Recent advances in genetics, molecular biology, and related biotechnologies have created a strong demand for college graduates with training in these areas. Hands-on experience in the use of the latest molecular techniques is particularly important to this training.

The BS in Biology with Molecular Biology emphasis program is designed for students seeking a rigorous, laboratory-intensive curriculum to prepare them for health-related professions, research jobs, or graduate programs in a number of areas related to molecular biology. The curriculum includes the same foundational lecture and laboratory courses in the areas of cell biology, genetics, and ecology taken by general Biology majors. Additional coursework focuses specifically on topics related to molecular biology.

Curriculum

This specialized Biology major requires 37 credit hours including 9 required Biology courses (21 credit hours) and Biology elective courses (16 credit hours) plus cognate courses in Calculus, Chemistry and Physics. This track allows students to receive the strong background in fundamental biology required of all Biology majors, while also specializing in the area of molecular biology. Students will follow the program outlined below.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Biology Courses: Required
BIOL 101	General Biology I	3
BIOL 111	General Biology I Lab	1
BIOL 102	General Biology II	3
BIOL 112	General Biology II Lab	1
BIOL 251	Cell Biology	3
BIOL 265	Ecology	3
BIOL 282	Genetics	3
BIOL 283	Genetics Laboratory	1
BIOL 366	Cell Physiology & Biochemistry	3
Biology Courses: Electives		16
Select one of the following:		3
BIOL 382	Molecular Genetics
BIOL 387	Genomics
BIOL 388	Bioinformatics
Select one of the following:		1-4
BIOL 366L	Cell Physiology & Biochemistry Lab
BIOL 390	Molecular Biology Laboratory
BIOL 396	Research 1,2
BIOL 398	Internship in Biology 1,2
Select 9-12 credit hours of the following:		9-12
BIOL 252	Cell Biology Laboratory
BIOL 296	Introduction to Research 1
BIOL 302	General Microbiology Lec/Lab
BIOL 307	Biology of Stem Cells
BIOL 315	Introductory Immunology Lec/Lab
BIOL 317	Models of Human Disease
BIOL 318	General Virology
BIOL 319	Evolution
BIOL 344	Microbial Evolution and Human Well-being
BIOL 351	Sleep/Circadian Rhythms
BIOL 352	Neurobiology of Feeding in Health and Disease
BIOL 366L	Cell Physiology & Biochemistry Lab 3
BIOL 376	Seminar in Molecular/Cellular Neuroscience
BIOL 377	Molecular Pathogenesis
BIOL 380	Genetics and Evolution of Development
BIOL 381	Epigenetics
BIOL 382	Molecular Genetics 3
BIOL 383	Population Genetics
BIOL 384	Microbial Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease
BIOL 387	Genomics 3
BIOL 388	Bioinformatics 3
BIOL 390	Molecular Biology Laboratory 3
BIOL 392	Metagenomics
BIOL 395	Special Topics in Biology 1
BIOL 395L	Special Topics Laboratory 1
BIOL 396	Research 1,2,3
BIOL 398	Internship in Biology (Capstone Course) 1,2,3
BIOL 399	Individual Study 1
PHYS 371	Biophysics
Chemistry
CHEM 160	Chemical Structure and Properties	3
or CHEM 101	General Chemistry A Lecture/Discussion
or CHEM 105	Chemical Principles
CHEM 161	Chemical Structure and Properties Laboratory	1
or CHEM 105	Chemical Principles
or CHEM 111	General Chemistry Lab A
CHEM 180	Chemical Reactivity I	3
or CHEM 221	Organic Chemistry I Lec/Disc
or CHEM 223	Organic Chemistry A Lec/Disc
CHEM 181	Chemical Reactivity I Lab	1
or CHEM 221	Organic Chemistry I Lec/Disc
or CHEM 225	Organic Chemistry Lab A
CHEM 240	Chemical Reactivity II	3
or CHEM 222	Organic Chemistry II Lec/Disc
or CHEM 224	Organic Chemistry B Lec/Disc
CHEM 241	Chemical Reactivity II Laboratory	1
or CHEM 222	Organic Chemistry II Lec/Disc
or CHEM 226	Organic Chemistry Lab B
CHEM 260	Quantitative Methods in Chemistry	3
or CHEM 102	General Chemistry B Lecture/Discussion
or CHEM 106	Basic Inorganic Chemistry
CHEM 261	Quantitative Methods in Chemistry Laboratory	1
or CHEM 106	Basic Inorganic Chemistry
or CHEM 112	General Chemistry Lab B
Mathematics
MATH 131	Applied Calculus I	3-4
or MATH 161	Calculus I
MATH 132	Applied Calculus II	3-4
or MATH 162	Calculus II
Physics
PHYS 111	College Physics I Lec / Dis	3
or PHYS 121	College Physics I with Calculus Lecture/Discussion
or PHYS 125	General Physics I Lec/Dis
PHYS 111L	College Physics Laboratory I	1
PHYS 112	College Physics II Lec/Disc	3
or PHYS 122	College Physics II with Calculus Lecture/Discussion
or PHYS 126	General Physics II Lec/Dis
PHYS 112L	College Physics Lab II	1
Total Hours		67

¹

Topics must be molecular and approved by the Biology Department.

²

Either BIOL 396 Research OR BIOL 398 Internship in Biology (but NOT both) count as Biology Electives.

³

If not taken to fulfill another requirement.

Suggested Sequence of Courses

The below sequence of courses is meant to be used as a suggested path for completing coursework.  An individual student’s completion of requirements depends on course offerings in a given term as well as the start term for a major or graduate study.  Students should consult their advisor for assistance with course selection.

The biology department recommends that students pursuing the BS in Biology with Molecular Biology Emphasis complete their required classes in the following sequence. Requirements include courses in Biology (BIOL), Chemistry (CHEM), Mathematics (MATH) and Physics (PHYS):

Plan of Study Grid

First Semester		Hours
BIOL 101	General Biology I	3
BIOL 111	General Biology I Lab	1
CHEM 160	Chemical Structure and Properties	3
CHEM 161	Chemical Structure and Properties Laboratory	1
MATH 131	Applied Calculus I	3
	Hours	11
Second Semester
BIOL 102	General Biology II	3
BIOL 112	General Biology II Lab	1
CHEM 180	Chemical Reactivity I	3
CHEM 181	Chemical Reactivity I Lab	1
MATH 132	Applied Calculus II	3
	Hours	11
Third Semester
BIOL 282	Genetics	3
BIOL 283	Genetics Laboratory	1
CHEM 240	Chemical Reactivity II	3
CHEM 241	Chemical Reactivity II Laboratory	1
	Hours	8
Fourth Semester
BIOL 251 or BIOL 265	Cell Biology or Ecology	3
CHEM 260	Quantitative Methods in Chemistry	3
CHEM 261	Quantitative Methods in Chemistry Laboratory	1
	Hours	7
Fifth Semester
BIOL 265 or BIOL 251	Ecology or Cell Biology	3
PHYS 111	College Physics I Lec / Dis	3
PHYS 111L	College Physics Laboratory I	1
	Hours	7
Sixth Semester
BIOL 366	Cell Physiology & Biochemistry	3
BIOL 382 or BIOL 387 or BIOL 388	Molecular Genetics or Genomics or Bioinformatics	3
PHYS 112	College Physics II Lec/Disc	3
PHYS 112L	College Physics Lab II	1
	Hours	10
Seventh Semester
Select one of the following:		1-4
BIOL 366L	Cell Physiology & Biochemistry Lab
BIOL 390	Molecular Biology Laboratory
BIOL 396	Research
BIOL 398	Internship in Biology
BIOL Elective Molecular		3-6
	Hours	7
Eighth Semester
BIOL Elective Molecular		3
BIOL Elective Molecular		3
	Hours	6
	Total Hours	67

TRANSFERRING CREDIT

Transfer students seeking the BS in Biology with Molecular Biology Emphasis degree must take a minimum of 20 credit hours in Biology courses at Loyola. No more than 18 credit hours from another institution may be applied to the BS in Biology with Molecular Biology Emphasis degree program.

COURSE REPEAT RULE

Effective with the spring 2009 semester, students are allowed only TWO attempts to pass Biology courses with a C- or better grade. The two attempts includes withdrawals (W).

The procedure for securing approval for a repeat: Students must come to the Biology Department, fill out a permission to register form, and obtain signatures of both the faculty instructor, and the Biology Chairperson or Assistant-Chairperson. A copy of this form is then submitted to the student's academic advisor to secure final permission for the repeat. After a second attempt to pass a Biology course, it is at the discretion of the Biology Chairperson or Assistant-Chairperson whether the student may repeat the course.

College of Arts and Sciences Graduation Requirements

All Undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences are required to take two Writing Intensive courses (6 credit hours) as well as complete a foreign language requirement at 102-level or higher (3 credit hours) or a language competency test.  More information can be found here.

Additional Undergraduate Graduation Requirements

All Undergraduate students are required to complete the University Core, at least one Engaged Learning course, and UNIV 101.  SCPS students are not required to take UNIV 101.  Nursing students in the Accelerated BSN program are not required to take core or UNIV 101.  You can find more information in the University Requirements area.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of the Undergraduate Biology with Molecular Biology Emphasis Major:

• Students will demonstrate developing mastery of the following Vision and Change core concepts and their related principals as they relate to the central dogma of molecular biology and how it impacts cellular and organismal processes: evolution (the diversity of life-forms that have evolved over time through mutations, selection and genetic change; structure and function (the basic units of biological structures that define the functions of all living things); information flow, exchange and storage (the influence of genetics on the control of the growth and behavior of organisms); pathways and transformations of energy and matter (the ways in which chemical transformation pathways and the laws of thermodynamics govern the growth and change of biological systems); and systems (the ways in which living things are interconnected and interact with one another).
• Students will be able to retrieve, synthesize, and critically evaluate scientific literature.
• Students will be able to communicate (orally and in writing) results and interpretation of scientific research.
• Students will be able to design and implement experiments that test predictive hypotheses, analyze data, report results, and interpret the significance of these experiments to enhance their understanding of molecular biology.