Road Maps

Curriculum Guides for Graduation

NOTE: The Road Maps discussed below are for the academic year 2004-2005. For more recent years (2005-2006, 2006-2007, and so on) please visit the
University Advising Tools Website .

The following “Road Maps” provide a guide for graduation in 4, 5, or 6 years. For the majors in Biological Sciences, graduation in 4 years requires that you take about 16-18 units/quarter. Graduation in 5 years requires that you take 12 – 14 units/quarter. For the 6-year plan, we have included remedial courses in the first year. These plans do not include summer courses. Taking courses in summer quarter will allow you to graduate sooner and/or take fewer courses during the academic year.

Courses that are in a series should be taken sequentially, one right after the other. These courses include: Bio 121/L – Bio 123/L, Chm 121/L – 122/L, Physics 121/L – 123/L, Chm 314/317L – 316/319L, Chm 327/L – 329/L.
In general, 100 and 200 level course should be taken before 300 and 400 level courses.
General Education courses are spread over the 4, 5, or 6 years. Taking one (possibly two) GE courses/quarter provides you a diversity of courses, and allows you to mix lab courses and non-lab courses so you do not have all lab courses in your last year(s).
All of the courses in biological sciences that have a laboratory component require that you take the lecture and lab concurrently—at the same time. The lecture and lab are “co-requisites.”
Pay close attention to pre-requisites. For example, the Foundations of Biology series (Bio 121/L – 123/L) is a pre-requisite for all of the other courses in biological sciences. Statistics (Sta 120) is a pre-requisite for some majors for Biometrics (Bio 211/L), which is a pre-requisite for Ecology (Bio 325/L). Genetics (Bio 303) is a pre-requisite for Bio 310 (Cell and Molecular Biology), and for Evolution (Bio 413).
Most of the lower division (100 and 200 level) courses are offered every quarter. Many of the upper division courses are offered only once or twice a year.

Courses that are usually offered every quarter include Bot 201/L (Form and Function in Plants), Zoo 201/L (Animal Biology), Mic 201/L (Basic Microbiology), Bio 211/L (Biometrics), Zoo 234/L (Human Anatomy), Zoo 235/L (Human Physiology), Zoo 238/L (Vertebrate Zoology), Bio 303 (Genetics), Bio 310 (Cell and Molecular Biology), Bio 304 (Environment and Society), Bio 490 (Scientific Communication), Zoo 413 (Evolution).

Courses that are usually offered twice a year include Zoo 237/L (Invertebrate Zoology—Fall and Winter), Bio 325/L (Ecology—Fall and Spring), Bio 428/L (Cell Physiology—Fall and Spring), Bot 428/L (Plant Physiology—Fall and Winter), Zoo 428/L (Animal Physiology—Fall and Winter), Mic 410/L (Medical Bacteriology—Fall and Spring), Mic 430/L (Virology—Winter and Spring).

Courses that are usually offered once a year include Bio 450 (Concepts of Molecular Biology—Fall), Bio 451/L (Molecular Biology Techniques—Winter), Mic 415/L (Immunology-Serology—Fall), Mic 425/L (Medical Mycology—Winter), Mic 444/L (Hematology—Winter), Mic 445/L (Immunohematology—Spring).

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