Biology and Microbiology Degree Information
The Department of Biology offers the following degrees:
- B.S. in Biology, with optional emphases in six areas
- B.A. in Biology
- B.S. in Microbiology, with an optional emphasis in Clinical Laboratory Science and Public Health Microbiology
- B.A. in Microbiology
- Minor in Biology, with optional emphases in five areas
- Biotechnology Certificate
- Coursework to demonstrate subject matter competency for the Single Subject Teaching Credential in Biology/Life Sciences, for those who wish to be Biology teachers
Information on coursework requirements for these programs may be found in four places:
- The SDSU General Catalog, under Biology. Students are required to follow the degree guidelines for the catalog year in which they entered the Biology premajor, even if those guidelines subsequently change.
- The Degree Audit Report (DAR), which can be found within the SDSU WebPortal. For students that have declared their premajor or major, this document provides an accurate, up-to-date summary of progress towards the major, and outstanding requirements.
- The official university MyMaps. The roadmaps show how a typical student would progress through the major semester by semester. However, there are many alternative routes.
- The Biology department's Checklists, which are linked below. In most cases, the checklists provide the most useful and current version of coursework requirements for the various degrees and emphases. Students should consult the appropriate checklist frequently.
Checklists
Impaction
Biology is an impacted major. This does not mean that we have a limit to the number of Biology majors. Instead, it means that incoming freshman and transfer students are classified as "Premajors." Premajors should be working through introductory coursework, while majors can concentrate on their upper division classes for the major. To enter the Biology major requires:
- Completion of a core set of 15 introductory courses. See the appropriate checklist for details. All courses must be taken for a grade, and no grade lower than a C is permitted. The GPA in this set of lower division courses must be at least 2.70.
- Cumulative GPA in all courses of at least 2.60.
- Take a reasonable course load.
- Pay attention to the prerequisites.
- Strike a balance between science and non-science courses.
- Get started on the Chemistry course sequence immediately.
- Come see us if you get in trouble.
The single biggest difficulty that university students have is learning to balance their academic responsibilities and their financial responsibilities (i.e., work). If you are working 20+ hours per week, you should probably keep your academic load to no more than 12 units. Suppose you are carrying 12 units (with no labs) and working 20 hours a week. Work and class time would add up to 32 hours a week before you can begin to account for the other necessities, like eating, sleeping, studying, driving between home, school, and work, having a little fun, etc. Also remember that a 1 unit laboratory class will take 2 1/2 hours every week. We do not recommend that any students take more than 2 lab units per semester (whether these 2 are for the same class, or different classes).
Prerequisites are placed on a class for a reason. If a course lists chemistry as a prerequisite to a course, then the faculty will expect that you understand chemistry at the prescribed level when you walk into that course. The professor will teach the class based on this expected understanding. The professor has the right to drop students who do not have the prerequisites. It is unwise to take a course without the necessary prerequisites, and then end up with a D or F. If you are having trouble filling your schedule, come see us in the bioadvising office.
Do not start taking all your GE courses during the freshman year. There are many difficult upper division courses, as well as time-intensive lab courses throughout the major. We advise you to spread out your GE courses across your entire time at SDSU, including your final year. This will help create a reasonable workload each semester. Except for seniors who are in their final semester, try not to carry more than three science courses/semester.
The Biology major requires three semesters of introductory chemistry, followed by two semesters of Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology. Each of these courses is a prerequisite for the next, and the final two are prerequisites for numerous upper division courses.
Every semester we counsel students who are in serious academic trouble, and some have been disqualified from the university. Most commonly, these students are in trouble because they have not paid attention to prerequisites or have tried to carry an unreasonable academic load, given their other life responsibilities. Come see us as soon as you start having trouble in your courses. We can help you get on the right track before it is too late.
- What kind of jobs can I get with my degree?
- Visit Career Services and register with their Aztec Career Connection service by your sophomore year. See their general information handout for Biology.
- A brief summary of career opportunities is provided at the top of each degree checklist (download above).
- Contact local employers that you may be interested in, and find out how often positions open up, how positions are advertised, and the relative importance of the type of degree, GPA, previous research experience and specific skills or courses. Ask if they often hire SDSU grads.
- Schedule a meeting with the professor within Biology whose research most closely matches your interests, and get their perspective on job opportunities.
- For advice about graduate school in any area of Biology, get general information from the bioadvising staff and specific information from the professor within Biology whose research most closely matches your interests.
- Does SDSU have a Pre-med major? What about other health professions?
SDSU offers degrees in Biology and Microbiology with the opportunity for emphasis in many areas. We do not have a "Pre-Med" major, but many of our majors aspire to attend medical school or other health profession programs. Visit the web site of our Preprofessional Health Advising Office for specific information about academic preparation in the following areas:
PremedicalPredentalPreveterinaryPrepharmacyPrepodiatryPreoptometryPrephysician AssistantPreChiropracticAllied Health FieldsThe director Ms. Barbara Huntington has an excellent track record of helping students submit successful applications to those programs. She would like to meet with you as soon as you get to SDSU. We in the Bioadvising office will make sure that you get your bachelor's degree, while Ms. Huntington will help get you into medical school.
Click here for a summary checklist of the extra coursework required or recommended for admission to these programs.
- For information about being a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, see our CLS information page.
- For health professions not listed above, visit the School of Nursing, the School of Public Health, or the School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences.
- When should I come in for advising? How can I make an appointment for advising?
- When you need advice on which courses to take
- When you get a C- or less in any course
- If you have a lower division GPA < 2.7, or upper division GPA < 2.0
- Before using course forgiveness
- Before taking any GE course in the sciences
- Before taking any course Credit/noCredit
- When planning for research (Special studies: Bio 497, 499)
- When should I see the university's Office of Advising and Evaluations for advising?
- I am doing very poorly in my courses due to major, unforseen health or personal issues.
- When should I repeat a course, or use course forgiveness?
- How do I enter the Biology major from the premajor?
- What is the GWAR? Why do I need to complete it ASAP?
- How do I declare a Biology minor?
- What is an emphasis?
- What are the graduation requirements?
- Coursework requiements are listed on the checklists at the top of this page, and in the General Catalog under Biology.
- The Office of Advising and Evaluation lists the 9 graduation requirements on their web site, with explanations.
- File for graduation. See the deadlines and other information at the Office of the Registrar.
- I want to be a Biology teacher. What should I do?
- I already have a B.S. in a field other than Biology. Can I get a second Bachelor's degree at SDSU?
- I am a transfer student. How can I get my courses from other colleges and unversities approved for my degree at SDSU?
- Do I need to complete all of the GE requirements?
- Open up your General Catalog to the green Graduation Requirements section. Find General Education: Part II (Foundations of Learning): A. Natural Sciences and Quantitative Reasoning. Cross out all of Part A, which continues on to the next page. As a Biology major, Part A will take care of itself. Do not take any extra courses simply to complete this section. The courses listed there (or more advanced courses) are already part of your premajor.
- Turn the page to Part IV: Explorations of Human Experience. Read the second sentence in bold. You cannot take one of the listed Biology courses to complete Part A. If you do take it, it will not count for anything.
- Move down two paragraphs, and see the second sentence "(Majors in the departments of astronomy, biology ...". Read this sentence carefully. It says that you have the option of substituting a different course for Part A if you want to.
- Can I get course credit for a research project with a professor?
There are significant opportunities for our undergraduates to conduct research with an internationally recognized faculty. For four straight years, Academic Analytics has ranked SDSU #1 out of 92 small research universities in the United States. Further, SDSU faculty research productivity is currently ranked #15 out of all 155 public research universities, and #35 out of all 222 American research universities.
Within SDSU, the department of Biology has one of the strongest research programs, with undegraduate, Master's and PhD programs in the areas of Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology.
***Most undegraduate students may apply upper division research coursework towards their degree, and approximately half of our Biology majors participate in research projects while at SDSU.***
What are the requirements? How do I register? Click here. - What kind of research do Biology professors conduct?
- What do I do if a course that I need is full? What does it mean to "crash" a course?
- Tell me about diversity at SDSU.
- What resources are available to support groups that are traditionally underrepresented in biology research?
- What resources are available to support military veterans and active duty military students on campus?
- I am from another country. How can I come to SDSU and study Biology?
- I plan to study abroad. How can I get credit for international courses?
- Can I take courses even if I am not a full-time registered student? What is Open University?
- I will be starting at SDSU next fall, and this seems like a lot of information to process.
See us for advising:
Call the advising office at 619-594-6442, or email us at bioundergrad@sunstroke.sdsu.edu. You may also stop by the office in 135 Life Science North for a walk-in appointment between 8:00-noon and 1:00-4:00, Monday to Friday.
You should see us in the Biology advising office for advice on all science courses. The university's advising office may be able to help with GE and general graduation requirements.
See us in the bioadvising office as soon as possible so we can discuss your options. You should also see the list of services that is maintained by the Division of Undergraduate Studies.
SDSU's rules on course forgiveness and retaking courses changed in Fall 2009. There are limits to the number of units you may repeat, and within those repeats, you can only use a subset for course forgiveness. The new rules are here. Also, you can no longer register for a course if you previously earned a C or better, and you are no longer permitted to repeat a course more than once! Note that for impaction requirements in the premajor, the Biology department may be able to interpret your repeat courses in a different manner than the university.
Due to the complexity of these rules, see us in the bioadvising office before making any decisions about retaking a course. See us immediately if the university rules about repeating courses are preventing your progress towards graduation.
If you have completed the lower division premajor coursework and meet the impaction requirements listed above, come see us in the bioadvising office.
If you have less than a C in any of the lower division premajor courses, or your premajor GPA is less than 2.7, come see us ASAP before repeating courses.
As explained on this web site, you need to take a writing exam called the Writing Placement Assessment (WPA) during the same semester that you are taking your 60th unit. Depending on your score, you may be required to take 0, 1 or 2 additional courses to meet the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR). Until you take the exam and finish the required courses, you will be blocked from registering for all Biology courses numbered 450 and above. Do not delay completing this exam, and the required courses! See the advising office if you cannot find appropriate courses numbered Biology 449 and lower.
The dates on which you may take the WPA are listed on this web site.
See us as soon as you are considering a minor in Biology, so we can advise on coursework.
An emphasis is a formal program of study within the major that indicates specialization in a certain area of study. Essentially, an emphasis indicates the focus or concentration of your upper division electives. For example, an Emphasis in Zoology will have similar coursework to a major in Zoology at another institution. Some, but not all, students decide to declare an emphasis.
See our information page on teaching at the elementary and secondary levels.
SDSU is not accepting applications for second bachelor's degrees. See the university's information on this topic.
Email or visit us in the bioadvising office so we can discuss the process with you. For almost all science courses, we will be your primary contact, not the university's Office of Advising and Evaluations. Courses from California community colleges may articulate automatically if there is a current agreement with SDSU. Check assist.org for a list of current agreements.
No. Not as written in the catalog. This is very important.
You can see a brief research summary of each professor's research on the Biology department web site, and links to each professor's home page.
See our information page on crashing.
With approximately 33,000 students from a variety of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, San Diego State University is the third largest university in California. US News and World Report now ranks SDSU 18th nationally for ethnic diversity, and in the top third for economic diversity. SDSU ranks second nationwide for students studying abroad during college, and international students comprise 4% of the undergraduate student body. SDSU ranks seventh in the nation for the most bachelor's degrees awarded to Hispanics, and eleventh for bachelor's degrees conferred to ethnic minorities. More than 50% of the most recent freshman classes are from historically under-represented ethnic groups.
The Department of Biology serves more than 1300 Biology and Microbiology majors, approx. 80 Biology minors, thousands of students that take Biology courses for pre-nursing and other fields, and the vast majority of non-science majors through its General Education courses. Biology offers 50-60 undergraduate courses per semester.
As described in FAQ #16 above, our undergraduates have many opportunties to conduct research with an internationally recognized group of faculty.
See information on numerous programs on the web site for CASA (Center for the Advancement of students in Academia).
See the San Diego State University Veterans Center and the Troops to College web site.
Contact the International Student Center. If you wish to earn your Bachelor's degree at SDSU, email International Admissions. If you wish only to visit for a short time (1-2 semesters) and take courses while you are here, contact the Exchange Program.
Contact the International Student Center, 619-594-2475 or studyabroad@sdsu.edu
Possibly. If you wish to take courses at SDSU and are not officially enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate program, you may enroll in those courses through the College of Extended Study's Open University. As an "Open University student," you may not register for a particular course until the professor has verified that all regularly enrolled students have enrolled. That will limit your selection in some courses that fill early because they are small and/or heavily utilized by full time students. You can check the online schedule of classes to see the number of seats available for both this semester and past semesters, or email the course instructor to ask if they typically accomodate Open University students. Note that online registration is not available for Open University - you must obtain the instructor's signature in person. Read FAQ # 18 above for more information.
Please attend one of the Academic Orientation Days over summer, before classes begin (see this web site for the latest information). We will answer your questions and help you plan your courses for fall. Most importantly, you will be able to register early: the next day after the orientation!
If you cannot attend orientation, make sure to examine these Biology Department Advising web pages, especially the checklists above, and the university's MyMap. Come visit us in the Biology undergraduate advising office before you register, if at all possible.