Biology Option, General Studies, A.A.

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Associate of Arts | BIOL.AA | Transfer Program
www.pgcc.edu/programs_and_courses/program_detail.aspx?programid=6442462330
Visit chesapeake hall, room 100 or call 301-546-0422 for your faculty advisor

Program Description

This is a recommended program of study for students planning to pursue a bachelor’s degree in biology or a career in medicine, veterinary medicine, or physical therapy.

Graduates of the Biology Option will be able to:

Apply the scientific method and basic experimental design to interpret information and draw conclusions
Use critical thinking and abstract reasoning to synthesize biological concepts
Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between biological structure and function and the biological hierarchy of organization
Apply key concepts from chemistry and mathematics to solving biological problems
Communicate effectively using basic scientific terminology

General Education Courses

The list of general education courses appears in the General Education List . Some programs recommend or require specific courses to fulfill general education requirements. Please check your program’s sequence of study for this information.

Program Requirements

PAS-1000 First Year Experience 1 Credit **
BIO-1130 Principles of Biology: Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior 4 Credits
BIO-1140 Principles of Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology 4 Credits
CHM-1030 General Chemistry II Laboratory 2 Credits
CHM-2010 Organic Chemistry I 4 Credits
CHM-2020 Organic Chemistry II 3 Credits
CHM-2040 Organic Chemistry II Laboratory 2 Credits

Program Electives-choose two of the following (one must be at the 2000-level):

BIO-2010 Microbiology 4 Credits
BIO-2030 Genetics 4 Credits
BIO-2050 Human Anatomy and Physiology I 4 Credits
BIO-2090 Cell Biology 4 Credits
MAT-1360 Trigonometry and Analytic Geometry 4 Credits or higher
PHY-1010 Introductory Physics I 4 Credits

1-credit course if necessary

NOTE: General education and program requirements must equal a minimum of 60 credits.

Transferability

Credit earned at any public institution in the state shall be transferable to any other institution if the:

Credit is from a college or university parallel course or program;
Grades in the block of courses transferred average 2.00 or higher; and
Acceptance of the credit is consistent with the policies of the receiving institution governing students following the same program. Refer to ARTSYS at artweb.usmd.edu and the receiving institution’s catalog to select transferable courses.

Need Help?

For help selecting an academic program or courses, consider using Career Coach, available at www.pgcc.edu/go/careercoach.

Sequence of Study - Biology Option A.A.

Below are the required courses for your program arranged in a suggested sequence. Please note that the sequence does not include developmental coursework. See Academic Preparation for the developmental course sequence if applicable to you.

1st Semester

BIO-1130 Principles of Biology: Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior 4 Credits (Program Requirement)
CHM-1010 General Chemistry I 4 Credits (Science with Lab) *
EGL-1010 Composition I: Expository Writing 3 Credits (English Composition I) *
INT-1010 Introduction to Information Technology 3 Credits (Computer Literacy) *
PAS-1000 First Year Experience 1 Credit (Institutional Requirement)

Total: 15 Credits

2nd Semester

BIO-1140 Principles of Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology 4 Credits (Program Requirement)
CHM-1020 General Chemistry II 3 Credits (Science) *
CHM-1030 General Chemistry II Laboratory 2 Credits (Program Requirement)
EGL-1340 Composition II: Writing about Technical Topics 3 Credits (English Composition II) *
General Education History course 3 Credits (Social Science) *

Total: 15 Credits

3rd Semester

Choose from “Program Electives” 4 Credits (Program Elective) ^{1, 2, 3}
General Education Speech course 3 Credits (Humanities) *
MAT-1360 Trigonometry and Analytic Geometry 4 Credits or higher (Math) *
CHM-2010 Organic Chemistry I 4 Credits (Program Requirement)
1-credit course (if necessary to reach a minimum of 60 credits) (Elective)

Total: 15 Credits

4th Semester

Choose from “Program Electives” 4 Credits (Program Elective) ^{1, 2, 3}
CHM-2020 Organic Chemistry II 3 Credits (Program Requirement)
CHM-2040 Organic Chemistry II Laboratory 2 Credits (Program Requirement)
2000-level General Education Humanities course other than Speech 3 Credits (Humanities) *
2000-level Social Science General Education course other than History 3 Credits (Social Science)

Total: 15 Credits

Program Total: 60 Credits

¹ Two semesters of calculus (MAT-2410 and MAT-2420 ) are required for admission to biology programs at some transfer institutions, including the UMCP Limited Enrollment Programs. Students eligible for calculus should take MAT-2410 as the general education math requirement and 2420 as one of the program electives.

² Students pursuing careers in physical therapy should take BIO-2050 and PHY-1010 as their two program electives.

³ One of the program electives must be at the 2000 level.

Asterisk (*) denotes a general education course.

Double asterisk (**) denotes a course that is an institutional requirement.