Curriculum in Genetics is administered by the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics.
Genetics is one of the most exciting, rapidly expanding areas in the life sciences. More than an independent discipline, it has become the basis for understanding many aspects of medical and agricultural systems, animal and plant diseases, and even animal behavior. Developments in molecular genetics have provided biotechnologies that will dramatically affect our lives from the improved diagnosis of human disease, to the production of viral-resistant crops, to environmental cleanup.
The undergraduate curriculum in genetics allows the study of several different aspects of genetics, including population genetics, human genetics and genetic engineering. The genetics major is designed to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for advanced studies in all disciplines related to life sciences from medicine/veterinary medicine to genetic engineering. This basic science curriculum also has enough flexibility to allow a student to prepare for such diverse careers as forensics, medicine, business or law.
Plan of Study Grid First Year |
Fall |
CHEM 119 | Fundamentals of Chemistry I | 4 |
ENGL 104 | Composition and Rhetoric | 3 |
GENE 101/BICH 101 | Perspectives in Biochemistry and Genetics | 1 |
MATH 151
| Engineering Mathematics I
or Calculus I | 4 |
1 | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 |
Spring |
BIOL 111 | Introductory Biology I | 4 |
CHEM 120 | Fundamentals of Chemistry II | 4 |
MATH 152
| Engineering Mathematics II
or Calculus II | 4 |
| 3 |
| Writing about Literature | |
| Technical and Professional Writing | |
| Public Speaking | |
| Communication for Technical Professions | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 |
Second Year |
Fall |
BIOL 112 | Introductory Biology II | 4 |
CHEM 227 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
CHEM 237 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
PHYS 201 | College Physics | 4 |
STAT 211 | Principles of Statistics I | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 |
Spring |
CHEM 228 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
CHEM 238 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
GENE 302 | Principles of Genetics | 3 |
GENE 314 | Principles of Genetics Laboratory | 1 |
PHYS 202 | College Physics | 4 |
STAT 212 | Principles of Statistics II | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 |
Third Year |
Fall |
BICH 409 | Principles of Biochemistry 2 | 3 |
BIOL 351 | Fundamentals of Microbiology | 4 |
GENE 491 | Research | 2 |
STAT 404 | Statistical Computing | 3 |
1 | 3 |
3 | 2 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 17 |
Spring |
GENE 412 | Population, Quantitative and Ecological Genetics | 3 |
GENE 431/BICH 431 | Molecular Genetics | 3 |
GENE 491 | Research 4 | 2 |
1 | 6 |
5 | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 17 |
Fourth Year |
Fall |
BICH 450/BIOL 450 | Genomics | 4 |
GENE 419/BICH 419 | Computational Techniques for Evolutionary Analysis | 3 |
GENE 432/BICH 432
| Laboratory in Molecular Genetics
or Biochemical Techniques I | 2 |
1 | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 12 |
Spring |
1 | 6 |
5 | 3 |
3 | 5 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 14 |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 120 |
Students must make a grade of C or better in all major coursework used to satisfy the degree plan.