Biological Sciences

Department Chairperson: Joyce Ache Gana

The Department of Biological Sciences offers a Bachelor of Science degree, a minor, and a Masters of Science degree (see graduate catalogue). Students may take courses in biological science, botany, physiology, and zoology. Students that graduate with a B.S. in Biology are prepared for a variety of positions in industry, government, health sciences and education, and are prepared for graduate school in any area of life sciences or professional school in medicine, veterinary science, pharmacy, and dentistry.

Assessment: The Department of Biological Sciences is committed to maximizing academic success of our students and uses student learning data and surveys to measure this. Direct and indirect measures of learning are collected each semester in core courses and non-majors courses. Student self-efficacy surveys help determine how students perceive their learning experiences. Together, the data are evaluated and shared within the department and drive ongoing pedagogical and curricular changes. Current program assessment plans and reports can be accessed from the department website (www.csu.edu/bioprehealth/) and viewed in the department main office (SCI 310).

Admission to the Biology UG program is open to all incoming freshmen and transfer students. The department does not accept D transfer credits in biology courses. A Biology Major requires a minimum of 120 semester hours. Biology majors must earn a grade of C or better in required biology courses and may earn a maximum of one D in required supportive courses. Biology majors can retake a required course twice, but require permission from the instructor and chair of the department to enroll a third time. Students who fail the third attempt will not be permitted to complete the Biology Major. Once enrolled at Chicago State University, biology majors may not take a major or supportive course at a two-year college.

There are three Biology majors in the department: BIOL (General Biology); BIOP (Biology-Pre Health (Pre-med/Pre-dent/pre-vet)), and BIOT (Biology-Secondary Teaching). BIOP and BIOT are pre-professional/professional biology majors.

Students may apply for admission to a concentration when they meet the following requirements:

Successful completion of 60 hours
Successful completion of BIOL 1701 and BIOL 1702 (This line was updated as a Catalog Addendum on 10/20/2023)
Successful completion of two semesters of General Chemistry
Successful completion of MATH 1210 or MATH 1250
Minimum GPA: 3.0 (Pre-Health Professions and Secondary Teaching)