Admission to the Program

Admission is through formal declaration of major. The department counsels freshmen and transfer students. 

University Requirements

• A total of 120 credit hours 
• 6 credit hours of college writing 
• 3 credit hours of college mathematics or the equivalent by examination 

General Education Requirements

• A total of ten courses, consisting of one foundation course and one second-level course in an approved sequence from each of the five curricular areas 
• No more than 6 credit hours may be taken in the same discipline 

Major Requirements

• 72 credit hours with grades of C or better 

Course Requirements

Departmental Requirements

• BIO-110 General Biology I 5:1 (4) 
• BIO-210 General Biology II 5:2 (4) 
• BIO-300 Cell Biology with Laboratory (4) 
• BIO-356 Genetics with Laboratory (5) 
• BIO-364 Evolution (3) 
• BIO-499 Senior Seminar in Biology (3) 
• 17 credit hours in biology or other courses approved by the department chair at the 300 level or above. No more than 3 credit hours of a combination of BIO-390 Independent Reading, BIO-392 Cooperative Education, BIO-490 Independent Study Project in Biology, or BIO-491 Internship may be counted toward this requirement. 

Related Requirements

• CHEM-110 General Chemistry I 5:1 (4) 
• CHEM-210 General Chemistry II 5:2 (4) 
• CHEM-310 Organic Chemistry I (3) 
• CHEM-312 Organic Chemistry I Laboratory (1) 
• CHEM-320 Organic Chemistry II (3) 
• CHEM-322 Organic Chemistry II Laboratory (1) 
• MATH-221 Calculus I (4) 
• MATH-222 Calculus II (4) 

or 

STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4) 

• PHYS-110 University Physics I 5:1 (4) (recommended) 

or 

PHYS-105 College Physics I 5:1 (4) 

• PHYS-210 University Physics II 5:2 (4) (recommended) 

or 

PHYS-205 College Physics II 5:2 (4) 

University Honors Program

All University Honors students must complete at least 12 credit hours of advanced-level (300-level and above) Honors courses including a 3 to 6 credit hour Honors Senior Capstone Project. Students may graduate with University Honors in the major if they complete at least 12 advanced-level Honors courses including the Senior Capstone Project in the department. Each department has three levels of University Honors requirements: Level I Options (100-200-level Honors classes); Level II Options (300-level and above Honors classes); and Level III Options (Honors Senior Capstone). The department Honors coordinator advises students in the University Honors Program regarding departmental options. For more information, go to www.american.edu/academic.depts/honors/ . 

Combined B.S. and M.A. or M.S. in Biology

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its accelerated bachelor’s/master’s programs. Undergraduate students may complete up to 3 credits for every 9 credits required for the graduate degree that may be applied to the requirements for both degree programs. The department that oversees the graduate program the student enters will determine if the courses the undergraduate student completes will satisfy master’s degree requirements. Bachelor’s/master’s students must complete at least 18 in-residence credit hours at the graduate level after the bachelor’s degree is earned and maintain continuous, sequential enrollment in the two programs. 

This program enables qualified students to earn, in a continuous plan of study, both the B.S. in Biology and the M.A. or M.S. in Biology. 

Requirements

• Undergraduate biology majors should apply for admission to the B.S./Master’s program by the end of the junior year. Admission is open to undergraduates whose overall grade point average and grade point average in biology course is 3.00 or higher. Applications must be accompanied by two letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. Each student’s file must be approved by the department’s Graduate Studies Committee prior to the end of the junior year to assure adequate time to complete degree requirements for the program. 

Students should discuss their interest in the program and their course schedules with members of the faculty before submitting a formal application. Interested students are encouraged to enroll in up to 3 credit hours of BIO-490 Independent Study Project to conduct independent study research before applying. 

• All requirements for the B.S. in Biology 

Undergraduate students may apply up tp 9 credit hours of approved graduate-level course work in biology, CHEM-560 Biochemistry I, and STAT-514 Statistical Methods to satisfy the requirements for both degrees. 

All requirements for the M.A. or M.S. in Biology, including a minimum of 18 credit hours completed in residence in graduate status after the undergraduate degree has been awarded. Students must finish the master’s degree requirements within three years from the date of first enrollment in the master’s program.