Biological Sciences (BS): Integrative Physiology and Neurobiology Concentration
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The B.S. in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Integrative Physiology and NeurobiologyÌý(IPN)Ìýprovides a comprehensive grounding in basic principles of physiology and neuroscience, as well as in-depth exposure to the application of those principles in understanding whole-animal function, links between physiology and behavior, and the ways in which animals cope with challenges presented by their environments.
IPN students graduate with the skills to work in various industries and government agencies. Graduates may also choose to continue their education by pursuing advanced degrees in many areas of the life sciences, including neuroscience, endocrinology, cell biology, and physiology. The IPN concentration also prepares students to pursue degrees in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and other health-related areas.
Plan Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exploring the Life Sciences | |||
| ³¢³§°äÌý103 | Exploring Opportunities in the Life Sciences | 1 | |
| Writing | |||
| Advanced Writing Requirement Elective 1 | 3 | ||
Cannot be double-counted for a GEP requirement. | |||
| Biological Sciences | |||
| ³¢³§°äÌý101 | Critical and Creative Thinking in the Life Sciences 1 | 2 | |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity 1 | 4 | |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology 1 | 4 | |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý414 | Cell Biology 1 | 3 | |
| ´Ç°ùÌýµþ±õ°¿Ìý416 | Cancer Cell Biology | ||
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý424 | Endocrinology 1 | 3 | |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý488 | Neurobiology 1 | 3 | |
| µþ°ä±áÌý351 | General Biochemistry 1 | 3-4 | |
| ´Ç°ùÌýµþ°ä±áÌý451 | Principles of Biochemistry | ||
| ³Ò±·Ìý311 | Principles of Genetics 1 | 4 | |
| ³Ò±·Ìý312 | Elementary Genetics Laboratory 1 | 1 | |
| Select one of the following Physiology courses: 1 | 4 | ||
| Principles of Human Anatomy & Physiology (A): Nervous, Skeletal, Muscular, & Digestive Systems | |||
| Principles of Human Anatomy & Physiology (B): Endocrine, Cardiovascular, Respiratory & Renal Systems | |||
| Animal Anatomy and Physiology | |||
| Physical & Mathematical Sciences | |||
| ²Ñ´¡Ìý131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | 3 | |
| ´Ç°ùÌý²Ñ´¡Ìý141 | Calculus I | ||
| ²Ñ´¡Ìý231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B | 3 | |
| ´Ç°ùÌý²Ñ´¡Ìý241 | Calculus II | ||
| °ä±áÌý101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science | 3 | |
| °ä±áÌý102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 | |
| °ä±áÌý201 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science | 3 | |
| °ä±áÌý202 | Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory | 1 | |
| °ä±áÌý221 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 | |
| °ä±áÌý222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab | 1 | |
| °ä±áÌý223 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 | |
| °ä±áÌý224 | Organic Chemistry II Lab | 1 | |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | ||
| College Physics I | |||
| Physics for Engineers and Scientists I and Physics for Engineers and Scientists I Laboratory | |||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | ||
| College Physics II | |||
| Physics for Engineers and Scientists II and Physics for Engineers and Scientists II Laboratory | |||
| ³§°ÕÌý311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 | |
| Major Electives | |||
| IPN Electives 1 | 9 | ||
| Supraorganismal Elective 1 | 3 | ||
| Additional Science & Math Electives | 6 | ||
| GEP Courses | |||
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 | |
| GEP Humanities | 6 | ||
| GEP Social Sciences | 6 | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | ||
| GEP Additional Breadth (Humanities/Social Sciences/Visual and Performing Arts) | 3 | ||
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 3 | ||
| GEP U.S. Diversity (verify requirement) | |||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | |||
| Foreign Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | |||
| Free Electives | |||
| Free Electives (12 Hr S/U Lmt) 2 | 10 | ||
| These electives cannot be remedial nor can they be taken at an elementary level after you have taken comparable coursework at a more advanced level. ³§°ÕÌý311 is recommended as a Free Elective. Students interested in graduate school or professional school should check the courses required for admission to the programs to which they plan to apply | |||
| Total Hours | 120 | ||
| 1 | A grade of C- or higher is required. |
| 2 | Students should consult their academic advisors to determine which courses fill this requirement. |
Advanced Writing Requirement Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý267 | Research in the Life Sciences I: Research Skills | ||
| °ä°¿²ÑÌý211 | Argumentation and Advocacy | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý214 | Introduction to Editing | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý232 | Literature and Medicine | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý287 | Explorations in Creative Writing | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý288 | Fiction Writing | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý289 | Poetry Writing | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý292 | Writing About Film | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý316 | Introduction to News and Article Writing | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý323 | Writing in the Rhetorical Tradition | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý331 | Communication for Engineering and Technology | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý332 | Communication for Business and Management | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý333 | Communication for Science and Research | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý381 | Creative Nonfiction Writing Workshop | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý388 | Intermediate Fiction Writing Workshop | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý389 | Intermediate Poetry Writing Workshop | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý416 | Advanced News and Article Writing | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý417 | Editorial and Opinion Writing | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý422 | Writing Theory and the Writing Process | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý425 | Analysis of Scientific and Technical Writing | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý426 | Analyzing Style | 3 |
IPN Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students can use up to 3 hours of BIO 492 or BIO 493 or ´¡³¢³§Ìý499 toward IPN Electives. | |||
| ´¡·¡°äÌý515 | Fish Physiology | 3 | |
| ´¡±·³§Ìý220 | Reproductive Physiology | ||
| ´¡±·³§Ìý221 | Reproductive Physiology Lab | ||
| ´¡±·³§Ìý415 | Comparative Nutrition | ||
| ´¡±·³§Ìý452 | Comparative Reproductive Physiology and Biotechnology | ||
| ´¡±·³§Ìý515 | Comparative Nutrition | ||
| ´¡±·³§Ìý552 | Comparative Reproductive Physiology and Biotechnology | ||
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý361 | Developmental Biology | 3 | |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý418 | Cell Biology Research Lab | 2 | |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý432 | Evolutionary Medicine | 3 | |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý434 | Hormones and Behavior | 3 | |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý444 | The Biology of Love and Sex | 3 | |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý483 | Capstone Course in Integrative Physiology and Neurobiology | 3 | |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý518 | Experience and the Brain | 3 | |
| µþ±õ°ÕÌý464 | Protein Purification | ||
| µþ±õ°ÕÌý466 | Animal Cell Culture Techniques | ||
| µþ±õ°ÕÌý471 | RNA Interference and Model Organisms | ||
| µþ±õ°ÕÌý564 | Protein Purification | ||
| µþ±õ°ÕÌý566 | Animal Cell Culture Techniques | ||
| µþ±õ°ÕÌý571 | RNA Interference and Model Organisms | ||
| ·¡±·°ÕÌý503 | Insect Morphology and Physiology | 3 | |
| ¹ó°ÂÌý515 | Fish Physiology | 3 | |
| ³Ò±·Ìý434 | Genes and Development | ||
| ³Ò±·Ìý441 | Human and Biomedical Genetics | ||
| ³Ò±·Ìý453 | Personal Genomics | ||
| ³Ò±·Ìý456 | Epigenetics, Development, and Disease | 3 | |
| ³Ò±·Ìý541 | Human and Biomedical Genetics | ||
| ²ÑµþÌý441 | Immunology | 3 | |
| ±·°Õ¸éÌý415 | Comparative Nutrition | ||
| ±·°Õ¸éÌý419 | Human Nutrition and Chronic Disease | 3 | |
| ±·°Õ¸éÌý515 | Comparative Nutrition | ||
| ±Ê±á³ÛÌý452 | Comparative Reproductive Physiology and Biotechnology | ||
| ±Ê±á³ÛÌý503 | General Physiology I | 3 | |
| ±Ê±á³ÛÌý504 | General Physiology II | 3 | |
| ±Ê±á³ÛÌý524 | Comparative Endocrinology | 3 | |
| ±Ê±á³ÛÌý552 | Comparative Reproductive Physiology and Biotechnology | ||
| ±Ê°¿Ìý415 | Comparative Nutrition | ||
| ±Ê°¿Ìý466 | Animal Cell Culture Techniques | ||
| ±Ê°¿Ìý515 | Comparative Nutrition | ||
| ±Ê°¿Ìý524 | Comparative Endocrinology | 3 | |
| ±Ê³§³ÛÌý502 | Physiological Psychology | 3 | |
| °Õ°¿³ÝÌý401 | Principles of Toxicology | ||
| °Õ°¿³ÝÌý501 | Principles of Toxicology | ||
| ´Ü°¿Ìý513 | Comparative Physiology | 3 | |
| ´Ü°¿Ìý524 | 3 | ||
| Research/Professional Exp. | |||
| ´¡³¢³§Ìý499 | Honors Research or Teaching II | 1-4 | |
| µþ³§°äÌý492 | Professional Experience | 1-3 | |
| µþ³§°äÌý493 | Research Experience | 1-3 | |
Supraorganismal Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| ´¡·¡°äÌý360 | Ecology | 4 | |
| ´¡·¡°äÌý419 | Freshwater Ecology | 4 | |
| ´¡·¡°äÌý441 | Biology of Fishes | 3 | |
| ´¡·¡°äÌý442 | Biology of Fishes Laboratory | 1 | |
| ´¡·¡°äÌý460 | Field Ecology and Methods | 4 | |
| ´¡·¡°äÌý501 | Avian Ecology | 4 | |
| ´¡·¡°äÌý519 | Freshwater Ecology | 4 | |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý270 | Introduction to Evolution | 3 | |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý330 | Evolutionary Biology | 3 | |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý432 | Evolutionary Medicine | ||
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý440 | The Human Animal: An Evolutionary Perspective | 3 | |
| ·¡±·°ÕÌý425 | General Entomology | 3 | |
| ¹ó°¿¸éÌý565 | Plant Community Ecology | 4 | |
| ¹ó°ÂÌý353 | Wildlife Management | 3 | |
| ²Ñ·¡´¡Ìý220 | Marine Biology | 3 | |
| ±·¸éÌý406 | Conservation of Biological Diversity | 3 | |
| ±ÊµþÌý360 | Ecology | 4 | |
| ±ÊµþÌý400 | Plant Diversity and Evolution | 4 | |
| ±ÊµþÌý403 | Systematic Botany | 4 | |
| ±ÊµþÌý503 | Systematic Botany | 4 | |
| ±Ê±ÊÌý222 | Kingdom of Fungi | 3 | |
| ´Ü°¿Ìý317 | Primate Ecology and Evolution | 3 | |
| ´Ü°¿Ìý333 | Captive Animal Biology | 3 | |
| ´Ü°¿Ìý350 | Animal Phylogeny and Diversity | 4 | |
| ´Ü°¿Ìý402 | Invertebrate Biology | 4 | |
| ´Ü°¿Ìý410 | Introduction to Animal Behavior | 3 | |
| ´Ü°¿Ìý542 | Herpetology | 3 |
Additional Science and Math ElectivesÌý
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEC/GN 450 | Conservation Genetics | ||
| BEC/BIT 463 | Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | ||
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý230 | The Science of Studying Dinosaurs | ||
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý240 | Principles of Human Anatomy & Physiology (A): Nervous, Skeletal, Muscular, & Digestive Systems | ||
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý245 | Principles of Human Anatomy & Physiology (B): Endocrine, Cardiovascular, Respiratory & Renal Systems | ||
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý310 | Quantitative Approaches to Biological Problems | ||
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý416 | Cancer Cell Biology | ||
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý418 | Cell Biology Research Lab | ||
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý432 | Evolutionary Medicine | ||
| µþ±õ°ÕÌý477 | Metagenomics | ||
| ³Ò±·Ìý428 | Introduction to Machine Learning in Biology | ||
| ³Ò±·Ìý453 | Personal Genomics | ||
| ²Ñ´¡Ìý331 | Differential Equations for the Life Sciences | ||
| ²ÑµþÌý470 | Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases | ||
| ±ÊµþÌý205 | Our Green World | ||
| ´Ü°¿Ìý334 | Captive Animal Biology Field Laboratory | ||
| ´Ü°¿Ìý486 | Capstone Course in Zoology |
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| ³¢³§°äÌý101 | Critical and Creative Thinking in the Life Sciences | 2 |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity 1 | 4 |
| °ä±áÌý101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science 1 | 3 |
| °ä±áÌý102 | General Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| ²Ñ´¡Ìý131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A 1 | 3 |
| ³¢³§°äÌý103 | Exploring Opportunities in the Life Sciences | 1 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology 1 | 4 |
| °ä±áÌý221 | Organic Chemistry I 1 | 3 |
| °ä±áÌý222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab 1 | 1 |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| ²Ñ´¡Ìý231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B 1 | 3 |
| Ìý | Hours | 15 |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ´Ü°¿Ìý250 | Animal Anatomy and Physiology | Ìý |
| °ä±áÌý223 | Organic Chemistry II 1 | 3 |
| °ä±áÌý224 | Organic Chemistry II Lab 1 | 1 |
| ³§°ÕÌý311 | Introduction to Statistics 1 | 3 |
| GEP Additional Breadth (Humanities/Social Sciences/Visual and Performing Arts) | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 11 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ³Ò±·Ìý311 | Principles of Genetics 1 | 4 |
| ³Ò±·Ìý312 | Elementary Genetics Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| °ä±áÌý201 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science 1 | 3 |
| °ä±áÌý202 | Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 3 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 15 |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ±Ê³ÛÌý211 | College Physics I 1 | 4 |
| µþ°ä±áÌý351 or µþ°ä±áÌý451 | General Biochemistry 1 or Principles of Biochemistry | 3-4 |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý488 | Neurobiology 1 | 3 |
| µþ±õ°¿Ìý424 | Endocrinology 1 | 3 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 16-17 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ±Ê³ÛÌý212 | College Physics II 1 | 4 |
| Cell Biology Requirement | 3 | |
| Advanced Writing Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 13 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| IPN Elective | 3 | |
| IPN Elective | 3 | |
| Science and Math Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 2-3 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 14-15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Supraorganismal Elective | 3 | |
| IPN Elective | 3 | |
| Science and Math Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 15 |
| Ìý | Total Hours | 114-116 |
| 1 | A grade of C- or higher is required. |
Career Opportunities
IPN concentration students graduate with the skills to work in various industries and government agencies. Graduates may also choose to continue their education by pursuing advanced degrees in many areas of the life sciences, including neuroscience, endocrinology, cell biology, and physiology. The IPN concentration also prepares students to pursue degrees in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and other health-related areas.