Biology - Pre-Health Professions Pathway

• Admission to the program is contingent upon good academic standing and acceptance by the department.
• Successful completion of University examinations in English, mathematics, and reading is required prior to formal acceptance into the program. A Chicago State University cumulative grade point average of 2.7 or better must be attained before formal acceptance into the program.
• The department will not accept D transfer credits in any biology or chemistry courses.
• Achievement of a grade of C or better in all required biology courses at Chicago State University is required.
• A maximum of one chemistry or required supportive course with a D grade earned at Chicago State University will be accepted.
• Once enrolled at Chicago State University, biology majors may not take a major or supportive course at a two-year college.
• Completion of 120 semester hours of work: 15 hours of Gen Ed [6 hours Composition, 6 hours Foreign Language, 3 hours Math]; 27 hours of General requirements: 9 hours Humanities, 9 hours Physical and Life Sciences, 9 hours Social Sciences (with embedded requirements of 3 hours Critical Thinking, 3 hours Diversity Course, 3 hours Fine Arts and 3 hours Interdisciplinary Courses); 56 hours in biology and chemistry, 18 hours in supportive courses; 4 hours in electives selected under departmental advisement and to include internship when appropriate; and passing the examination on the state and federal constitutions.

General Education Requirements:

• Two semesters of English Composition;
• Two semesters of a single foreign language (or the equivalent);
• Three courses in Humanities areas (from at least two disciplines:  Art, Literature, some Foreign Language courses, Music, Philosophy, CMAT [Communications, Media Arts, & Theater]);
• Three courses in Social Science areas (from at least two disciplines:  Anthropology, Criminal Justice, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology);
• Possibly embedded requirements:  one course each in Fine Arts, Critical Thinking, Interdisciplinary, and Diversity; and
• Passage of the examination on the Federal Constitution (either in a class or separately); and
• Successful completion of required University Placement Exams.

Required Core Courses in the Biological Sciences

• Introduction to Biology Professions (Bi 1600);
• Introduction to Biology (BIOL 1710);
• Biology of Algae, Plants, and Fungi (BOT 2050);
• Biology of Animals (ZOOL 2040);
• Genetics Lecture and Lab (Biol 3040);
• Cell Biology Lecture and Lab (Biol 3051);
• Ecology (Biol 3072); and
• Capstone (Biol 4800).

Required Supportive Courses for Biology Majors:

• Either College Algebra (Math 1200) + Algebra/Trigonometry (Math 1210) OR PreCalculus (Math 1250)(or the equivalent);
• Basic Probability and Statistics (Math 1600);
• Either Calculus I (Math 1410) or Calculus for Life Sciences (Math 1415);
• General Chemistry I & II with labs (Chem 1400, 1410, 1450, 1460);
• Organic Chemistry I & II with labs (Chem 2400, 2410, 2450, 2460); and
• Physics I & II with labs (Phys 1510, 1520).

Elective Courses in Biology and Chemistry:

In addition, Biology majors must complete four elective courses at the 3000 and 4000 levels (in Biol, Bot, Psly, Zool, or approved Chem courses), of which at least two must include a lab and at least two must be at the 4000 level.  No grade below C will be accepted in Biology (Biol, Bot, Psly, Zool, Chem) elective courses.

Health Profession Pathway:

Students who are interested in the health professions (e.g., medicine, dentistry, etc.) should consider taking one or more of the following courses:  Human Functional Anatomy (Zool 2050)*, Human Physiology (Psly 2040)*, Molecular Microbiology (Biol 3690), Biochemistry Lecture & Lab (Chem 4303, 4304), Homeostatic Mechanisms (PSLY 4035), and Physiological Control Mechanisms (Psly 4330).  Of these, Biol 3690, Chem 4303 + 4304, Psly 4035, and Psly 4330 will also count as Biology electives for the degree.

Pre- Health Professions Pathway might require more than 120 Credit Hours for graduation

Please see the https://www.csu.edu/prehealth/ for more information