Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Biology [BS] - MiTransfer Pathway


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This major is built to facilitate the transferral of courses to Eastern Michigan University, from all 28 community colleges in Michigan. Faculty from across the state identified courses a student may take in the first and second year of the bachelor’s degree programs at all participating universities.

The MiTransfer Pathways courses in biology are:

Cell/Molecular Biology (BIO 110 /BIO 111 ) Approved Courses General Chemistry II (CHEM 123 /CHEM 124 ) Approved Courses
Organismal Biology (BIO 120 /BIO 121 ) Approved Courses Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 371 ) Approved Courses
General Chemistry I (CHEM 121 /CHEM 122 ) Approved Courses Organic Chemistry II (CHEM 372 /CHEM 373 ) Approved Courses

Faculty also identified Remaining Degree Requirements, which include courses that students can transfer from the community college. These courses are noted below.

Unless otherwise noted, only courses deemed equivalent by EMU faculty may satisfy major requirements. For a list of applicable courses, see “Approved Courses” links or Transfer Equivalencies. Please see “Critical Graduation Information” below for additional policies governing transfer credit.


The Bachelor of Science in Biology provides a foundation in principles important to all living things and builds on this foundation toward many opportunities to gain cutting-edge skills while closely interacting with faculty and fellow students. Students begin with a core sequence in introductory biology, genetics, evolution, and general chemistry and may specialize in a sub-discipline of biology by choosing one of the following concentrations: cellular & molecular biology; ecology, organismal diversity, & evolution; microbiology; physiology; or general biology.

This is a designated STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) program.

Learn

Students in the biology major learn the science of life, from molecules to ecosystems, through an in-depth exploration of the biological sciences via classroom, field, and research laboratory experiences. Students learn to critically evaluate and effectively communicate information for a life of continued learning and informed participation in society. In addition to being ready for careers in the life sciences, conservation, and education, students are prepared for biology graduate programs and professional programs in the medical and veterinary fields.

Opportunities

Opportunities include small class sizes in upper-level courses, summer courses at the Fish Lake Environmental Education Center, off-campus/international courses (Florida, Bahamas, Ecuador), research experiences with faculty mentors, Departmental Honors in Biology, leadership positions in student organizations (BBB, Pre-med Club, etc.), and Biology Department scholarships.

Department Information


Biology | Thomas Mast, Ph.D., Department Head | 403D Science Complex, 734.487.6916, tmast@emich.edu

Advisor Information


Francine Parker Advising Center (College of Arts & Sciences), 120 Student Center, 734.487.4599, francineparker_advising@emich.edu | Make an appointment

Student Eligibility


A student’s eligibility to graduate from this major is determined by the following

  • Apply and granted admission to Eastern Michigan University (emich.edu/admissions).
  • A completed associate degree, certificate, or adequate coursework. Students eligible to follow an articulation agreement, typically transfer in 64 credit hours to EMU. Eligible students who transferred in less than 64 credit hours, had unique circumstances and were granted permission to follow the articulation agreement by the Director of Community College Relations (emich.edu/ccr).

Interested students should meet with their community college advisor for information on following the articulation agreement before transferring to EMU. After transferring to EMU, a student must consult with the Community College Relations Office to confirm eligibility.

General Education Requirements


The MiTransfer Pathways builds on the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA). The MTA allows transfer students to select designated courses to complete a minimum of 30 credit hours fulfilling MTA distribution requirements. Students following MiTransfer Pathway agreements should complete the MTA in accordance with the sending institutions’ course designations and consider whether or not any recommended MiTransfer Pathways major-specific courses will “double count” to fulfill MTA distribution requirements in planning their transfer. Be aware that “double count” policies differ from institution to institution. More information about the MTA is available at www.mitransfer.org.

The MTA Mathematics distribution area allows students to complete one of three math pathways. The Biology MiTransfer Pathways faculty recommended that students complete a course in the College Algebra pathway.

Students who do not have “MTA Satisfied” on their community college transcript, will be required to satisfy EMU’s general education requirements as applied to transfer students. For specific General Education requirements, click here  or print a General Education Worksheet .

Major Requirements: 69 hours


If a student pursues a minor or a second major along with the biology major, any credits of Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Systems Science, Geography, Math, Neuroscience, Physics or Statistics, completed for the Biology Major will be considered, upon successful completion, as “competency met” for the biology major and may be used towards the minor or second major. Credit is only earned once and only applies to graduation requirements once.

Concentration: 45 hours


Select one of the following concentrations. Each concentration requires a minimum of 45 credit hours. The requirements for each concentration are described below.

No course can count toward the major as both a required course and an elective course or as an elective in two different categories.

Cellular & Molecular Biology: 45 hours


Required Courses: 18-23 hours

Concentration Electives: 22-27 hours

Select 22-27 elective credit hours from among the following areas to bring the concentration total to 45 credit hours.

Biology Electives: 14-25 hours

Select a minimum of 14 credit hours of electives in Anatomy, Cellular & Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Physiology, Research*

Cognate Electives: 2-13 hours

Select a minimum of 2 credit hours of electives in Biochemistry, Computer Science, Neuroscience, Organic Chemistry, Quantitative/Analytical Cognate Courses

Other Biology Electives: 0-6 hours

Select 0-6 additional hours of electives in Ecology, Field Experience, Organismal Diversity & Evolution, Topics**

Ecology, Organismal Diversity & Evolution: 45 hours


Required Courses: 10 hours

Concentration Electives: 23 hours

Select 23 elective credit hours from among the following areas.

Ecology Electives 7-15 hours

Select a minimum of 7 hours of electives in Ecology

Organismal Diversity & Evolution Electives: 8-16 hours

Select a minimum of 8 hours of electives in Organismal Diversity & Evolution

Other Biology Electives: 0-8 hours

Select 0-8 additional hours of electives in Anatomy, Cellular & Molecular Biology, Field Experience, Microbiology, Physiology, Research*, Topics**

Cognate Electives: 12 hours

Select 12 cognate elective hours from the following lists:

Geographic Information Systems or Quantitative/Analytical Cognate Electives: 3-12 hours

Select a minimum of 3 hours of electives in Geographic Information Systems, Quantitative/Analytical Cognate Courses

Other Cognate Electives: 0-9 hours

Select 0-9 additional hours of electives in Biochemistry, Computer Science, Earth Science & Environmental Science, Neuroscience, Organic Chemistry

Microbiology: 45 hours


Required Courses: 23-28 hours

Concentration Electives: 17-22 hours

Select 17-22 from among the following areas to bring the concentration total to 45 credit hours.

Microbiology Electives: 9-20 hours

Select a minimum of 9 hours of electives in​ ​Microbiology

Cognate Electives: 2-8 hours

Select a minimum of 2 credit hours of electives in​ ​Biochemistry​, ​Computer Science​, ​Neuroscience​, ​Organic Chemistry​, ​Quantitative/Analytical Cognates​, ​Statistic

Other Biology Electives: 0-6 hours

Select 0-6 hours of electives in​ ​Anatomy​, ​Cellular & Molecular Biology​, ​Ecology​, ​Field Experience​, ​Organismal Diversity & Evolution​, ​Physiology​, ​Research*​, ​Topics**

Physiology: 45 hours


Required Courses: 18-23 hours

Concentration Electives: 22-27 hours

Select 22-27 elective credit hours from among the following areas to bring the concentration total to 45 credit hours.

Anatomy Electives: 4-8 hours

Select a minimum of 4 credit hours of electives in​ ​Anatomy

Physiology Electives: 12-21 hours

Select a minimum of 12 credit hours of electives in​ ​Physiology

Biology Electives: 4-13 hours

Select a minimum of 4 credit hours of electives in​ ​Anatomy​, ​Cellular & Molecular Biology​, ​Microbiology​, ​Physiology​, ​Research*

Other Biology Electives: 0-6 hours

Select 0-6 hours of electives in​ ​Ecology​, ​Field Experience​, ​Organismal Diversity & Evolution​, ​Topics**

Cognate Electives: 2-11 hours

Select a minimum of 2 hours of electives in​ ​Biochemistry​, ​Computer Science​, ​Neuroscience​, ​Organic Chemistry​, ​Quantitative/Analytical Cognates​, ​Statistics

General Biology: 45 hours


Concentration Electives: 31-32 hours

Select 31-32 elective credit hours from among the following areas to bring the concentration total to 45 credit hours.

Biology Electives: 14-20 hours

Select a minimum of 14 credit hours of electives in Anatomy, Cellular & Molecular Biology, Ecology, Field Experience, Microbiology, Organismal Diversity & Evolution, Physiology, Research*, Topics**

Cognate Electives: 12-18 hours

Select a minimum of 12 credit hours of electives in Biochemistry, Computer Science, Earth Science & Environmental Science, Geographic Information Systems, Neuroscience, Organic Chemistry, Quantitative/Analytical Cognates, Statistics

Elective Courses


No course or course sequence can count as both a required course(s) and an elective course(s) on the major or in two different elective categories.

Minor Requirement:


This major does not require a minor.

Program Total:


Students must earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level or above. If sufficient credits hours are not transferred in, additional EMU credits must be completed to reach the minimum of 124 credit hours required to graduate.

Beginning in Fall 2022, all baccalaureate degree programs for all undergraduates (regardless of catalog year) will require a minimum of 120 credit hours for completion.

Critical Graduation Information


Each undergraduate student will be responsible for the fulfillment of the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the online catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

  • Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement.
  • Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
  • Complete a Writing Intensive (GEWI) Course in your major.
  • Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
  • Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
  • Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
  • Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
  • Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
  • Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
    • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
    • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
  • Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
  • Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education  section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.

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