• Students who are obtaining a B.A. in General Biology
• Students who are obtaining a Minor in Biology
• Students who are interested in demonstrating Subject Matter Competency or obtaining Single Subject Credential in Biological Sciences  

As of Fall 2004, Biol 313 Principles of Ecology will have restructured course content and cannot be taken for credit towards any Biology undergraduate degree.  Students who have taken Biol 313 Principles of Ecology prior to Fall 2004, may use the completed course for credit towards their degree (Please check with your advisor).

Undeclared students who wish to change their major to a Biology degree:  NEW INFO
Please be certain that the Biology major is the appropriate major for YOU.  If you are considering applying for the B.S. Nursing degree, you should select your new major based on the course requirements that overlap with the Nursing major.  Please consider the fact that the Nursing major is an impacted major (more students apply than can be accepted).  A better strategy to obtain your degree in a reasonable time may be to select a major that will accept the Nursing-related courses for credit towards the major, so that you will not have to start from scratch with a new major.  This is particularly important if you have already taken Biol. 210/211 and Biol 610/611--these courses are NOT accepted for Biology major credit.  The following majors do accept these courses for the major:

• B.S. Dietetics
• B.S. Health Education
• B.S. Kinesiology
  

General Biology Students
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As described in the SFSU Bulletin, the Bachelor of Arts in General Biology degree provides breadth, but not depth, in biology.  The major is designed to support the students who are interested in obtaining a teaching credential in the Biological Sciences for K-12.  While it is true that the major can be structured to give the student the required depthfor many career and educational goals, in many cases the Bachelor of Science degree may serve the student’s goals better.

Students seeking General Biology Advising should consult the Biology Advising Web Page for information on the following issues:
1    Learn more about a specific biology major
2    Develop a course plan (Recommended 4 year course plans for General Biology major)
3    Obtain approval for transfer courses or substitution courses
4    Improve your performance in your courses
5    Change your major
6    Obtain approval on an academic advising petition
7    Obtain approval for Financial Aid Graduation Plan
8    Obtain approval on your baccalaureate graduation application (Instructions to fill out the Graduation Checklist)
9    Obtain Advanced Placement credit towards your major
10  Organic Chemistry requirement:  Chem 130 or Chem 333?

Other Frequently Asked Questions from General Biology Majors:

• Can Chem 333 be used to substitute for Chem 130?
• Yes, and an equivalency form must be filed to indicate this change.
• How many units can be double-counted to fulfill the major and GE requirements?
• 12 units, but at least one Segment III must be outside the major.
  

Recommended 4 year course plans for the General Biology major:
It is essential for a General Biology student to meet with an advisor to develop a course plan tailored to his/her career and educational goals.  The recommended course plans below are suggestions and should be modified upon consultation with a General Biology Advisor.  They are listed to demonstrate that:

• All lower division courses need not be completed prior to taking the upper division course work
• It is critical to pay attention to the prerequisites when developing the course plan
• In general, the student should try to limit the science course load to two courses per semester and balance the semester units with General Education courses and electives of interest
• the upper division electives should be selected in consultation with the Biology Advisor
•  Description of General Biology major requirements

Version 2:  "physics later, no Biol 612 (Human Physiology)"

*consult the Description of General Biology major requirements for the appropriate Cell or Physiology laboratory (only one lab required)
**Chem 215 prerequisites:  C- or better in CHEM 115 and in 2 of the following courses: PHYS 111, PHYS 121; PHYS 220, PHYS 230, or PHYS 240; MATH 226, MATH 227; or consent of instructor
 

*As of Fall 2004, Biol 313 Principles of Ecology will have restructured course content and cannot be taken for credit towards any Biology undergraduate degree.  Students who have taken Biol 313 Principles of Ecology prior to Fall 2004, may use the completed course for credit towards their degree (Please check with your advisor).

Note:
The following courses are generally taught both Fall and Spring semesters (check Class Schedule)
Chem 115, Chem 215, Chem 130
Biol 230, Biol 240, Biol 355, Biol 350
Math 124, Math 226
Phys 111/112, Phys 121/122

The following courses are generally taught during the Summer semester (check Class Schedule, required courses are in bold)
BIOL 328, BIOL 355
CHEM 115, CHEM 215
MATH 124 or MATH 226
PHYS 111/112,  PHYS 121/122

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Minor in Biology
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In order to obtain a Minor in Biology, the student must meet with a General Biology Advisor and develop a course plan to fulfill the following requirements (as indicated in the SFSU Bulletin description of the Minor in Biology).

Requirements:

• 23 units total
• All courses for a letter grade (CR/NCR is not acceptable)

Physiology course (the lab is not an official requirement)
Note that 610/611 may also be used depending upon the background or goals of the individual (3 units, +2 units if lab is taken)
*BIOL 525 Plant Physiology
*BIOL 526 Plant Physiology Lab
*BIOL 612 Human Physiology
*BIOL 613 Human Physiology Lab
*BIOL 630 Animal Physiology
*BIOL 631 Animal Physiology Lab

Genetics/Evolution (3 units), one of the following
*Biol 355 Genetics
*Biol 337 Evolution (note that Biol 355 Genetics is a prerequisite)

In the remaining 23 units, which is basically one more class, the student should try to get some depth in one of the fields above.  The requirements above are actually pretty flexible so depending on the background or goals of the student, he/she may be able to substitute one of the "requirements" for a course that will give them more depth in a given area.  Consult the description for the General Biology B.A. major for suggested upper division courses.

The student should refer to the SFSU Bulletin description of Minor Programs for additional policies for an approved minor degree.  These policies include:

• Double Counting Courses Between Major and Minor. Courses may count for both a major and a minor where there is a clearly stated overlap in the Bulletin requirements.
• Double Counting Between Minor and GE. No limitations.
• Upper Division/Residence Units. At least half of the units making up the minor must be taken in residence and at least half must be upper division.
• No Minor in Major. Students cannot complete a minor in the same field as the major.
• Grade Point Average. A minimum 2.0 grade point average is required in the minor.

Candidates for the teaching credential program who wish to have their transcripts evaluated for subject matter competency must contact a General Biology Advisor to arrange a meeting.  The candidate must supply transcripts and additional supporting documentation to confirm completion of the required course work.  This documentation may include course catalogs and course syllabi if the courses were not taken at SFSU.  Prior to meeting with the General Biology Advisor, the candidate should download  and fill out the Biology Single Subject Credential Worksheet to assist the Advisor in determining subject matter competency.

For the student matriculating at SFSU, the course work for the BA in General Biology, with minor modifications, and additional course work in the geosciences combined meet both the depth and breadth requirements.

The course work (modified SFSU Bachelor of Arts Requirements in General Biology  with additional classes):

• BIOL 230/240, General Biology I and II
• CHEM 115*, CHEM 215/216* General Chemistry I and II (with lab)
• CHEM 130, Organic Chemistry
• PHYS 111/112, PHYS 121/122, General Physics I/II
• MATH/STAT 124, Statistics, OR MATH 226, Calculus I
• BIOL 355, Genetics
• BIOL 525, 612, OR 630, a Physiology course
• BIOL 343, 350, 401, OR 450, a Cell Biology course
• Physiology or Cell Biology lab
• BIOL 313#, 482, 529, 534, 580,582,  585, an Ecology course
• BIOL 337, Evolution*
• BIOL (upper division, see General Biology B.A. major), an organismal biology course
• CIS 510, Search for Solutions** (substitute for geology, astronomy, meteorology, if appropriate)
• Additional upper division biology electives to total 57 units for the major (at SFSU)
• Electives selected when combined with other upper division biology courses should clearly demonstrate coverage of human, plant, animal, and microbial biology.  For example, the student may take the human physiology lecture, general microbiology, plant ecology,  and marine invertebrate zoology.  It would be inappropriate for the student to take courses that focus on only plant biology or only organismal biology.
• Geosciences, 2-5 courses
• The Geosciences breadth requirement covers astronomy, geology, meteorology, and oceanography, but the material need not be covered in four separate courses.  These are the SFSU course options:
• Current Requirements (as approved by CTC):  Student takes 5 courses

1. Astr 115/116:  Introduction to Astronomy, 3 units, and Lab, 1 unit
2. Geol 110: Physical Geology, 4 units (includes lab)
3. Our Violent Planet, a GE Segment III cluster that includes:
    a. Geog 402: The Climatic Challenge, 3 units
    b. Geol 302: The Violent Earth, 3 units
    c. Metr 302: The Violent Atmosphere and Ocean, 3 units
• Alternative: Student takes 3 courses

1. Astr 115/116:  Introduction to Astronomy, 3 units, and Lab, 1 unit
2. Geol 110: Physical Geology, 4 units (includes lab)
3. Metr 302: The Violent Atmosphere and Ocean, 3 units OR CIS 510: Search for Solutions (if Global Climate Change)
• Alternative:  Student takes 2 courses

1. Astr 115/116:  Introduction to Astronomy, 3 units, and Lab, 1 unit
2. Geol 405 (formerly Geol 310)[also offered as METR/OCN 405]: Planetary Climate Change, 4 units (includes lab), covers geology, meteorology, and oceanography

Students with degrees from other institutions:
If the course work was done at a different institution, the biology course work must include a year of general biology,  and classes in genetics, physiology, ecology, evolution, and organismal biology.  For breadth requirements, the course work in chemistry, physics, astronomy, geology, meteorology, and oceanography must total at least 24 semester (or 36 quarter) units.

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing now has a new, specialized, and limited credential in science: Biological Sciences  (Specialized).  To be eligible for the subject matter competency in this Biological Sciences  (Specialized) credential, a candidate needs either a post baccalaureate degree or 30 semester units of postgraduate course work in the subject (or a closely  related) subject.  Teaching certification would be only for Biological Sciences.  A teacher with this limited credential would not be able to teach general science, integrated science, or introductory science.

Additional links of interest:

• SFSU College of Education Credential Services Teacher Preparation Center
• single subject teaching credential information
• single subject credential program application  (pdf)
• single subject credential program information/application packet (pdf)
  
• single subject credential program information meetings
  
• SFSU bulletin for the specific courses for the BA in General Biology
• Biology course descriptions
• Course descriptions for courses in other departments