Biological Sciences (BS): Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Concentration
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There are five different avenues to earning a B.S. in Biological Sciences at NC State. Students studying for a degree in Biological Sciences can opt for a general curriculum (BLS) or can choose to focus in a particular area by selecting one of four areas of concentration: Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCD), Integrative Physiology and Neurobiology (IPN), Human Biology (HB), or Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology (EEC).
The MCD curriculum offers students in-depth studies of the molecular and cellular basis of life and the development of multicellular organisms. Many students in the MCD concentration focus on lab-based courses in biology, genetics and biotechnology (BIT), in preparation for graduate studies or work in industry.
Plan Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exploring the Life Sciences | |||
| 尝厂颁听103 | Exploring Opportunities in the Life Sciences | 1 | |
| Writing | |||
| Advanced Writing Requirement Elective | 3 | ||
| Biological Sciences | |||
| 尝厂颁听101 | Critical and Creative Thinking in the Life Sciences 1 | 2 | |
| 叠滨翱听181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity 1 | 4 | |
| 叠滨翱听183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology 1 | 4 | |
| 叠滨翱听414 | Cell Biology 1 | 3 | |
| 辞谤听叠滨翱听416 | Cancer Cell Biology | ||
| 叠滨翱听361 | Developmental Biology 1 | 3 | |
| 辞谤听骋狈听434 | Genes and Development | ||
| 叠滨罢听410 | Manipulation of Recombinant DNA 1 | 4 | |
| 叠颁贬听451 | Principles of Biochemistry | 4 | |
| 骋狈听311 | Principles of Genetics 1 | 4 | |
| 骋狈听312 | Elementary Genetics Laboratory 1 | 1 | |
| Select one of the following: 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 | |||
| 惭础听131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A 1 | 3 | |
| 辞谤听惭础听141 | Calculus I | ||
| 惭础听231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B 1 | 3 | |
| 辞谤听惭础听241 | Calculus II | ||
| 颁贬听101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science 1 | 3 | |
| 颁贬听102 | General Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 | |
| 颁贬听201 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science 1 | 3 | |
| 颁贬听202 | Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 | |
| 颁贬听221 | Organic Chemistry I 1 | 3 | |
| 颁贬听222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab 1 | 1 | |
| 颁贬听223 | Organic Chemistry II 1 | 3 | |
| 颁贬听224 | Organic Chemistry II Lab 1 | 1 | |
| Select one of the following: 1 | 4 | ||
| College Physics I | |||
| Physics for Engineers and Scientists I and Physics for Engineers and Scientists I Laboratory | |||
| Select one of the following: 1 | 4 | ||
| College Physics II | |||
| Physics for Engineers and Scientists II and Physics for Engineers and Scientists II Laboratory | |||
| Major Electives | |||
| MCDB Electives 1 | 9 | ||
| Additional Science & Math Electives | 8 | ||
| Learning Experience Elective | 3 | ||
| GEP Courses | |||
| 贰狈骋听101 | 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 | 9 | ||
| 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. 厂罢听311 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 叠滨翱听267 | Research in the Life Sciences I: Research Skills | ||
| 颁翱惭听211 | Argumentation and Advocacy | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听214 | Introduction to Editing | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听232 | Literature and Medicine | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听287 | Explorations in Creative Writing | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听288 | Fiction Writing | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听289 | Poetry Writing | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听292 | Writing About Film | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听316 | Introduction to News and Article Writing | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听323 | Writing in the Rhetorical Tradition | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听331 | Communication for Engineering and Technology | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听332 | Communication for Business and Management | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听333 | Communication for Science and Research | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听381 | Creative Nonfiction Writing Workshop | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听388 | Intermediate Fiction Writing Workshop | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听389 | Intermediate Poetry Writing Workshop | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听416 | Advanced News and Article Writing | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听417 | Editorial and Opinion Writing | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听422 | Writing Theory and the Writing Process | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听425 | Analysis of Scientific and Technical Writing | 3 | |
| 贰狈骋听426 | Analyzing Style | 3 |
MCDB Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 叠颁贬听452 | Introductory Biochemistry Laboratory | 2 | |
| 叠颁贬听453 | Biochemistry of Gene Expression | 3 | |
| 叠颁贬听455 | Proteins and Molecular Mechanisms | 3 | |
| 叠颁贬听553 | Biochemistry of Gene Expression | 3 | |
| 叠颁贬听555 | Proteins and Molecular Mechanisms | 3 | |
| 叠贰颁听463 | Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | 2 | |
| 叠贰颁听563 | Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | 2 | |
| 叠滨翱听269 | Research in the Life Sciences II: Guided Research | 3 | |
| 叠滨翱听370 | Developmental Anatomy of the Vertebrates | 3 | |
| 叠滨翱听375 | Developmental Anatomy Laboratory | 2 | |
| 叠滨翱听405 | Functional Histology | 3 | |
| 叠滨翱听482 | Capstone Course in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology | 3 | |
| 叠滨罢听462 | Gene Expression Analysis: Microarrays | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听463 | Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听464 | Protein Purification | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听465 | Real-time PCR Techniques | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听466 | Animal Cell Culture Techniques | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听467 | PCR and DNA Fingerprinting | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听468 | Genome Mapping | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听471 | RNA Interference and Model Organisms | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听473 | Protein Interactions | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听474 | Plant Genetic Engineering | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听476 | Applied Bioinformatics | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听477 | Metagenomics | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听478 | Mapping the Brain | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听481 | Plant Tissue Culture and Transformation | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听562 | Gene Expression Analysis: Microarrays | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听563 | Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听564 | Protein Purification | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听565 | Real-time PCR Techniques | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听566 | Animal Cell Culture Techniques | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听567 | PCR and DNA Fingerprinting | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听568 | Genome Mapping | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听571 | RNA Interference and Model Organisms | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听573 | Protein Interactions | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听574 | Plant Genetic Engineering | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听577 | Metagenomics | 2 | |
| 叠滨罢听578 | Mapping the Brain | 2 | |
| 颁贬贰听463 | Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | 2 | |
| 颁贬贰听563 | Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | 2 | |
| 骋狈听427 | Introductory Bioinformatics | 3 | |
| 骋狈听441 | Human and Biomedical Genetics | 3 | |
| 骋狈听451 | Genome Science | 3 | |
| 骋狈听456 | Epigenetics, Development, and Disease | 3 | |
| 骋狈听541 | Human and Biomedical Genetics | 3 | |
| 惭叠听351 | General Microbiology | 3 | |
| 惭叠听352 | General Microbiology Laboratory | 1 | |
| 惭叠听354 | Inquiry-Guided Microbiology Lab | 1 | |
| 惭叠听411 | Medical Microbiology | 3 | |
| 惭叠听412 | Medical Microbiology Laboratory | 1 | |
| 惭叠听414 | Microbial Metabolic Regulation | 3 | |
| 惭叠听420 | Fundamentals of Microbial Cell Biotransformations | 2 | |
| 惭叠听435 | Bacterial Pathogenesis | 3 | |
| 惭叠听441 | Immunology | 3 | |
| 惭叠听455 | Microbial Biotechnology | 3 | |
| 惭叠听461 | Molecular Virology | 3 | |
| 惭叠听520 | Fundamentals of Microbial Cell Biotransformations | 2 | |
| 惭叠听535 | Bacterial Pathogenesis | 3 | |
| 笔叠听421 | Plant Physiology | 3 | |
| 笔叠听480 | Introduction to Plant Biotechnology | 3 | |
| 笔叠听481 | Plant Tissue Culture and Transformation | 2 | |
| 笔叠听580 | Introduction to Plant Biotechnology | 3 | |
| 笔翱听466 | Animal Cell Culture Techniques | 2 | |
| 笔翱听566 | Animal Cell Culture Techniques | 2 |
Additional Science and Math Electives听
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEC/GN 450 | Conservation Genetics | ||
| BEC/BIT 463 | Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | ||
| 叠滨翱听230 | The Science of Studying Dinosaurs | ||
| 叠滨翱听240 | Principles of Human Anatomy & Physiology (A): Nervous, Skeletal, Muscular, & Digestive Systems | ||
| 叠滨翱听245 | Principles of Human Anatomy & Physiology (B): Endocrine, Cardiovascular, Respiratory & Renal Systems | ||
| 叠滨翱听310 | Quantitative Approaches to Biological Problems | ||
| 叠滨翱听416 | Cancer Cell Biology | ||
| 叠滨翱听418 | Cell Biology Research Lab | ||
| 叠滨翱听432 | Evolutionary Medicine | ||
| 叠滨罢听477 | Metagenomics | ||
| 骋狈听428 | Introduction to Machine Learning in Biology | ||
| 骋狈听453 | Personal Genomics | ||
| 惭础听331 | Differential Equations for the Life Sciences | ||
| 惭叠听470 | Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases | ||
| 笔叠听205 | Our Green World | ||
| 窜翱听334 | Captive Animal Biology Field Laboratory | ||
| 窜翱听486 | Capstone Course in Zoology |
Learning Experience Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learning experience in an appropriate area (research, teaching, or other professional experience), with prior approval by faculty adviser, prospective supervisor, and departmental undergraduate coordinator. Contact and arrangements with prospective supervisors is the responsibility of the student. Talk to your advisor about this requirement. | |||
| 叠滨翱听269 | Research in the Life Sciences II: Guided Research | 3 | |
| 叠滨翱听499 | Honors Project Part 2 | 3 | |
| 叠厂颁听492 | Professional Experience | 1-3 | |
| 叠厂颁听493 | Research Experience | 1-3 | |
| 叠厂颁听498 | Biological Sciences Honors Project Part 2 | 3 | |
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| 尝厂颁听101 | Critical and Creative Thinking in the Life Sciences 1 | 2 |
| 叠滨翱听181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity 1 | 4 |
| 颁贬听101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science 1 | 3 |
| 颁贬听102 | General Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| 惭础听131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A 1 | 3 |
| 尝厂颁听103 | Exploring Opportunities in the Life Sciences | 1 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 叠滨翱听183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology 1 | 4 |
| 颁贬听221 | Organic Chemistry I 1 | 3 |
| 颁贬听222 | Organic Chemistry I Lab 1 | 1 |
| 贰狈骋听101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 |
| 惭础听231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B 1 | 3 |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 窜翱听250 | Animal Anatomy and Physiology | 听 |
| 颁贬听223 | Organic Chemistry II 1 | 3 |
| 颁贬听224 | Organic Chemistry II Lab 1 | 1 |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 听 | Hours | 11 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 骋狈听311 | Principles of Genetics 1 | 4 |
| 骋狈听312 | Elementary Genetics Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| 颁贬听201 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science 1 | 3 |
| 颁贬听202 | Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 3 | |
| Learning Experience Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 笔驰听211 | College Physics I 1 | 4 |
| 叠滨翱听361 or 骋狈听434 | Developmental Biology 1 or Genes and Development | 3 |
| BCH听351 or 叠颁贬听451 | General Biochemistry 1 or Principles of Biochemistry | 4 |
| Advanced Writing Requirement | 3 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 17 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 笔驰听212 | College Physics II 1 | 4 |
| Cell Biology Requirment | 3 | |
| 叠滨罢听410 | Manipulation of Recombinant DNA 1 | 4 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 14 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| MCD Elective | 3 | |
| MCD Elective | 3 | |
| Science and Math Elective | 4 | |
| GEP Additional Breadth (Humanities/Social Sciences/Visual and Performing Arts) | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| MCD Elective | 3 | |
| Science and Math Elective | 4 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 13 |
| 听 | Total Hours | 116 |
| 1 | A grade of C- or higher is required. |
Career Opportunities
Many students majoring in the Department of Biological Sciences take advantage of scholarship and honors programs available at NC State, including the 福利逼站 Honors Program and the 福利逼站 Scholars Program.听 In addition, we offer a discipline-based Undergraduate Honors Program in Biological Sciences (DBS Honors Program).听 The DBS Honors Program requires students to design a challenging program of advanced study, including eight credits of honors coursework in biology and at least two semesters of research or teaching scholarship.听 Participants write an honors thesis and are required to present their scholarly work at a local, regional, or national meeting.听 Invitations to join the DBS Honors Program are sent in the first three weeks of the Fall and Spring semesters.听听Students in any major in the Department of Biological Sciences who have earned an overall GPA of 3.60 after completing 30-65 credit hours at NC State will receive an invitation to join the DBS Honors Program; transfer students in any of our majors who have earned an overall GPA of 3.60 in 15 credit hours at NC State also will receive an invitation.听听
Students who graduate from the Department of Biological Sciences are well prepared for employment in various government agencies and private industries. Graduates may continue their education with studies leading to advanced degrees in many areas of the biological sciences, including cell biology, ecology, microbiology, genetics, zoology, neurobiology, and biomedical disciplines. Many choose to seek advanced degrees in medicine, dentistry, optometry, veterinary medicine, public health, and other health-related fields. Students who plan to seek certification for pre-college teaching may want to pursue a second major in the Department of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Education.