Environmental Biology Major
Program Requirements
- Total units required: 58-65
Students interested in environmental biology typically take Biol 2950 Introduction to Environmental Biology during fall of the first year of study, although it may be taken later.
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Biol 2950 | Introduction to Environmental Biology | 3 |
| Biol 2960 | Principles of Biology I (lecture and lab) | 4 |
| Biol 2970 | Principles of Biology II (lecture and lab) | 4 |
| Biol 381 | Introduction to Ecology | 3 |
| Chem 111A | General Chemistry I (lecture and lab) | 3 |
| or Chem 105 | Principles of General Chemistry I | |
| Chem 112A | General Chemistry II | 3 |
| or Chem 106 | Principles of General Chemistry II | |
| Chem 151 | General Chemistry Laboratory I | 2 |
| Chem 152 | General Chemistry Laboratory II | 2 |
| EEPS 201 | Earth and the Environment (lecture and lab) | 3-4 |
| or EEPS 202 | Introduction to Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science | |
| or EEPS 219 | Energy and the Environment | |
| or EnSt 250 | One Health: Linking the Health of Humans, Animals, and the Environment | |
| Math 131 | Calculus I | 3 |
| Math 132 | Calculus II | 3 |
| Physics 191 | Physics I | 3 |
| or Physics 193 | Focused Physics I | |
| Physics 191L | Physics I Laboratory | 1 |
| or Physics 193L | Focused Physics I Laboratory | |
| Total Units | 37-38 | |
One of the following chemistry courses:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Chem 261 | Organic Chemistry I with Lab | 4 |
| EEPS 323 | Biogeochemistry | 3 |
| EECE 210 | Introduction to Environmental Engineering | 3 |
| EECE 505 | Aquatic Chemistry | 3 |
| EECE 531 | Environmental Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| EEPS 441 | Introduction to Geochemistry | 3 |
One of the following courses in statistics or GIS:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CSE 131 | Introduction to Computer Science | 3 |
| SDS 2200 | Elementary Probability and Statistics | 3 |
| SDS 3200 | Elementary to Intermediate Statistics and Data Analysis | 3 |
| EnSt 380 | Applications in GIS | 3 |
One upper-level biology lab course:
Any course that fulfills the advanced laboratory requirement of the biology major is acceptable; we recommend Biol 4193 Experimental Ecology Laboratory (4 credits, writing intensive).
One Biol 300+ courses in Areas A or B in Biology:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Biol 3057 | Physiological Control Systems | 3 |
| Biol 3151 | Endocrinology | 3 |
| Biol 324 | Human Genetics | 3 |
| Biol 328 | Principles in Human Physiology | 4 |
| Biol 334 | Cell Biology | 3 |
| Biol 3411 | Principles of the Nervous System | 3 |
| Biol 3371 | Eukaryotic Genomes | 4 |
| Biol 3421 | Introduction to Neuroethology | 3 |
| Biol 3422 | Genes, Brains, and Behavior | 3 |
| Biol 3481 | Parasitology | 3 |
| Biol 349 | Microbiology | 4 |
| Biol 4023 | How Plants Work: Physiology, Growth, and Metabolism | 3 |
| Biol 4030 | Biological Clocks | 3 |
| Biol 4071 | Developmental Biology | 3 |
| Biol 4072 | Regenerative and Stem Cell Biology | 3 |
| Biol 424 | Immunology | 4 |
| Biol 4242 | Virology | 3 |
| Biol 451 | General Biochemistry | 4 |
| Biol 4580 | Principles of Human Anatomy and Development | 3 |
| Biol 4716 | Advanced Cancer Biology | 3 |
| Biol 4715 | Basic Cancer Biology | 3 |
| Biol 4810 | General Biochemistry I | 3 |
| Biol 4820 | General Biochemistry II | 3 |
One of the following Biol 300+ courses (Area C in Biology):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Biol 3220 | Woody Plants of Missouri | 3 |
| Biol 3501 | Evolution | 4 |
| Biol 370 | Animal Behavior | 3 |
| Biol 4181 | Population Genetics | 3 |
| Biol 4182 | Macroevolution | 3 |
| Biol 419 | Community Ecology | 3 |
| Biol 4195 | Disease Ecology | 4 |
| Biol 472 | Behavioral Ecology | 4 |
One additional Biol 300+ major-track course (may include Biol 500):
Please refer to the Biology Course Listings in this Bulletin.
One of the following EnSt or EEPS 300+ courses:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| EEPS 317 | Soil Science | 3 |
| EEPS 323 | Biogeochemistry (only if not already taken for chemistry requirement) | 3 |
| EEPS 340 | Minerals, Rocks, Resources and the Environment | 4 |
| EEPS 353 | Earth Forces | 4 |
| EEPS 385 | Earth History | 3 |
| EEPS 409 | Surface Processes | 3 |
| EEPS 428 | Hydrology | 3 |
| EEPS 442 | Aqueous Geochemistry | 3 |
| EEPS 486 | Paleoclimatology | 3 |
| EnSt 364 | Field Methods for Environmental Science | 3 |
| EnSt 365 | Applied Conservation Biology | 3 |
Additional Information
Research
Research opportunities are available during the student's first and second years through Biol 200; such opportunities are available during the third and fourth years through Biol 500. A research emphasis in the major requires at least 6 credits (two semesters) of Biol 500 research and an approved senior thesis on this research, which is presented at the undergraduate symposium. The research emphasis is acknowledged on the degree as a research milestone.
Senior Honors
Biology majors are encouraged to work for senior honors, which require a 3.30 grade point average in biology, a 3.30 GPA in nonbiological sciences (mathematics, chemistry and physics courses), and a 3.65 overall GPA at the time of graduation. Also required are 6 units of Biol 500 research and an approved thesis from this work, equivalent to the research emphasis described in the preceding paragraph. Students interested in senior honors should begin Biol 500 no later than the spring of their junior year.
The Department of Biology awards the Marian Smith Spector Prize to an undergraduate who has an excellent academic record and who submits an outstanding honors thesis; it also awards the Ralph S. Quatrano Prize to the student whose thesis shows the greatest evidence of creativity in design, research methodology and/or broader scientific implications. The Harrison D. Stalker Prize is awarded to a graduating senior whose college career is distinguished by scholarship, service and breadth of interest.
Contact Info
| Phone: | 314-935-6860 |
| Email: | webmaster@biology.wustl.edu |
| Website: | http://wubio.wustl.edu |