Overview
The goal of the Biological Sciences Program is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to enter a career or graduate program in the biological sciences.The Program aims to provide quality education in the life sciences to a diverse student body using wide ranging and experiential classroom interventions. The objective is to create and maintain a challenging, yet supportive learning environment which facilitates student success in the field of science.
The program offers a Bachelor of Science in Biology, which provides students with a rigorous background in the field. Students interested in Nursing may also pursue an Associate degree in Liberal Arts with a focus on Biology, which provides them with the necessary prerequisites for Nursing School. The Biological Sciences program is designed to increase and optimize the student’s future opportunities. It prepares them for graduate work, entrance exams, professional and/or research-oriented further studies and careers in biology and health sciences. To elaborate, the University offers courses such Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, Chemistry, Statistics, Life Span Development and Abnormal Psychology, most of which are the prerequisites for nursing school.
Program Objectives
The educational objectives of the Biological Sciences Program are to produce graduates who:
- Describe the basic structures and fundamental processes of life at molecular, cellular and organismal levels.
- Explain the relationship between life forms and their environment and ecosystems.
- Find, select and evaluate various types of scientific information including primary research articles, mass media sources and web information.
- Effectively analyze and apply scientific knowledge and methodologies for evaluating scientific issues that affect daily life and society.
- Communicate effectively in written and oral forms.
- Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the biological sciences by passing the MFAT exam at the end of the degree program.
A graduate in Biology can pursue the following career opportunities:
- Nurse Practitioner
- Physician’s Assistant
- Physician and Surgeon
- Dentist
- Pharmacist
- Podiatrist
- Research: Biochemist or Biophysicist
- Microbiologist
- Food or Environmental Scientist
- Zoologist or Wildlife Biologist
- Lab technician
- Phlebotomist
- Genetic Counselor
- Medical and Health Services Manager
- Physiotherapist
- Occupational Therapy
- Speech Pathologist
- Health Educator
- Law: Medical Malpractice or Environmental Attorney
- Neurotechnologist
Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Biology
The Bachelor of Science degree in Biology requires a minimum of 180 credit hours distributed as follows:
1. Graduation Requirements
180 credits
General Education Core Courses (64 Credit Hours)
Major Core Courses (100 Credit Hours)
Elective Courses (16 Credit Hours)
2. Mandatory Courses
(included in the 180 credits)
- English Senior Seminar
- Computer Science 101
- EWU Signature Course
- Biology Capstone
3. Pass MFAT exam in Biology
Degree Requirements
Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology Total Course Requirement: 180 credit hours
General Education Core Courses
(64 credit hours)
*indicates mandatory courses for graduation
Remedial courses do not count towards graduation.
English and Communications
(20 credit hours)
| EN151 | Rhetoric and Style |
| EN152 | Writing from Sources |
| EN157 | Practical Research Writing |
| EN166 | Speech |
| EN491 | Senior Seminar |
Mathematics and Science
(20 credit hours)
| MT153 | General Education Math |
| MT155 | Intermediate Algebra |
| MT158 | College Algebra |
| MT221 | Fundamentals of Statistics |
| --- | Science |
Behavioral & Social Sciences and Humanities
(20 credit hours)
| HM279 | East-West Signature Course |
| PS101 | Introduction to Psychology |
| PS311 | Life Span Development |
| PS330 | Abnormal Psychology |
| SC101 | Introduction to Sociology |
Computer and Information Science
(4 credit hours)
| CI101 | Computer Technology and Applications |
Major Courses
(100 credit hours)
Core Courses
(48 credit hours)
| BL111/112 | Biology of the Cell/Lab | 6 |
| BL121/122 | Biology of the Organism/Lab | 6 |
| BL227/228 | Botany/Lab | 6 |
| BL230/231 | Zoology/Lab | 6 |
| CH111/112 | Inorganic Chemistry I/Lab | 6 |
| CH151/152 | Inorganic Chemistry II/Lab | 6 |
| CH211/212 | Organic Chemistry I/Lab | 6 |
| CH261/262 | Organic Chemistry II/Lab | 6 |
Major Field Courses + Capstone
(52 credit hours)
| PH110/111 | College Physics I/Lab | 6 |
| PH210/211 | College Physics II/Lab | 6 |
| BL289 | Seminar in Biology | 4 |
| BL340 | Scientific Research | 4 |
| BL391 | Biostatistics | 4 |
| BL202/203 | Anatomy and Physiology I/Lab | 6 |
| BL202/203 | Anatomy and Physiology II/Lab | 6 |
| BL351 | Genetics | 4 |
| BL210/211 | Microbiology/Lab | 6 |
| CH351 | Biochemistry | 4 |
| BL451 | Molecular Physiology | 4 |
| BL499* | Senior Project Capstone | 4 |
Elective Courses
(16 credit hours)
| CI213 | Desktop Applications | 4 |
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Residency Requirement
A minimum of 48 or 24 credit hours of work completed in residence (at least half of which should be in the major) is required for students working towards a bachelor’s or an associate degree respectively. Residency is defined as class work which is completed by a student at East-West University during a quarter. No extension course, credit by examination, assessment of experiential learning, or HEB/ESL course applies towards residency requirement.
GPA Requirement
Minimum grade point average required for advancement and graduation:
Students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.00 to remain in good standing in the program.
Policies on Provisional or Probationary Status
- Students who fail to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 will be placed on probation. Students will have two quarters to raise their overall grade point average to 2.0 or above, or they may be dropped from the program at the discretion of the Program Director.
- Students who do not achieve a 2.00 average for the program will not graduate.
Assessment Program Requirements
As part of qualifying for graduation, all students scheduled to complete degree programs must satisfy all requirements of the University’s assessment program. This program assesses the student’s competencies in two basic areas:
Degree Assessment Exam
| Associate | General Education |
| Bachelor’s | Major Field Aptitude Test (MFAT) |
Students in the final year of their program are eligible for this assessment.