Major in Biotechnology, Concentration in Pre-Medicine
This concentration is intended for Biotechnology majors who aspire to attend medical school, dental school, or veterinary school after completing their undergraduate degree. The concentration is a means to ensure that students have the best possible academic preparation and advising as they prepare for these post-graduate programs. The Pre-Medical Concentration requirements include courses that are not part of the Biotechnology major but are designated as core prerequisites for these professional schools, as well as some additional courses that are not part of the core prerequisites but are strongly recommended. The concentration curriculum also includes a one-credit seminar (BI-211) taken during the sophomore or junior year that is designed to familiarize students with the requirements for admission to medical, dental, and veterinary schools. The seminar helps students develop personal plans for fulfilling these requirements so that they have the best possible chance of admission to post-graduate study. An overall GPA of 3.2 and a combined biology/chemistry/physics/math GPA of 3.2 are required to take BI-211, reflecting the academic rigor needed to be a successful applicant to health professional programs.
Requirements for a Major in Biotechnology, Concentration in Pre-Medicine
Requirements for a Major in Biotechnology
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BI-141 | Intro to Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| BI-204 | Microbiology | 4 |
| BT-375 | Tissue Culture | 4 |
| BT-376 | Biotechnology | 4 |
| BT-410 | Biotechnology Seminar | 1 |
| CH-120 & CH-121 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II | 8 |
| CH-201 & CH-203 | Organic Chemistry I (lecture) and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 5 |
| CH-210 | Chemical Analysis: an Introduction to Modern Methods | 5 |
| CH-410 | Biochemistry I | 4 |
| Major Electives | (8 credits) | |
| Select 8 credits from the following electives: | 8 | |
BI-313 | ||
| Cancer Biology | ||
| Immunology | ||
| Advanced Topics in Cell and Molecular Biology | ||
| Virology | ||
| Medicinal Chemistry | ||
| Organic Chemistry II (lecture) and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II (5) | ||
| Modern Physics | ||
| Biochemistry II | ||
| Fermentation Technology | ||
| Bioinformatics | ||
| Internship in Biotechnology | ||
| Green Chemistry | ||
| Computational Chemistry | ||
| Special Topics in Chemistry (Organometallics in Organic Synthesis) | ||
And certain other BI-300, CH-300 and PY-300 level courses with Biotech coordinator approval. | ||
| Ancillary courses | (26 credits) | |
| MA-150 | Statistics I | 3 |
| MA-190 | Pre-calculus (may be waived) | 4 |
| MA-200 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MA-201 | Calculus II | 4 |
| or BI-203 | Genetics | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Technical Writing | ||
| Business Communications | ||
| Microcomputer Applications | ||
| Select one of the following: | 8 | |
| General Physics I and General Physics II (8) | ||
| Physics I (Mechanics) and Physics II ( Electricity, Magnetism and Optics ) (8) | ||
| Total Credits | 73 | |
Pre-Medical Concentration Requirements
In addition to the requirements of the Biotechnology major, the following are required:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BI-140 | Introduction to Organismal Biology | 4 |
| BI-203 | Genetics | 4 |
| BI-211 | Pre-Medical Seminar: Preparing for a Career in Medicine | 1 |
| CH-202 | Organic Chemistry II (lecture) | 3 |
| CH-204 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory II | 2 |
| Total Credits | 14 | |
Sample Timeline for Completion of Degree
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Semester One | Credits | |
| EN-101 | College Writing I 1 | 3 |
| CH-120 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| MA-190 | Pre-calculus 2 | 4 |
| BI-140 | Introduction to Organismal Biology | 4 |
| LASC | First Year Seminar (FYS) | 3 |
| Credits | 18 | |
| Semester Two | ||
| EN-102 | College Writing II 1 | 3 |
| CH-121 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| MA-200 | Calculus I | 4 |
| BI-141 | Intro to Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| LASC | Elective (HBS) 3 | 3 |
| Credits | 18 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Semester Three | ||
| BI-204 | Microbiology | 4 |
| BI-211 | Pre-Medical Seminar: Preparing for a Career in Medicine | 1 |
| CH-201 | Organic Chemistry I (lecture) | 3 |
| CH-203 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 2 |
| PY-221 or PY-241 | General Physics I or Physics I (Mechanics) | 4 |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Semester Four | ||
| PY-222 or PY-242 | General Physics II or Physics II ( Electricity, Magnetism and Optics ) | 4 |
| CH-202 | Organic Chemistry II (lecture) | 3 |
| CH-204 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory II | 2 |
| MA-150 | Statistics I 4 | 3 |
| LASC | Elective (ICW) 3 | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Semester Five | ||
| CH-410 | Biochemistry I | 4 |
| BI-203 | Genetics | 4 |
| LASC | Elective (CON) 3 | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Technical Writing | ||
| Business Communications | ||
| Microcomputer Applications | ||
| Credits | 14 | |
| Semester Six | ||
| CH-210 | Chemical Analysis: an Introduction to Modern Methods | 5 |
| BI/BT-3XX+ | BI or BT Upper Level Elective | 4 |
| LASC | Elective (TLC) 3 | 3 |
| LASC | Elective (USW) 3 | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Semester Seven | ||
| BT-376 | Biotechnology | 4 |
| BT-240 or BT-440 | Research Experience for Undergraduates or Advanced Research Experience | 1-6 |
| BI/BT-3XX+ | BI or BT Upper Level Elective | 4 |
| LASC | Elective (GP) 3 | 3 |
| LASC | Elective (CA) 3 | 3 |
| Credits | 15-20 | |
| Semester Eight | ||
| BT-375 | Tissue Culture | 4 |
| BT-240 or BT-440 | Research Experience for Undergraduates 5 or Advanced Research Experience | 1-6 |
| BT-410 | Biotechnology Seminar | 1 |
| SELECT | Free Elective | 3 |
| SELECT | Free Elective | 3 |
| Credits | 12-17 | |
| Total Credits | 121-131 | |
1 EN-101 and EN-102 satisfies LASC writing.
2 MA-190 requires Accuplacer score of 6 or higher, or pass MA-180 with a C- or higher.
3 Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental students should take either PS-101 (General Psychology) or SO-100 (Introduction to Sociology) to fulfill the LASC HBS requirement. The sequence of LASC courses marked with 3 is a suggestion but serves as a reminder that LASC designated courses must be taken to satisfy the LASC requirements. A course that satisfies the LASC DAC requirement must be taken, but may also count toward one of the LASC content areas; LASC WAC and QAC requirements are satisfied within the major requirements.
4 MA-150 requires an Accuplacer score of 4 or higher.
5 BT-240 (Research Experience for Undergraduates) is recommended research experience for majors. BT-440 (Advanced Research Experience) requires completion of BI-205 (Research Techniques and Experimental Design) and counts for the “Honors in Biotechnology” program.