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

BI-141Intro to Cellular and Molecular Biology4
BI-204Microbiology4
BT-375Tissue Culture4
BT-376Biotechnology4
BT-410Biotechnology Seminar1
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-210Chemical Analysis: an Introduction to Modern Methods5
CH-410Biochemistry I4
Major Electives(8 credits)
Select 8 credits from the following electives:8
BI-398
Cancer Biology
BI-372
Immunology
BI-371
Advanced Topics in Cell and Molecular Biology
BI-375
Virology
CH-350
Medicinal Chemistry
CH-202
& CH-204
Organic Chemistry II (lecture)
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II (5)
PY-310
Modern Physics
CH-411
Biochemistry II
BT-378
Bioinformatics
BT-450
Internship in Biotechnology
CH-335
Green Chemistry
CH-450
Computational Chemistry
CH-455
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-150Statistics I3
MA-190Pre-calculus (may be waived)4
MA-200Calculus I4
MA-201Calculus II4
or BI-203 Genetics
Select one of the following:3
EN-252
Technical Writing
EN-253
Business Communications
CS-120
Microcomputer Applications
Select one of the following:8
PY-221
& PY-222
General Physics I
and General Physics II (8)
PY-241
& PY-242
Physics I (Mechanics)
and Physics II ( Electricity, Magnetism and Optics ) (8)
Total Credits73

Pre-Medical Concentration Requirements

In addition to the requirements of the Biotechnology major, the following are required:

BI-140Introduction to Organismal Biology4
BI-203Genetics4
BI-211Pre-Medical Seminar: Preparing for a Career in Medicine1
CH-202Organic Chemistry II (lecture)3
CH-204Organic Chemistry Laboratory II2
Total Credits14


 

Sample Timeline for Completion of Degree

Plan of Study Grid
Year One
Semester OneCredits
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
GenEdFirst Year Seminar 3
 Credits18
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
PS-101
or SO-100
 General Psychology 3
or Introduction to Sociology: Exploring Our Social World
 3
 Credits18
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
 Credits14
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
GenEdGenEd Elective 3
 Credits15
Year Three
Semester Five
CH-410 Biochemistry I 4
BI-203 Genetics 4
EN-252
or EN-253
or CS-120
 Technical Writing
or Business Communications
or Microcomputer Applications
 3
GenEdGenEd Elective 3
 Credits14
Semester Six
CH-210 Chemical Analysis: an Introduction to Modern Methods 5
SELECTMajor Elective 4
GenEdGenEd Elective 3
GenEdGenEd Elective 3
 Credits15
Year Four
Semester Seven
BT-376 Biotechnology 4
SELECTMajor Elective 4
GenEdGenEd Elective 3
GenEdGenEd Elective 3
GenEdGenEd Elective 3
 Credits17
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
SELECTFree Elective 3
SELECTFree Elective 3
 Credits12-17
 Total Credits123-128
1

EN-101 and EN-102 satisfies GenEd Written Communication.

2

MA-190 requires math placement code of 6 or higher, or pass MA-180 with C- or higher.

3

Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental students should take either PS-101 General Psychology or SO-100 Introduction to Sociology: Exploring Our Social World as a GenEd Behavioral and Social Sciences course selection.

4

MA-150 requires a math placement code 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.