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    Mar 28, 2024  
American University Catalog 2020-2021 
    
American University Catalog 2020-2021 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biology (BS)


Admission to the Program


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

University Requirements


AU Core Requirements


For additional information, see AU Core Curriculum .

Major Requirements


  • 72 credit hours with grades of C or better, including 40 credit hours at or above 300-level

Course Requirements


Calculus II or Statistics (4 credit hours)


Complete 4 credit hours from the following:

Physics I (4 credit hours)


Complete 4 credit hours from the following:

Physics II (4 credit hours)


Complete 4 credit hours from the following:

Electives (17 credit hours)


Complete 17 credit hours from the following, or other non-biology courses approved by the department chair, with no more than 3 credit hours from BIO-390 , BIO-490 , BIO-491 , CHEM-465 , CHEM-468 , or CHEM-470 :

Combined Biology (BS) and Biology (MS)


American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. See Admission to a Combined Bachelor’s / Master’s Program  and Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees  for more information.

In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for combined bachelor’s/master’s programs:

  • Admission is open to undergraduates whose overall grade point average and grade point average in biology courses 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 in Biology (1-6)  to conduct independent study research before applying
  • Undergraduate students may apply up to 9 credit hours of approved graduate-level coursework in biology, CHEM-665 Biochemistry I (3) , and/or STAT-614 Statistical Methods (3)  to satisfy the requirements for both degrees