Undergraduate Degree

Environmental Biology/Microbiology

Program:
Environmental Biology/Microbiology
Plan Code:
ENBIOM_BS1
Program Level:
Undergraduate
Award Type:
Bachelor of Science
College:
College of Natural Science
Department:
Microbiology and Molecular Genetics CNS


Excerpt from the official Academic Programs Catalog:

Listed below are the approved requirements for the program from the official Academic Programs Catalog.
Students must consult their advisors to learn which specific requirements apply to their degree programs.


College of Natural Science

Department of Microbiology, Genetics, and Immunology

Undergraduate Programs
Environmental Biology/Microbiology

Environmental microbiology is a large and diverse field that addresses concerns such as soil fertility, water purity and quality, and safety of the food supply.   Although environmental biology is concerned with all members of the biosphere and the geochemical surroundings, microorganisms are at the heart of the biological activities in the environment.  Many of the environmental problems facing society are microbiological ones, or ones for which microbiological solutions may be found.

The Bachelor of Science degree program with a major in environmental biology/microbiology is designed for students who plan to pursue careers involving microbiology and the environment or who plan to pursue graduate study in microbiology and related environmental areas.

The educational objectives of the program are to:

  1. Help students to acquire knowledge of microbiology and related environmental areas.
  2. Prepare students to solve problems in environmental microbiology.

On completion of the program, the graduate may apply for certification with the National Registry of Microbiologists of the American Society for Microbiology.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Biology/Microbiology

  1. The University requirements for bachelor's degrees as described in the Undergraduate Education section of this catalog; 120 credits, including general elective credits, are required for the Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Biology/Microbiology.

    The University's Tier II writing requirement for the Environmental Biology/Microbiology major is met by completing Microbiology 408.  That course is referenced in item 3.b.(1) below.

    Students who are enrolled in the College of Natural Science may complete the alternative track to Integrative Studies in Biological and Physical Sciences that is described in item 1. under the heading Graduation Requirements in the College statement.  Certain courses referenced in requirement 3. below may be used to satisfy the alternative track.
  2. The requirements of the College of Natural Science for the Bachelor of Science degree.

    The credits earned in certain courses referenced in requirement 3. below may be counted toward College requirements as appropriate.
  3. The following requirements for the major:
    a. The following courses outside the Department of Microbiology, Genetics, and Immunology (58 or 68 credits):
    (1) One of the following, either a. or b. (4 or 6 credits):
    (a) BMB 461 Advanced Biochemistry I 3
    BMB 462 Advanced Biochemistry II 3
    (b) BMB 401 Comprehensive Biochemistry 4
    (2) All of the following courses (15 credits):
    CSS 210 Fundamentals of Soil Science 3
    GLG 201 The Dynamic Earth 4
    GLG 421 Environmental Geochemistry 4
    IBIO 355 Ecology 3
    IBIO 355L Ecology Laboratory (W) 1
    (3) One of the following groups of courses (6 or 9 credits):
    (a) BS 161 Cell and Molecular Biology 3
    BS 162 Organismal and Population Biology 3
    (b) LB 144 Biology I: Organismal Biology 4
    LB 145 Biology II: Cell and Molecular Biology 5
    (c) BS 181H Honors Cell and Molecular Biology 3
    BS 182H Honors Organismal and Population Biology 3
    (4) One of the following courses (2 credits):
    BS 171 Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory 2
    BS 172 Organismal and Population Biology Laboratory 2
    BS 191H Honors Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory 2
    BS 192H Honors Organismal and Population Biology Laboratory 2
    This requirement is waived for students who selected item (3) (b) above.
    (5) One of the following groups of courses (9 or 10 credits):
    (a) CEM 141 General Chemistry 4
    CEM 142 General and Inorganic Chemistry 3
    CEM 161 Chemistry Laboratory I 1
    CEM 162 Chemistry Laboratory II 1
    (b) LB 171 Principles of Chemistry I 4
    LB 172 Principles of Chemistry II 3
    LB 171L Introductory Chemistry Laboratory I 1
    LB 172L Principles of Chemistry II - Reactivity Laboratory 1
    (c) CEM 151 General and Descriptive Chemistry 4
    CEM 152 Principles of Chemistry 3
    CEM 161 Chemistry Laboratory I 1
    CEM 162 Chemistry Laboratory II 1
    (d) CEM 181H Honors Chemistry I 4
    CEM 182H Honors Chemistry II 4
    CEM 185H Honors Chemistry Laboratory 2
    (6) One of the following groups of courses (8 credits):
    (a) CEM 251 Organic Chemistry I 3
    CEM 252 Organic Chemistry II 3
    CEM 255 Organic Chemistry Laboratory 2
    (b) CEM 351 Organic Chemistry I 3
    CEM 352 Organic Chemistry II 3
    CEM 355 Organic Chemistry Laboratory I 2
    (c) LB 271 Organic Chemistry 3
    CEM 252 Organic Chemistry II 3
    CEM 255 Organic Chemistry Laboratory 2
    (7) One of the following courses (3 or 4 credits):
    MTH 124 Survey of Calculus I 3
    MTH 132 Calculus I 3
    LB 118 Calculus I 4
    MTH 152H Honors Calculus I 3
    (8) One of the following courses (3 or 4 credits):
    LB 119 Calculus II 4
    MTH 126 Survey of Calculus II 3
    MTH 133 Calculus II 4
    MTH 153H Honors Calculus II 4
    STT 231 Statistics for Scientists 3
    STT 421 Statistics I 3
    (9) One of the following groups of  courses (8 or 10 credits):
    (a) PHY 231 Introductory Physics I 3
    PHY 232 Introductory Physics II 3
    PHY 251 Introductory Physics Laboratory I 1
    PHY 252 Introductory Physics Laboratory II 1
    (b) PHY 241 Physics for Cellular and Molecular Biologists I 4
    PHY 242 Physics for Cellular and Molecular Biologists II 4
    PHY 251 Introductory Physics Laboratory I 1
    PHY 252 Introductory Physics Laboratory II 1
    (c) PHY 183 Physics for Scientists and Engineers I 4
    PHY 184 Physics for Scientists and Engineers II 4
    PHY 191 Physics Laboratory for Scientists, I 1
    PHY 192 Physics Laboratory for Scientists, II 1
    (d) LB 273 Physics I 4
    LB 274 Physics II 4
    (e) PHY 193H Honors Physics I-Mechanics 4
    PHY 294H Honors Physics II-Electromagnetism 4
    PHY 191 Physics Laboratory for Scientists, I 1
    PHY 192 Physics Laboratory for Scientists, II 1
    (f) PHY 221 Studio Physics for Life Scientists, I 4
    PHY 222 Studio Physics for Life Scientists, II 4
    b. The following courses in the Department of Microbiology, Genetics, and Immunology (19 credits):
    (1) All the following courses (13 credits):
    MMG 301 Introductory Microbiology 3
    MMG 302 Introductory Laboratory for General and Allied Health Microbiology 1
    MMG 421 Prokaryotic Cell Physiology 3
    MMG 425 Microbial Ecology 3
    MMG 431 Microbial Genetics 3
    (2) One of the following courses (3 credits):
    MMG 408 Advanced Microbiology Laboratory (W) 3
    MMG 494L Summer Undergraduate Research Institute in Genomics (W) 3
    (3) One of the following three options (3 credits):
    (a) MMG 491 Current Topics in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics 3
    (b) MMG 492 Undergraduate Research Seminar 1
    One of the following courses:
    MMG 499 Undergraduate Research 2
    MMG 499H Honors Research 2
    (c) MMG 493 Professional Internship in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics 3
    The completion of either of these three options fulfills the department's capstone course requirement.
    c. One course from two of the following areas (6 to 8 credits):
    (1) CSS 455 Environmental Pollutants in the Soil Environment 3
    (2) FOR 340 Forest Ecology 3
    PLB 402 Biology of Fungi 4
    (3) FSC 440 Food Microbiology 3
    (4) GEO 206 Physical Geography 3
    GEO 221 Introduction to Geographic Information 3
    (5) GLG 435 Geomicrobiology 4
    (6) FOR 466 Natural Resource Policy 3
    IBIO 446 Environmental Issues and Public Policy 3
    (7) FW 420 Stream Ecology 3
    FW 472 Limnology 3
    (8) MMG 433 Genomics (W) 3
    CMSE 410 Bioinformatics and Computational Biology 3
    (9) IBIO 357 Global Change Biology (W) 3