Biology
Get ready for an exciting career in the medical, health, or environmental arenas with a B.A. or B.S. in Biology from Georgian Court University. Whether you want to be a doctor or a biology teacher, this program prepares you for all of the career possibilities that lie ahead.
Our graduates have used this versatile undergraduate B.S. degree to launch thriving careers in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, physical therapy, pharmacy, biotechnology, agriculture, or environmental sciences.
Looking to go into the chiropractic, medical technology, or other health-related fields? The university also offers a B.S. in Clinical Laboratory Sciences or Medical Imaging Sciences. Take advantage of the university’s articulation agreements with New York Chiropractic College, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, and Monmouth Medical Center. These partnerships let you enter those programs and earn a bachelor’s degree in just four years.
The B.A. in Biology is geared for those who want to teach biology. If you wish to teach at the pre-college level, biology will be your first major and education will be your second major after fulfilling School of Education requirements for teacher certification.
Those interested in the Medical Laboratory Science program at Jersey Shore University Medical Center or the Medical Laboratory Science program at Monmouth Medical Center can pursue the Medical Laboratory Science Track in either the B.A. or B.S. in Biology. Students follow the designated track at GCU for three years, following the recommendations of the American Society of Clinical Pathology. For the fourth year, students take courses in medical technology at an affiliated hospital for GCU biology credits. After passing a nationally administered examination, they become registered medical technologists (MT-ASCP).
To earn this degree, you must successfully complete at least 120 credits, including your General Education requirements and the major requirements below.
Major Sequence
Course Requirements (except for Medical Laboratory Science Track)
A minimum of 30 biology credits, plus courses in related areas, including:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Biology Courses | ||
| BI120 | Biological Diversity & Phylogeny | 4 |
| BI121 | Cellular Organiz., Energetics & Function | 4 |
| BI201 | Biological Literature | 1 |
| BI204 | Genetics & Evolution | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
BI305 | Biological Interactions: Ecology (4 credits) | |
BI310 | Ecology & Health (3 credits) | |
| BI443 | Capstone in Biology: BA | 2 |
| or BI444 | Capstone in Biology: BS | |
| Biology electives | 12-13 | |
| Related Courses | ||
| MA109 | College Algebra | 3 |
| CH113 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| CH114 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| CH223 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| Select one of the following sequences: 1 | 8 | |
PH111 & PH112 | Physics in Everyday Life I and Physics in Everyday Life II | |
PH115 & PH116 | College Physics I and College Physics II | |
PH121 & PH122 | University Physics I and University Physics II | |
| Total Credits | 53-55 | |
- 1
Students electing for PH115 College Physics I must take MA110 Precalculus. Students electing for PH121 University Physics I must take MA115 Calculus I. Students preparing for professional careers or graduate school are strongly advised to take PH121 University Physics I and PH122 University Physics II.
Requirements for Medical Laboratory Science Track
A minimum of 40 credits including:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BI121 | Cellular Organiz., Energetics & Function | 4 |
| BI201 | Biological Literature | 1 |
| BI204 | Genetics & Evolution | 4 |
| BI213 | Human Anatomy & Physiology I | 4 |
| BI214 | Human Anatomy & Physiology II | 4 |
| BI219 | Microbiology | 4 |
| BI401 | Medical Technology Internship I | 16 |
| BI402 | Medical Technical Internship II | 16 |
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
BI427 | Immunology (4 credits) | |
BI428 | Fundamentals of Immunology (3 credits) | |
| BI437 | Biochemistry I | 4 |
| BI443 | Capstone in Biology: BA | 2 |
| or BI444 | Capstone in Biology: BS | |
| Related Courses | ||
| MA109 | College Algebra | 3 |
| CH113 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| CH114 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| CH223 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CH224 | Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
| Select one of the following sequences: 1 | ||
PH111 & PH112 | Physics in Everyday Life I and Physics in Everyday Life II | |
PH115 & PH116 | College Physics I and College Physics II | |
PH121 & PH122 | University Physics I and University Physics II | |
| Total Credits | 81-82 | |
- 1
Students electing for PH115 College Physics I must take MA110 Precalculus. Students electing for PH121 University Physics I must take MA115 Calculus I. Students preparing for professional careers or graduate school are strongly advised to take PH121 University Physics I and PH122 University Physics II.
For the B.A. degree, a minimum of 9 credits of biology coursework must be taken at the 300 or 400 level.
For students seeking teacher certification, in addition to the core of required courses for the biology degree, the department recommends the following courses: BI213 Human Anatomy & Physiology I and BI214 Human Anatomy & Physiology II. For Teacher of Biology (K-12) certification, at least 12 credits must be taken at the 300 or 400 level.
It is recommended that students who have completed General Biology I, II, at another institution, take BI320 Cell Biology in place of BI121 Cellular Organiz., Energetics & Function to satisfy their cell biology requirement.
All biology majors who have completed 16 credits of Georgian Court biology courses will have their status reviewed by the biology faculty members. Those with a Georgian Court biology GPA of less than 2.50 may be advised and required to change their major. A Georgian Court biology GPA of 2.50 is required for graduation.
All majors pursuing the B.S. or B.A. degree in Biology are required to take a department-administered Major Field Test before graduation.
For more information on program requirements, consult the Undergraduate Catalog.
To earn this degree, you must successfully complete at least 120 credits, including your General Education requirements and the major requirements below.
Major Sequence
Course Requirements (except for Medical Laboratory Science Track):
A minimum of 40 biology credits, plus courses in related areas, including:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Biology Courses | ||
| BI120 | Biological Diversity & Phylogeny | 4 |
| BI121 | Cellular Organiz., Energetics & Function | 4 |
| BI201 | Biological Literature | 1 |
| BI203 | Experimental Design & Statistics | 3 |
| BI204 | Genetics & Evolution | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
BI305 | Biological Interactions: Ecology (4 credits) | |
BI310 | Ecology & Health (3 credits) | |
| BI444 | Capstone in Biology: BS | 2 |
| Biology electives | 18-19 | |
| Related Courses | ||
| MA110 | Precalculus 1 | 3 |
| CH113 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| CH114 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| CH223 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CH224 | Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
| Select one of the following sequences: | 8 | |
PH115 & PH116 | College Physics I and College Physics II | |
PH121 & PH122 | University Physics I and University Physics II 2 | |
| Total Credits | 66-68 | |
- 1
Students preparing for professional careers that require calculus are strongly advised to also take MA115 Calculus I and MA116 Calculus II.
- 2
Students electing for PH121 University Physics I must take MA115 Calculus I.
For the Medical Laboratory Science Track, either BI203 Experimental Design & Statistics, MA103 Introduction to Statistical Thinking, or SO201 Social Statistics is also required. For the Pre-Med Track, either PS111 Introduction to Psychology or PS113 Foundations of Psychology, and SO101 Principles of Sociology are required.
Requirements for the Pre-Med Track Within the B.S. in Biology Degree
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BI310 | Ecology & Health | 3 |
| BI437/CH311 | Biochemistry I | 4 |
| Any Microbiology course | 4 | |
Requirements for Medical Laboratory Science Track
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BI121 | Cellular Organiz., Energetics & Function | 4 |
| BI201 | Biological Literature | 1 |
| BI204 | Genetics & Evolution | 4 |
| BI213 | Human Anatomy & Physiology I | 4 |
| BI214 | Human Anatomy & Physiology II | 4 |
| BI219 | Microbiology | 4 |
| BI401 | Medical Technology Internship I | 16 |
| BI402 | Medical Technical Internship II | 16 |
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
BI427 | Immunology (4 credits) | |
BI428 | Fundamentals of Immunology (3 credits) | |
| BI437 | Biochemistry I | 4 |
| BI444 | Capstone in Biology: BS | 2 |
| Related Courses | ||
| MA110 | Precalculus 1 | 3 |
| CH113 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| CH114 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| CH223 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| CH224 | Organic Chemistry II | 4 |
| Select one of the following sequences: | 8 | |
PH115 & PH116 | College Physics I and College Physics II | |
PH121 & PH122 | University Physics I and University Physics II 2 | |
| Total Credits | 89-90 | |
- 1
Students preparing for professional careers that require calculus are strongly advised to also take MA115 Calculus I and MA116 Calculus II.
- 2
Students electing for PH121 University Physics I must take MA115 Calculus I.
For the B.S. degree in all tracks, a minimum of 12 credits of biology coursework must be taken at the 300 or 400 level.
For students seeking teacher certification, in addition to the core of required courses for the biology degree, the department recommends the following courses: BI213 Human Anatomy & Physiology I and BI214 Human Anatomy & Physiology II. For Teacher of Biology (K-12) certification, at least 12 credits must be taken at the 300 or 400 level.
It is recommended that students who have completed General Biology I, II, at another institution, take BI320 Cell Biology in place of BI121 Cellular Organiz., Energetics & Function to satisfy their cell biology requirement.
All biology majors who have completed 16 credits of Georgian Court biology courses will have their status reviewed by the biology faculty members. Those with a Georgian Court biology GPA of less than 2.50 may be advised and required to change their major. A Georgian Court biology GPA of 2.50 is required for graduation.
All majors pursuing the B.S. or B.A. degree in Biology are required to take a department-administered Major Field Test before graduation.
For more information on program requirements, consult the Undergraduate Catalog.
Complement your scientific expertise with a minor in biology from GCU. This focus pairs well with other health and science majors to offer the added advantage of a specialty that can be utilized in the medical and science fields.
Minor Sequence
A minimum of 23 biology credits is required with a maximum of 12 credits of 100-level biology courses counting toward the total. At least 11 of the 23 biology credits must be earned at Georgian Court. A minimum GPA of 2.0 in biology courses is required. Only biology courses with a grade of C- or higher will be included in the 23 biology credits needed for the minor. Also required are 4 credits of chemistry.
For more information on program requirements, consult the Undergraduate Catalog.
Fast Facts
