Department of Biology Curriculum
The B.S. in biology, B.A. in biology, B.S. in marine science–biology and B.A. in marine biology majors offered through the Department of Biology share as their foundation the biology core curriculum and three categories of upper division biology courses. Some individual courses within the biology core require a minimum grade of “C” to progress as noted in the Course Descriptions chapter of this catalog.
Biology Core Curriculum
The biology core curriculum consists of the following nine courses:
Student must take BIO 200 as part of the Biology Core Curriculum.
BIO 440, BIO 445, BIO 450 or BIO 495 may be substituted for BIO 410 or BIO 420 if an oral presentation is made with approval of department chair.
BIO 412 fulfills the BIO 410/412/420 requirement of the Biology Core Curriculum but also the Culminating Experience requirement of Spartan studies.
Biology Lower Core Curriculum
A subset of the biology core curriculum is referred to as the biology lower-core. All students regardless of major or minor must complete these core courses with a 2.0 (“C” level work) combined minimum GPA calculated based on biology lower-core courses completed at The University of Tampa before they will be eligible to register for any of the upper-division BIO (numbered above 199) , MAR (numbered above 200) or ENS courses that have the biology lower core curriculum as a prerequisite. Additionally, some individual courses within the lower-core require a minimum grade of “C” to progress as noted in the Course Descriptions chapter of this catalog.
The biology lower-core curriculum consists of the following seven courses:
MAT 170: May be waived if student is placed directly into MAT 260 Calculus I. Students should investigate graduate admission requirements early in their UTampa program of study, because mathematics requirements vary widely (e.g., MAT 261 Calculus II and/or BIO 230/MAT 201 Statistics). WRI 281 is strongly recommended for those students planning to attend graduate or professional school.
Upper-Division Biology Courses
Most majors offered through the biology department share the following upper-division classes offered in three distinct categories: cellular biology/physiology (Category I), organismal biology (Category II) , and ecology / evolution / environmental biology (Category III). These categories are used within majors and concentrations to achieve the learning outcomes within those specific programs. Specifically, upper-division biology courses are BIO courses numbered above 199, MAR courses numbered above 200 or ENS 235, ENS 242, ENS 307, ENS 310 (BS in Marine Science-Biology and BA in Marine Biology only), ENS 323, ENS 335, ENS 346, ENS 349, ENS 380 not including BIO 410, BIO 412, BIO 420. BIO 440, BIO 445, BIO 450, BIO 480, BIO 490 and BIO 495. Note: Biology Department Majors and minors are limited to a maximum of two ENS courses as upper-division biology courses for the Department of Biology major or minor.
Category I Cellular Biology/Physiology Courses
Category II Organismal Biology Courses
Category III Ecology/Evolution/Environmental Biology Courses
Students may not count credits for both:
toward the degree requirements in any major or minor in biology, marine science–biology, or marine biology. However, credits for both may count toward the 124 credit hour graduation requirement. Additionally, BIO 230 is strongly recommended for those students planning to attend graduate or professional school.
Collateral and Prerequisite Courses
Students who major in biology, marine science–biology or marine biology, may use any of the prerequisite and/or collateral science courses required (see specific degrees) in the major to satisfy the natural science distribution component of Spartan Studies. Students also may use the course required in mathematics to satisfy the mathematics requirement of Spartan Studies. For more details on the collateral and prerequisite course requirements of specific degree programs refer to the corresponding section.