Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Concentration, BS

Department: Biological Sciences

This program provides a strong foundation in general biology with an emphasis on the fundamentals of ecological and evolutionary biology. It is well suited for students who are interested in careers in conservation biology and environmental science, as well as those who intend to pursue advanced study in ecology, evolution or environmental science.

Grade Requirement

Students must receive a minimum grade of “C-” for the biology core courses, as listed below. Beyond the core, only one biolgy (BIOL) course with a grade below “C-” may be applied toward the major requirements. To qualify for graduation with a degree in biology, the student must have a major grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher. The following courses may not be applied toward the Biology major and thus cannot be computed as part of the major GPA: BIOL 100, BIOL 110, BIOL 111, BIOL 112, BIOL 115, BIOL 117, BIOL 119, BIOL 128, BIOL 199, BIOL 298 and BIOL 299.

Course Requirements

In selecting courses, be attentive to the following:

At least three of the biology courses taken beyond the core sequence must be Laboratory Courses in Biology .
Only three credits in total of any of the following courses can be applied to the program: BIOL 396, BIOL 485, BIOL 497, BIOL 498 or BIOL 499.
BIOL 302 and BIOL 395 may not both be applied to the program.
Complete the Core Writing Designated within the Major requirement by selecting a course identified with (CWRM). A full list of courses meeting this requirement is included below.
Complete the Experiential Learning requirement by selecting at least one experiential course. A full list of courses meeting this requirement is included below.

Core courses (15 credits)

Cognate courses (11-12 credits)

Subject area courses (23-28 credits)

BIOL 225 - General Ecology
BIOL 297 - Biometry
Two BIOL courses at the 200-level or above
Three BIOL courses at the 300-level or above

A course is defined as a minimum of three credits. Courses of variable credit must be bundled into units of three credits to count as one course. Courses taken outside of Bridgewater State University require departmental approval.
Suggested courses include but are not limited to: BIOL 284 (Invertebrate Zoology), BIOL 326 (Marine Biology), BIOL 327 (Wetlands Ecology), BIOL 329 (Winter Ecology), BIOL 333 (Conservation Biology), BIOL 340 (Darwinian Medicine), BIOL 341 (Plant Physiology), BIOL 343 (Approaches to Environmental Sciences), BIOL 328 (Comparative Chordate Biology), BIOL 408 (Biology of Marine Mammals), BIOL 422 (Biological Evolution), BIOL 423 (Invasion Ecology), BIOL 424 (Molecular Ecology), BIOL 425 (Population Ecology), BIOL 460 (Toxicology Principles), BIOL 490 (Topics in Ecology), BIOL 491 (Topics in Environmental Biology), BIOL 492 (Topics in Field Biology)

Writing Designated in the Major (CWRM) requirement

This requirement is satisfied by the completion of one of the following courses:

Experiential Learning requirement

This requirement is satisfied by the completion of at least three credits, selected from the following:

Total minimum credits: 49

Core Curriculum Requirements

A minimum of 120 earned credit hours is required for graduation. These earned hours include the Core Curriculum Requirements as specified in the Core Curriculum section of this catalog and at the Core Curriculum website, www.bridgew.edu/corecurriculum. For additional graduation requirements, see the Undergraduate Academic Policies and Procedures section of this catalog.