Biological Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Emphasis, B.S.

Requirements for the Biological Sciences Major

To receive the B.S. in Biological Sciences students must adhere to General Education  and School of Natural Sciences Requirements . The Biological Sciences program consists of 76-83 units, with a minimum of 23 courses designed to give all students a common foundation of core knowledge specific to the discipline plus breadth in an application area.

Requirements for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Emphasis Track

The Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) emphasis track prepares students for careers in biology that require a comprehensive understanding of biological processes, ranging across the organismal, population, community, ecosystem, and global levels. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology incorporates multidisciplinary approaches to address biological questions within an evolutionary framework. Current course offerings introduce students to active areas of research in EEB at UC Merced, such as: agroecology, behavioral ecology, biomechanics, comparative anatomy and physiology, conservation biology, community ecology, developmental genetics, ecological modeling, ecosystem ecology, ecological model ling genomics and genome evolution, population genetics, microbial ecology, molecular evolution, organismal interactions, paleo-biology/ecology, phylogenetics and systematics, plant biology, population genetics, quantitative genetics, and symbiosis.

Undergraduate Research in Biological Sciences

All Biological Sciences majors are encouraged, but not required, to participate in a research experience. Students attend research lectures by UC Merced faculty, and can elect to go on to participate in research projects. The relevant course numbers are:

• BIO 090X: Freshman Seminar Units: 1
• BIO 095: Lower Division Undergraduate Research Units:
• BIO 195: Upper Division Undergraduate Research Units:

Transfer Selection Criteria

To be admitted to the Biological Sciences major transfer students must meet the following requirements:

Applicants will, at the time of admission have completed at minimum each of the following courses (or their equivalent) with a “C-” or better:

• BIO 001: Contemporary Biology Units: 4 *
• BIO 001L: Contemporary Biology Lab Units: 1 *
• CHEM 002: General Chemistry I Units: 4
• CHEM 008: Principles of Organic Chemistry Units: 3
• CHEM 008L: Principles of Organic Chemistry Lab Units: 1
• CHEM 010: General Chemistry II Units: 4

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• MATH 011: Calculus I Units: 4 or
• MATH 021: Calculus I for Physical Sciences and Engineering Units: 4

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• MATH 012: Calculus II Units: 4 or
• MATH 022: Calculus II for Physical Sciences and Engineering Units: 4