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Undergraduate

The Programs

The Department of Biological Sciences offers three programs leading to baccalaureate degrees, and one leading to the combined B.A./M.S. degree.

• The Bachelor of Arts degree. Students qualify for the Bachelor of Arts degree by successfully completing at least 33 credits of biology-required coursework within the department plus 38 credits in chemistry, physics and mathematics. The curriculum of the BA program includes required core courses, as well as elective laboratory and lecture courses. It is designed to provide a broad-based education in the biological sciences.

• The Bachelor of Science degree. Students qualify for the Bachelor of Sciences degree by successfully completing 44 credits of biology-required coursework plus 38 credits of chemistry, physics and mathematics. The BS program is designed to provide the opportunity for in-depth study within particular sub-disciplines of the biological sciences; specific curricula have been formulated for study in (a) cell and molecular biology, (b) ecology and evolutionary biology (c) pre-health studies and (d) neurobiology.

• The Bachelor of Science degree in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. In this highly interdisciplinary program, students integrate coursework in applied mathematics, computer science and the biological sciences, learning how to apply mathematics and computing to the study of genes and proteins. This training prepares students for graduate education in a bioinformatics-related field or for entry into the workforce of this emerging new discipline.

• The combined Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. This program combines three years of undergraduate study in biological sciences and four years of graduate work in dentistry, and a combined BS/DDS degree is awarded after seven years. Applicants must be accepted into the program prior to the beginning of the freshman year. Further details concerning this program may be found at www.prehealth.buffalo.edu/careers/dentistry.php (halfway down the page) and at dental.buffalo.edu.

In addition to baccalaureate degrees, the Department of Biological Sciences offers a Minor in the Biological Sciences. To qualify, students complete a short list of required courses and elective courses within the department, achieving a total of 22 biology-required credits. There is also a special Biotechnology Minor available for chemical engineering students.

Pre-approved electives outside of the BIO department for use by undergraduates completing either the BA, BS, or Bio minor

Except for the BS degree program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, the department accepts students as majors after they have successfully completed both of the following two groups of courses with a minimum GPA of 2.0 in each group :

• a two-semester course in general chemistry (CHE 102-102, or equivalent) plus a two-semester course in college calculus (MTH 121-122, 141-142, or equivalent)
• two college-level biology courses (BIO 200, BIO 201, or equivalent).

These criteria apply to all students, regardless of whether they started college at UB or transferred to UB from another institution. The application form, including a current DARS report, is to be submitted directly to the Department of Biological Sciences. Each accepted student will be assigned a faculty advisor within the department at the time of acceptance. The advisor should be consulted concerning program requirements and the selection of courses to meet those requirements.

Important: The Department of Biological Sciences abides by UB's repeat policy, which states that a student may repeat a given course only once, and when a course is repeated, the grade counted in calculating GPA is the grade earned the second time. If a student intends to enroll in a course for a third time, a petition must be submitted to the Department prior to registering for the course and it must be approved before the grade can be used to meet program requirements. This policy applies to all required and elective courses within any of the departmental BA or BS degree programs.

Criteria for acceptance into the interdisciplinary program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology are an overall university GPA of at least 2.5 and a GPA of at least 3.0 in the following prerequisite courses:

• BIO 205 Fundamentals of Biological Chemistry

• CHE 101-102 General Chemistry

• CSE 115-116 Introduction of Computer Science

• MTH 141-141 College Calculus I & II

It is recommended that these prerequisite courses be completed by the end of the fourth semester.

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