Department of Biological and Allied Health Sciences

This curriculum is designed for students who plan to attend graduate school and for preprofessional students who wish to prepare for admission to a school of dentistry, medicine, optometry, osteopathy, pharmacy, podiatry or veterinary medicine. Students should consult the catalog of the school they plan to attend in order to include in their undergraduate program any special prerequisites not included in the biology curriculum.

Dental Schools:

Three or four years of college are required for admission to schools of dental medicine. The minimum predental admission requirements are set forth by the American Dental Association. These include completion of a minimum of two years of work in an accredited college of liberal arts and sciences. It should be noted, however, that the majority of the students accepted have completed four years of undergraduate work. The college study must include, as a minimum, at least two semesters' credit in English, General Biology, Physics, Inorganic Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry. Lectures and laboratory work are required in the science courses. The remaining work may be in the liberal arts electives such as:

• history
• philosophy
• psychology
• economics
• English
• foreign languages
• mathematics
• sociology

For students entering the Dental School of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, a combined seven-year program leading to a Bachelor of Science degree and a Doctor of Dental Medicine DMD is offered. Students should check Predental Degree Options.

The admission course requirements for typical dental schools are 6 credits of English and 8 credits including laboratory of each of the following: biology, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and physics. Applicants must take the Dental Admissions Test.

Medical Schools:

Entrance credits vary, but most schools require three or four years of college to include a general course in biology, two semesters of general physics, inorganic and organic chemistry, and two or four semesters of English. A few require a reading knowledge of a modern foreign language.  Mathematics through calculus is recommended. The Medical College Admission Test of American Medical Colleges is required. Students should check the admission requirements for the medical school they plan to attend.

The preprofessional adviser is Dr. Patricia Melloy.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree

Students should see College requirements for details of the college general education requirements. A student majoring in biology must, in addition, fulfill the following requirements:

Biology Core

• BIOL1201, BIOL1203   Biological Sciences I*
• BIOL1202, BIOL1204   Biological Sciences II*
• BIOL2003, BIOL2004   Cell Biology
• BIOL2049, BIOL2050   Ecology
• BIOL3256, BIOL3257   Genetics
• BIOL4401   Biology Seminar

*Normally taken freshman year

One course must be selected from each of the three major area courses:

• Area I     Ecology and Environmental Biology
• Area II     Cell and Molecular Biology
• Area III     Anatomy and Physiology

Biology Electives (8 credits)

Select two 4-credit laboratory courses from major course Areas I, II, or III (see above). If two biology elective courses are selected from the same major area, a concentration in that area my be declared. Four credits of undergraduate research (permission of instructor required) may be substituted for one major area course as a biology elective.

Mathematics

• MATH1133   Applied Statistics
• MATH1107   Precalculus
• MATH1201   Calculus I

Two semesters of calculus are strongly recommended.

Physics

• PHYS1001,  PHYS1011;
   PHYS1002,  PHYS1012   General Physics I, II -
  (Lecture and Laboratory)
  4 credits each semester

Chemistry

• CHEM1201,  CHEM1202   General Chemistry I, II
  3 credits each semester
• CHEM1203,  CHEM1204   General Chemistry Laboratory I, II
• CHEM2261,  CHEM2262   Organic Chemistry I, II
• CHEM2263,  CHEM2264   Organic Chemistry Laboratory I, II

Philosophy

• PHIL3303   Biomedical Ethics