
About This Program
Explore the fascinating world of biology with Kent State's Biology B.A. program. Gain a deep understanding of the complexities of life, from the molecular level to the ecosystem level, through engaging coursework and hands-on experience. Our program prepares you for a variety of career paths, from healthcare to research and beyond. Enroll now for endless opportunities in biology. Read more...
Contact Information
- Program Coordinator: Edgar Kooijman | ekooijma@kent.edu | 330-672-8568
- Speak with an Advisor
- Chat with an Admissions Counselor: Kent Campus | Regional Campuses
Program Delivery
- Delivery:
- In person
- Location:
- Kent Campus
- Stark Campus
Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries*
Biological scientists, all other
- 2.2% slower than the average
- 44,700 number of jobs
- $85,290 potential earnings
Biological technicians
- 4.9% about as fast as the average
- 87,500 number of jobs
- $46,340 potential earnings
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- 3.8% about as fast as the average
- 1,050,800 number of jobs
- $62,870 potential earnings
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
Admission Requirements
The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.
First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.
First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency unless they meet specific exceptions. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.
Transfer Students: Students who have attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school must apply as undergraduate transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.
Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.
Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog.
Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the Coursework tab.
Program Requirements
Major Requirements
Code | Title | Credit Hours |
---|---|---|
Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
BSCI 10110 | BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (ELR) (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
BSCI 10120 | BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS (ELR) (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
BSCI 30156 | ELEMENTS OF GENETICS | 3 |
BSCI 40163 | EVOLUTION | 3 |
BSCI 40600 | WRITING IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (WIC) 1 | 1 |
CHEM 10060 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I (KBS) | 4 |
CHEM 10061 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II (KBS) | 4 |
CHEM 10062 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
CHEM 10063 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
MATH 11010 | ALGEBRA FOR CALCULUS (KMCR) | 3 |
MATH 11022 | TRIGONOMETRY (KMCR) | 3 |
Biology (BSCI) Electives 2 | 5 | |
Biology (BSCI) Upper-Division Electives (30000 or 40000 level) 2 | 11 | |
Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) | ||
UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
Foreign Language (see Foreign Language College Requirement below) | 14-16 | |
Kent Core Composition | 6 | |
Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (minimum one course from each) | 9 | |
Kent Core Social Sciences (must be from two disciplines) | 6 | |
General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credits hour, including 39 upper-division credit hours) | 37 | |
Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 |
- 1
A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.
- 2
Students should consult with a biology advisor to determine the most appropriate courses given their disciplinary interests and career aspirations. Maximum 6 credit hours total of any combination of the following courses may be used toward fulling electives: BSCI 40191, BSCI 40192, BSCI 40196, BSCI 40199.
Graduation Requirements
Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
---|---|
2.000 | 2.000 |
The following Biological Sciences (BSCI) courses may NOT be used in the elective category for majors or minors in the Department of Biological Sciences:
Code | Title | Credit Hours |
---|---|---|
BSCI 10001 | HUMAN BIOLOGY (KBS) | 3 |
BSCI 10002 | LIFE ON PLANET EARTH (KBS) | 3 |
BSCI 10003 | LABORATORY EXPERIENCE IN BIOLOGY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
BSCI 10005 | ANATOMY FOR VETERINARY TECHNICIANS | 5 |
BSCI 11010 | FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I (KBS) (KLAB) | 3 |
BSCI 11020 | FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II (KBS) (KLAB) | 3 |
BSCI 16001 | HORTICULTURAL BOTANY | 3 |
BSCI 20019 | BIOLOGICAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION | 4 |
BSCI 20021 | BASIC MICROBIOLOGY | 3 |
BSCI 20022 | BASIC MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY | 1 |
BSCI 21010 | ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
BSCI 21020 | ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II | 4 |
BSCI 26002 | ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF PEST MANAGEMENT | 3 |
BSCI 26003 | PLANT IDENTIFICATION AND SELECTION I | 3 |
BSCI 26004 | PLANT IDENTIFICATION AND SELECTION II | 3 |
BSCI 30050 | HUMAN GENETICS | 3 |
BSCI 40020 | BIOLOGY OF AGING | 3 |
Foreign Language College Requirement, B.A.
Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Arts and Sciences must complete 14-16 credit hours of foreign language.1
To complete the requirement, students need the equivalent of Elementary I and II in any language, plus one of the following options2:
- Intermediate I and II of the same language
- Elementary I and II of a second language
- Any combination of two courses from the following list:
- Intermediate I of the same language
- ARAB 21401
- ASL 19401
- CHIN 25421
- MCLS 10001
- MCLS 20001
- MCLS 20091
- MCLS 21417
- MCLS 21420
- MCLS 22217
- MCLS 28403
- MCLS 28404
- 1
All students with prior foreign language experience should take the foreign language placement test to determine the appropriate level at which to start. Some students may start beyond the Elementary I level and will complete the requirement with fewer credit hours and fewer courses. This may be accomplished by (1) passing a course beyond Elementary I through Intermediate II level; (2) receiving credit through one of the alternative credit programs offered by Kent State University; or (3) demonstrating language proficiency comparable to Elementary II of a foreign language. When students complete the requirement with fewer than 14 credit hours and four courses, they will complete remaining credit hours with general electives.
- 2
Certain majors, concentrations and minors may require specific languages, limit the languages from which a student may choose or require coursework through Intermediate II. Students who plan to pursue graduate study may need particular language coursework.
Roadmap
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
Semester One | Credits | ||
---|---|---|---|
Note: Placement in MATH courses may require additional coursework before the spring semester in first year of enrollment | |||
! | BSCI 10110 | BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (ELR) (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
MATH 11010 | ALGEBRA FOR CALCULUS (KMCR) | 3 | |
UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Credit Hours | 14 | ||
Semester Two | |||
! | BSCI 10120 | BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS (ELR) (KBS) (KLAB) | 4 |
MATH 11022 | TRIGONOMETRY (KMCR) | 3 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Credit Hours | 16 | ||
Semester Three | |||
! | CHEM 10060 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I (KBS) | 4 |
! | CHEM 10062 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
General Elective | 3 | ||
Credit Hours | 14 | ||
Semester Four | |||
! | BSCI 30156 | ELEMENTS OF GENETICS | 3 |
! | CHEM 10061 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II (KBS) | 4 |
! | CHEM 10063 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II LABORATORY (KBS) (KLAB) | 1 |
General Electives | 7 | ||
Credit Hours | 15 | ||
Semester Five | |||
BSCI 40600 | WRITING IN THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (WIC) | 1 | |
Biology Electives | 7 | ||
Foreign Language | 4 | ||
General Elective | 3 | ||
Credit Hours | 15 | ||
Semester Six | |||
Biology Elective | 3 | ||
Foreign Language | 4 | ||
General Electives | 9 | ||
Credit Hours | 16 | ||
Semester Seven | |||
BSCI 40163 | EVOLUTION | 3 | |
Biology Elective | 3 | ||
Foreign Language | 3 | ||
General Electives | 6 | ||
Credit Hours | 15 | ||
Semester Eight | |||
Biology Elective | 3 | ||
Foreign Language | 3 | ||
General Electives | 9 | ||
Credit Hours | 15 | ||
Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 |
University Requirements
All students in a bachelor's degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.
NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements. Please see Program Requirements for details.
Requirement | Credits/Courses |
---|---|
Flashes 101 (UC 10001) | 1 credit hour |
Course is not required for students with 30+ transfer credits (excluding College Credit Plus) or age 21+ at time of admission. | |
Diversity Domestic/Global (DIVD/DIVG) | 2 courses |
Students must successfully complete one domestic and one global course, of which one must be from the Kent Core. | |
Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR) | varies |
Students must successfully complete one course or approved experience. | |
Kent Core (see table below) | 36-37 credit hours |
Writing-Intensive Course (WIC) | 1 course |
Students must earn a minimum C grade in the course. | |
Upper-Division Requirement | 39 credit hours |
Students must successfully complete 39 upper-division (numbered 30000 to 49999) credit hours to graduate. | |
Total Credit Hour Requirement | 120 credit hours |
Kent Core Requirements
Requirement | Credits/Courses |
---|---|
Kent Core Composition (KCMP) | 6 |
Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning (KMCR) | 3 |
Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (KHUM/KFA) (min one course each) | 9 |
Kent Core Social Sciences (KSS) (must be from two disciplines) | 6 |
Kent Core Basic Sciences (KBS/KLAB) (must include one laboratory) | 6-7 |
Kent Core Additional (KADL) | 6 |
Total Credit Hours: | 36-37 |
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Understand the fundamental biological principles.
- Acquire the fundamental skills necessary for laboratory and field investigations.
- Conduct proper experimental design, analyze biological data and communicate research results.
- Know and appreciate the role that biology plays in societal issues, such as those related to the environment, biodiversity, ethics, human health and disease.
Full Description
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology is for students who are interested in the biological sciences, but who also want a degree with a strong liberal arts component. This program provides a basic background in biology while offering the opportunity to take a wide range of classes in other disciplines.
Biologists work in a variety of settings, and career opportunities are available in government agencies, privately owned companies and non-profit groups. Graduates may also choose to further their education beyond a bachelor's degree by attending graduate or professional school. The Department of Biological Sciences has several mechanisms to help students prepare for their future careers.