Biological Sciences, B.S.

University General Education Core Curriculum - 43 hrs

The University General Education Core Curriculum is applied to all degrees at Wayland Baptist University with the exception of the Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.), Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) and the Bachelor of Christian Ministry (B.C.M.) degrees. The full general education core curriculum for these degrees can be found in the degree specific general education core curriculum section.

• Communications - 3 hrs from:

• COMS 1301 - Speech Communication 3 hrs , COMS 1303 - Professional Communication  3 hrs, COMS 2302 - Communication in the Classroom  3 hrs, or COMS 2303 - Public Speaking  3 hrs ¹

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• English - 9 hrs:

• ENGL 1301 - Composition and Rhetoric 3 hrs ², ENGL 1302 - Composition and Reading  3 hrs ², and a literature course 3 hrs

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• Behavioral/Social Science - 3 hrs from:

• ECON 2307 - Principles of Macroeconomics 3 hrs ³, EDUC 2307 - Child and Adolescent Development  3 hrs⁴, GEOG 1301 - Introduction to Physical Geography  3 hrs, GEOG 1302 - World and Regional Geography  3 hrs, PHIL 1301 - Introduction to Philosophy  3 hrs, PSYC 1301 - General Psychology  3 hrs ⁵, or SOCI 1301 - Introduction to Sociology  3 hrs

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• Fine Arts⁶ - 3 hrs from:

• ART 1301 - Art Appreciation 3 hrs , ART 2301 - Visual Arts for the School Teacher  3 hrs, or studio course 3 hrs; MUSI 1301 - Fundamentals of Music  3 hrs, MUSI 1303 - Music Appreciation  3 hrs, MUSI 3304 - World Music  3 hrs, MUSI 3305 - American Music  3 hrs, MUSI 3306 - Jazz  3 hrs,  MUSI 3307 - American Film Music  3 hrs, or performing ensemble 3 hrs; or THEA 1303 - Introduction to Theatre  3 hrs; or FNAR 2401 - Fine Arts in the Elementary School  

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• Mathematics - 3 hrs

• MATH 1304 - College Algebra 3 hrs or higher

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• Science - 4 hrs:

• Laboratory Science^{7, 11} (life science or physical science course)

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• History - 6 hours from:

• HIST 1303 - World Civilization to 1500 3 hrs and HIST 1304 - World Civilization since 1500  3 hrs; or HIST 2301 - United States History to 1877  3 hrs⁸ and HIST 2302 - United States History since 1877  3 hrs⁸

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• Religion - 6 hrs:

• RLGN 1301 - Old Testament History 3 hrs or RLGN 1303 - Old Testament for Majors and Minors  3 hrs ⁹ and RLGN 1302 - New Testament History  3 hrs or RLGN 1304 - New Testament for Majors and Minors  3 hrs⁹

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• Political Science - 3 hrs:

• POLS 2301 - American Government 3 hrs

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• Exercise & Sport Science - 2 hrs:

• EXSS courses¹⁰

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• Additional Requirements:

• UNIV 1100 - Foundations of University Life 1 hrs or UNIV 1101 - Foundations of University Life  1 hr
• GRAD 0001 - Senior Seminar 0 hrs

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  NOTATIONS:

  1. COMS requirement may differ by degree. The B.S.N. specifies COMS 1301  or higher. Students pursuing teacher certification should take COMS 2302 .
  2. ENGL 1301  and ENGL 1302  should be taken within first year of enrollment.
  3. ECON 2307  cannot be used for students pursuing the Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
  4. EDUC 2307  is required for teacher certification.
  5. PSYC 1301  is required for students pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
  6. Fine Arts requirements for the B.S.N. specifies ART 1301  or higher or MUSI 1303  or higher. The B.M. and B.A. in Music degrees specifies ART 1301  or studio course or THEA 1303 . The B.F.A. in Theatre specifies ART 1301 , ART 2301 , or studio art. The B.S.I.S. EC-6 degree can take FNAR 2401 .
  7. Bachelor of Science in Nursing students must take BIOL 3410  to meet this requirement.
  8. HIST 2301  and HIST 2302  are required for teacher certification.
  9. Wayland Baptist University will not accept RLGN 1301 - Old Testament History  or RLGN 1302 - New Testament History , or their equivalents, from any institution except other Baptist institutions to meet the core requirement in any Wayland degree. If a student has taken RLGN 1301 - Old Testament History  and/or RLGN 1302 - New Testament History , or their equivalents, at any institution except other Baptist institutions, then the student has two options to meet the core requirement: (1) take RLGN 1301  and/or RLGN 1302  at Wayland or (2) take RLGN 4306 , RLGN 4316 , RLGN 4317 , or RLGN 4318  in lieu of RLGN 1301 ; and/or take RLGN 4306 , RLGN 4320 , RLGN 4322 , or RLGN 4324  in lieu of RLGN 1302 . RLGN 4306  may be an option for either RLGN 1301  or RLGN 1302  as stated above, but may not count for both on the same degree plan. No other RLGN/RLED courses may substitute for either RLGN 1301  or RLGN 1302 . The Dean of the School of Religion & Philosophy must approve any exception to this policy. RLGN 1301 - Old Testament History  or RLGN 1302 - New Testament History , or their equivalents, taken at non-Baptist institutions, may be transferred as elective credit with approval of the Dean of the School of Religion and Philosophy and the Registrar. RLGN 1303  (OT maj/min) and RLGN 1304  (NT maj/min) are required for all Religion, Religious Education, or Intercultural Missions majors and minors to meet the requirement of RLGN 1301  and RLGN 1302 . This does not apply to B.C.M. or B.A.S. degrees.
  10. B.S. degree requires EXSS 1112  and one activity course. Courses marked with an * in the course description section may be used to fulfill this requirement. Students who have served two or more years in the Armed Forces are exempt from EXSS requirements with DD-214 from basic training.
  11. Life science includes Biology and Environmental Science courses. Physical science includes Chemistry, Geology and Physics courses.

   

Bachelor of Science Degree Specific General Education Core Course Requirements - 14 hrs

The Bachelor of Science Degree (B.S.) is a minimum 124-semester hour degree designed for students who wish to pursue a career in mathematics or one of the sciences. A minimum of 42 semester hours must be upper-level credit (courses numbered 3000 and above). Major and minor fields of study included in the degree also have upper-level requirements. As these may vary depending on the discipline selected, specific requirements are included in the discipline sections of the catalog. Because of the nature of the degree, it includes additional study in mathematics and science. These additional requirements are included in the degree specific general education core. In addition to the University Core Curriculum, students must complete the following degree specific general education core requirements for the B.S. degree:

• MATH 1306 - Elementary Statistics 3 hrs
• Science (life or physical science² - whichever not fulfilled in the University Core) and an additional lab science or
  POLS 3411 - Research Methods and Data Analysis
   /PSYC 3411 - Research Methods and Data Analysis /SOCI 3411 - Research Methods and Data Analysis  8 hrs total
• COSC 2311 - Computer Applications 3 hrs ¹, EDIT 2310 - Technology in the Classroom  3 hrs¹, or MSCI 2311 - Scientific Computing  3 hrs¹

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  NOTATIONS:

  1.  Student may opt to test out of COSC 2311 ; see course description. EDIT 2310  is required for teacher certification programs. MSCI 2311  is required for math or science majors.
  2. Life science includes Biology and Environmental Science courses. Physical science includes Chemistry, Geology and Physics courses.

Course Requirements

The major requires 40 semester hours, of which 32 hours are upper-level. Biology majors are required to complete courses from the groups listed below. Students are encouraged and counseled to enroll in the elective biology courses that are applicable to the career goals they intend to pursue. *MATH 1306 Elementary Statistics , MSCI 2311 - Scientific Computing , and MSCI 3101 Faith and Science Seminar  are required courses for all math and science majors. MATH 1306  and MSCI 2311  can each be used to fulfill three hours of general education and degree core requirements in math and computer literacy, respectively. Up to 4 hours from MSCI 4X03 and MSCI 4360  may be counted toward the 12 hours of biology electives for the degree.

The following 16 hours are required of all biology majors:

• BIOL 1401 - General Biology I 4 hrs
• BIOL 1402 - General Biology II 4 hrs
• BIOL 3402 - Genetics 4 hrs
• BIOL 3407 - Ecology 4 hrs

Bachelor of Science in Biology Possible Sequence of Courses

The following is ONE four year schedule that would result in the B. S. degree in biology. Many other permutations of this plan are possible including additional majors and/or minors in other disciplines. All upper-level science courses are on rotation making exact duplication of this four-year plan impossible for some students. This plan is intended as a guide only. Students are strongly encouraged to choose their courses in consultation with their advisor.

Notations:

To reduce hours per semester, plan to take May and/or summer classes.

Upper-level biology courses are offered on a rotation. The order of the courses taken during the junior and senior years will depend on the year of entry into the program.