Genetics (BS)
The Genetics program offers undergraduate majors classroom training in fundamentals of genetics and other sciences, as well as opportunities for meaningful research experience. The degree in genetics is the only genetics major offered in the UNC system.
The genetics major complements other degree programs in the biological and life sciences at N.C. State, as it prepares students for further graduate study, professional schools (such as medical, dental, veterinary, genetic counseling) or careers in industries whose products are based on biological and agricultural research, including biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Building on the strength of NC State as a leader in science and technology, students in the program can easily earn a concurrent minor in any of the other life sciences curricula, as well as other programs such as statistics or biotechnology.
Responsible conduct as a scientist and citizen are emphasized in the genetics coursework, and students will also have opportunities for public service and engagement through participation in the genetics outreach program. Students will be challenged to master their coursework while practicing hands-on problem-solving in both the classroom and active research settings. Genetics students also will be required to read the primary literature and present papers and their research findings, thus gaining valuable experience in scientific communication.
Contact Person
Dr. Whitney Jones
2526B Thomas Hall
wmjones4@ncsu.edu
Plan Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Orientation | ||
| Select one of the following courses: 1 | 1 | |
| Freshmen in LSFY should select 尝厂颁听103. Freshmen in ENVFY should select 贰狈痴听100. Transfer students should select 叠厂颁听303. | ||
| Exploring Opportunities in the Life Sciences | ||
| Student Success in Environmental First Year | ||
| Transfer Student Transitions | ||
| Advanced Writing/Communication | ||
| Select one of the following courses: 1 | 3 | |
| Communication for Science and Research | ||
| Research in the Life Sciences I: Research Skills | ||
| Mathematical Sciences & Physics | ||
| 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 | |
| 厂罢听311 | Introduction to Statistics 1 | 3 |
| 辞谤听厂罢听371 | Introduction to Probability and Distribution Theory | |
| 笔驰听211 | College Physics I 1,2,3 | 4 |
| 笔驰听212 | College Physics II 1,2,3 | 4 |
| Chemistry | ||
| 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 1,2 | 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 1,2 | 3 |
| 颁贬听224 | Organic Chemistry II Lab 1 | 1 |
| Required Life Sciences | ||
| 尝厂颁听101 | Critical and Creative Thinking in the Life Sciences 1 | 2 |
| 辞谤听贰狈痴听101 | Exploring the Environment | |
| 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 |
| 骋狈听311 | Principles of Genetics 1 | 4 |
| 骋狈听312 | Elementary Genetics Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| 骋狈听421 | Molecular Genetics 1 | 3 |
| 骋狈听423 | Population, Quantitative and Evolutionary Genetics 1 | 3 |
| 骋狈听425 | Advanced Genetics Laboratory 1 | 2 |
| 叠颁贬听351 | General Biochemistry 1,2 | 3 |
| 辞谤听叠颁贬听451 | Principles of Biochemistry | |
| Select one of the following Cell Biology/Physiology courses: 1 | 3 | |
| Physiology of Domestic Animals | ||
| Cellular and Molecular Biology | ||
| Principles of Human Anatomy & Physiology (A): Nervous, Skeletal, Muscular, & Digestive Systems | ||
| Principles of Human Anatomy & Physiology (B): Endocrine, Cardiovascular, Respiratory & Renal Systems | ||
| Cancer Cell Biology | ||
| Plant Physiology | ||
| Animal Anatomy and Physiology | ||
| Genetics Electives 1 | ||
| Select 9 credit hours from the following courses: At least 6 credit hours must be GN prefix courses 1 | 9 | |
| Introductory Bioinformatics | ||
| Introduction to Machine Learning in Biology | ||
| Genes and Development | ||
| Human and Biomedical Genetics | ||
| Conservation Genetics | ||
| Genome Science | ||
| Personal Genomics | ||
| Epigenetics, Development, and Disease | ||
| Genetics Colloquium | ||
| Genetics Research Experience (S allowed) | ||
| Genetics Teaching Experience (S allowed) | ||
| Genes and Development | ||
| Human and Biomedical Genetics | ||
| Conservation Genetics | ||
| Animal Genetic Improvement | ||
| Animal Genetic Improvement | ||
| Plant Breeding | ||
| Developmental Biology | ||
| Evolutionary Medicine | ||
| Fundamentals of Bioinformatics | ||
| Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) for Conservation and Society | ||
| Forest Genetics | ||
| Plant Micropropagation and Tissue Culture | ||
| Plant Micropropagation and Tissue Culture | ||
| Microbial Biotechnology | ||
| Microbial Biotechnology | ||
| Genetics in Marine Science | ||
| Genetics in Marine Science | ||
| Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and Physiology | ||
| Introduction to Plant Biotechnology | ||
| Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and Physiology | ||
| Introduction to Plant Biotechnology | ||
| High Impact Learning Experience | ||
| High Impact Learning Experience 1 | ||
| Select 3 credit hours from the following list of courses 1 | 3 | |
| Research in the Life Sciences II: Guided Research | ||
| Cell Biology Research Lab | ||
| Phage Hunters | ||
| Phage Genomics | ||
| Biotechnology and Sustainability | ||
| Cancer Drug Discovery and Development | ||
| Directed Evolution | ||
| Portable Genome Sequencing | ||
| Fermentation of Recombinant Microorganisms | ||
| Protein Purification | ||
| RNA Interference and Model Organisms | ||
| Protein Interactions | ||
| Metagenomics | ||
| Virus Biotechnology: Pathogens to Therapeutics | ||
| Professional Experience (S allowed) | ||
| Research Experience (S allowed) | ||
| Teaching Experience (S allowed) | ||
| Biological Sciences Honors Project Part 1 (S allowed) | ||
| Biological Sciences Honors Project Part 2 (S allowed) | ||
| Genetics Research Experience (S allowed) | ||
| Genetics Teaching Experience (S allowed) | ||
| Phage Hunters | ||
| Phage Genomics | ||
| Restricted Electives | ||
| Select 9 credit hours from the following list of courses. Courses must come from two or more prefixes with a maximum of 3 credit hours at the 200 level. 1 | 9 | |
| Restricted Electives 1 | ||
| 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 Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 3 | |
| GEP Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Foundations of American Democracy (verify requirement) | ||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | ||
| World Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | ||
| Free Electives | ||
| Free Electives (12 Hr S/U Lmt) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- 1
A grade of C- or higher is required.
- 2
At most, one passing grade lower than C- is allowed for these science courses (CH 201, CH 223, BCH 351, BCH 451, PY 211, PY 212).
- 3
PY 201 or PY 205 and PY 206 may be substituted for PY 211. PY 202 or PY 208 and PY 209 may be substituted for PY 212
Restricted Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Any course at the 200 level and higher from the following prefixes: BIO, BSC, DSA, GGA, GN, MB, TOX, ZO | ||
| 础狈罢听370 | Introduction to Forensic Anthropology | 3 |
| 础狈罢听371 | Human Variation | 3 |
| 叠贰颁听425 | Molecular Biology for Biomanufacturing | 2 |
| 叠贰颁听445 | Cell Line Development for Biomanufacturing | 2 |
| 叠贰颁听545 | Cell Line Development for Biomanufacturing | 2 |
| 叠滨罢听410 | Manipulation of Recombinant DNA | 4 |
| 叠滨罢听510 | Core Technologies in Molecular and Cellular Biology | 4 |
| 贰狈罢听425 | General Entomology | 3 |
| 贵奥听333 | Conservation Biology in Practice | 3 |
| 惭础听331 | Differential Equations for the Life Sciences | 3 |
| 惭础听341 | Applied Differential Equations I | 3 |
| 惭贰础听220 | Marine Biology | 3 |
| 惭贰础听252 | Biology of Marine Mammals | 3 |
| 惭贰础听350 | Marine Conservation Biology | 3 |
| 惭贰础听449 | Principles of Biological Oceanography | 3 |
| 惭贰础听454 | Marine Physical-Biological Interactions | 3 |
| 惭贰础听468 | Aquatic Microbiology | 3 |
| 笔叠听400 | Plant Diversity and Evolution | 4 |
| 笔厂驰听430 | Biological Psychology | 3 |
| 厂罢听312 | Introduction to Statistics II | 3 |
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| 尝厂颁听101 or 贰狈痴听101 | Critical and Creative Thinking in the Life Sciences 1 or Exploring the Environment | 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 or 贰狈痴听100 | Exploring Opportunities in the Life Sciences 1 or Student Success in Environmental First Year | 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 |
| 惭础听231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B 1 | 3 |
| 贰狈骋听101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 颁贬听223 | Organic Chemistry II 1,2 | 3 |
| 颁贬听224 | Organic Chemistry II Lab 1 | 1 |
| 厂罢听311 | Introduction to Statistics 1 | 3 |
| Cell Biology/Physiology 1 | 3 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| 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 1,2 | 3 |
| 颁贬听202 | Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| Restricted Elective 1 | 3 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 骋狈听421 | Molecular Genetics 1 | 3 |
| 骋狈听423 | Population, Quantitative and Evolutionary Genetics 1 | 3 |
| High Impact Learning Experience 1 | 3 | |
| Advanced Writing/Communication 1 | 3 | |
| GEP Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 骋狈听425 | Advanced Genetics Laboratory 1 | 2 |
| Genetics Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Biochemistry 1,2 | 3 | |
| 笔驰听211 | College Physics I 1,2,3 | 4 |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| 笔驰听212 | College Physics II 1,2,3 | 4 |
| Genetics Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 13 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Genetics Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective 1 | 3 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 6 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| 听 | Total Hours | 120 |
- 1
A grade of C- or higher is required.
- 2
At most, one passing grade lower than C- is allowed for these science courses (CH 201, CH 223, BCH 351, BCH 451, PY 211, PY 212).
- 3
PY 201 or PY 205 and PY 206 may be substituted for PY 211. PY 202 or PY 208 and PY 209 may be substituted for PY 212.听
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.
Career Titles
- Agricultural Sciences Professor
- Biochemist
- Biologist
- Biology Professor
- Botanist
- Cardiologist (MD)
- Environmental Research Analyst
- Family Practitioner (MD)
- Food & Drug Inspector
- Forensic Science Technicians
- General Internists (MD)
- Genetic Counselors
- Geneticist
- Greenhouse and Nursery Manager
- Marine and Aquatic Biologist
- Medical and Health Services Managers
- Microbiologist
- Molecular and Cellular Biologists
- Pathologist (MD)
- Pharmacologist
- Public Health Service Officer
- Sales Representative (Chemicals & Drugs)
- Zoologist
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