Biology, B.S.

Baccalaureate Degree and Residency Requirements

All requirements for an undergraduate degree are listed under academic policies and regulations in the introductory section for undergraduate programs in this catalog. These requirements include general education requirements and a graduation requirement of at least one course in religion or theology. In addition to the degree and residency requirements of the university and the department, all students must take a nationally normalized science exit exam.

General Education Requirements

The general education requirements are presented in the undergraduate academic information section in this catalog. A course that meets a general education requirement may also meet a course requirement for the major or a course requirement in another discipline. For the majors within the biological and physical sciences, the general education coursework will require 44-45 credits, depending upon the math and life-science courses taken.

The Biology Core

The Biology core of courses gives students a foundation in Biology, while allowing the opportunity for students to focus their upper-division coursework in areas of interest. The subcategories include coursework in Organismal Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Environment and Ecology, and Professional Skills.

Major Retention for Biology

Students seeking a biology degree must maintain a 2.3 cumulative GPA in their science and math courses (see Required Courses in the Major). Should a student’s Science/Math cumulative GPA fall below 2.3 in any given semester, he or she will have one year to raise their Science/Math GPA to this level or be required to change majors. For transfer students, the grade attained on any transferred courses with be calculated into their Science/Math cumulative GPA for this purpose.

Learning Outcomes

Students obtaining a degree in Biology from the Biological and Behavioral Sciences Department at Fontbonne University will demonstrate the following by the time they reach the end of their program:

Students will be able to broadly understand the major biological and physical science concepts as measured by performance on quantitative assessment quizzes and demonstrate laboratory skills through a quantitative skills assessment
Students will identify and acquire valid scientific resources; apply the scientific method to a problem; design an experiment, analyze data, and form a conclusion, as measured by performance on quantitative assessment quizzes.
Students will present scientific ideas and/or original research to diverse audiences in a public forum.