physics). For a full description of the Science Education Program, see the Center for Science Education Program section in the ISU Catalog.

Biology Major AREA (56-57 semester hours)

Required Biology (24 hours):
101-3 hrs.; 101L-1 hr.; 102-3 hrs.; 102L-1 hr.; 330-3 hrs.; 330L-1 hr.; 350-3 hrs.; 350L-1 hr.; 374-3 hrs.; 374L-1 hr.; 380-3 hrs.; 380L-1 hr.

Electives:
4 hours to be designated by the department.

Prerequisites for the required Biology courses include (23-24 hours):
Chemistry 105-3 hrs.;105L-1 hr.; 106-3 hrs.; 106L-1 hr.; 351-3 hrs.; 351L-1 hr.; 352-3 hrs.; 352L-1 hr.; Mathematics 3-4 hrs. (a course in statistics or calculus, such as Biology 485, or Mathematics 131 or 241); Physics 105-3 hrs.; 105L-1 hr.

Required Professional Courses in the College of Arts and Sciences (5 hours):
Science Education 396L--2 hrs.; 398L-2hrs., 402-1 hr.

Required Professional Courses in the School of Education (30 hours):
see the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology section of this Catalog.

Biology Teaching Minor (24 semester hours)

This minor, added to the Senior High-Junior/Middle School or All Grade Instructional License, will provide coverage in grades 5-12.

Required Biology (24 hours):
101-3 hrs.; 101L-1 hr.; 102-3 hrs.; 102L-1 hr.; 330-3 hrs.; 330L-1 hr.; 350-3 hrs.; 350L-1 hr.; 374-3 hrs.; 374L-1 hr.; 380-3 hrs.; 380L-1 hr.

Prerequisites for the required Biology courses:
Most would be met by the prerequisites for the major teaching area selected other than life sciences.

Required Professional Courses:
Met by major teaching area requirements.

These major and minor areas may be added to the Senior High-Junior High/Middle School or All Grade Instructional License, providing coverage in grades 5-12. All science teacher education students are advised in the Center for Science Education.

Rural Health BA/MD Pre-Professional Program

Aims and Goals:
To address the rural health needs of the State of Indiana by providing increased opportunities for residents from rural communities to obtain education and training in medicine.

To develop academic and experiential programming that will enhance the success of individuals from a rural community to succeed in a medical career.

Overview:
Established through an articulation agreement between Indiana University School of Medicine and Indiana State University.

Admissions into the program will be limited to ten Indiana residents from rural communities per year. Students admitted to the program will be admitted to the undergraduate program at Indiana State University and will have a provisional seat in medical school until completion of their undergraduate degree. Upon completion of their undergraduate degree students having a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.5 and an MCAT score equal to the average of that years entering medical school class will matriculate into Indiana University School of Medicine.

During the undergraduate component of their program students enrolled in the rural health program will participate in special experiences designed to enhance their careers as medical practitioners in rural settings.

Students accepted into the program will be provided tuition waivers for the undergraduate curriculum by Indiana State University. In addition, students may be eligible for other scholarships at the undergraduate level and state guaranteed loans during their medical school years.

Advisement:
While enrolled in the program students will be advised by a committee composed of faculty from Indiana State University and the Indiana School of Medicine - Terre Haute. The advisement committee will monitor the students' progress and provide guidance on course selection. Academic problems will be handled on an individual basis.

Curriculum:
The curriculum will be a traditional premed curriculum that has been modified to enhance the likelihood of success in the practice of rural medicine.

Eligibility:
To be eligible for the Rural Health Program students must meet the following criteria:

Students must achieve a minimum of 1200 on the SAT or 27 on the ACT.

A High School GPA of 3.5 (4.0 scale).

To be considered, you must have lived a substantial portion of your life in a federally designated area that is not metropolitan or is designated as a rural census tract.

To matriculate to the IU School of Medicine, students must:
Successfully complete the undergraduate program at ISU with a minimum grade point average of 3.5

Achieve a score on the MCAT equal to the mean score of the previous year's entering class

Admissions:
Students must fill out an application packet. Packets are available from the Indiana State University Office of Admissions or the College of Arts and Sciences beginning August 1 of each year. For more information contact:

Dr. Jennifer Boothby
Associate Dean
College of Arts and Sciences
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, IN 47809
812-237-2781

Students with acceptable credentials will have their applications forwarded to the Admissions Committee at Indiana University School of Medicine. The Committee will review the students' credentials and then invite selected students for an interview. The Admissions Committee will then make the final selection and recommend the selected students to the Dean of the School of Medicine for admissions to the program.

Students accepted into the program will receive a letter from the Dean of the School of Medicine and the Director of Admission at Indiana State University.

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