Biology (BS)

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Offered by the Department of Biology , College of Arts and Sciences .

Admission to the Program

Admission is through formal declaration of major. The department counsels first-year and transfer students.

University Requirements

120 credit hours with minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 2 )
Completion of all requirements for a major (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 9 )

AU Core Requirements

Completion of AU Core foundation requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.2-8.6 )
Completion of AU Core Habits of Mind requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.7 )
Completion of AU Core integrative course requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.8-8.11 )

For additional information, see AU Core Curriculum .

Major Requirements

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

Course Requirements

Required (40 credit hours)

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:

Capstone (3 credit hours)

BIO-499 Senior Seminar in Biology (3)

Electives (17 credit hours)

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

Note: Students completing BIO-497 Senior Honors Thesis I (3) toward their upper-level elective requirement can count no more than 3 additional credit hours from BIO-390 , BIO-490 , BIO-491 , CHEM-465 , CHEM-468 , CHEM-470 , or BIO-498 Senior Honors Thesis II (3) .

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 work in biology, CHEM-665 Biochemistry I (3) , and/or STAT-614 Statistical Methods (3) to satisfy the requirements for both degrees