Admission to the Program

Admission to the program is through formal declaration of the major through the Department of Biology. 

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

• 70 credit hours with grades of C or better 

Course Requirements

• BIO-110 General Biology I 5:1 (4) 
• BIO-210 General Biology II 5:2 (4) 
• BIO-420 Applied Oceanography with Laboratory (4) 
• CHEM-110 General Chemistry I 5:1 (4) 
• CHEM-210 General Chemistry II 5:2 (4) 
• CHEM-401 Geology (3) 
• CSC-310 Introduction to Geographic Information
      Systems (3) 
• ECON-100 Macroeconomics 4:1 (3) 
• ECON-200 Microeconomics 4:2 (3) 
• ENVS-104 Issues in Marine Science I (1) 
• ENVS-105 Issues in Marine Science II (2) 
• ENVS-360 Environment and the Atmosphere (3) 
• ENVS-492 Senior Capstone in Environmental Studies (3) 
• MATH-221 Calculus I (4) 
• MATH-222 Calculus II (4) 

or 

STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4) 

• One of the following: 

ECON-379 Economics of Environmental Policy (3) 

ENVS-582 Environmental Law (3) 

SIS-388 International Environmental Politics (3) 

• 9 credit hours from the following: 

BIO-323 Introduction to Ecology (3) 

BIO-340 Marine Biology (3) 

BIO-342 Marine Mammals (3) 

BIO-425 Advanced Marine Ecology with Laboratory (4) 

BIO-520 Topics in Marine Zoology with Laboratory (4) 

• 9 credit hours at a marine field station with approval from the marine science program advisor 

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 Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

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. Students must finish the master’s degree requirements within three years from the date of first enrollment in the master’s program.