McCausland College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Biological Sciences
Bulletin Year: 2026-2027

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Semester One (17-18 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 101	Critical Reading and Composition (CC-CMW)	3	C
	MATH 122 or MATH 141	Calculus for Bus. Admin. & Soc. Sci. or Calculus 13 (CC-ARP)	3-4			C or better in MATH 111/111I/115 (MATH 122); C or better in MATH 112/115/116 (MATH 141); or through placement exam
!	BIOL 101& 101L or BIOL102 and 102L	Biological Principles I or Biological Principles II (CC-SCI)	4	C
	CHEM 111 & 111L	General Chemistry I (PR)	4			C or better in MATH 111 or higher (or by placement into MATH 115 or higher)
		Foreign Language4 or other Carolina Core Req.5 (CC-GFL)	3

Semester Two (17-18 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
!	ENGL 102	Rhetoric and Composition (CC-CMW, CC-INF)	3	C		C or better in ENGL 101
	MATH 142 or MATH 170 or MATH 172	Calculus II or Finite Mathematics or Math.. Modeling for the Life Sci.3 (CC-ARP)	3-4			C or better in MATH 141 (MATH 142); C or better in MATH 111/111I/122 or through placement exam (MATH 170); C or better in MATH 122 or 141 (MATH 172)
!	BIOL 101& 101L or BIOL102 and 102L	Biological Principles I or Biological Principles II (CC-SCI)	4	C
	CHEM 112 & 112L	General Chemistry II (PR)	4			C or better in MATH 111 or higher MATH (or by placement score into MATH 115 or higher); C or higher in CHEM 111L or CHEM 141L
		Foreign Language4 or other Carolina Core Req.5 (CC-GFL)	3

Semester Three (16-17 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	STAT 205	Elem. Stat. for the Biol. & Life Sci. (CR)	3			C or better in MATH 111 or higher or through placement exam
	BIOL 301(& optional Lab) or BIOL 302 (& optional Lab) or BIOL 303 (& optional Lab)	Ecology & Evolution or  Cell & Molecular Bio. or Fundamental Genetics (MR/CC-INT)	3-4	C		C or better in BIOL 102 or MSCI 311 (BIOL 301); C or better in BIOL 101 & in 102 or MSCI 311 & in CHEM 112 or 142 (BIOL 302); C or better in BIOL 101 & 102 or in MSCI 311 (BIOL 303)
	CHEM 333& 333L	Organic Chemistry I (PR)	4			C or higher in CHEM 112 or 142
		Foreign Language4 or other Carolina Core Req.5 (CC-GFL)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement5 (CC)	3

Semester Four (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	CSCE 102	Web Design & Development using AI tools (CR)	3
	BIOL 301(& optional Lab) or BIOL 302 (& optional Lab) or BIOL 303 (& optional Lab)	Ecology & Evolution or  Cell & Molecular Bio. or Fundamental Genetics (MR/CC-INT)	3-4	C		C or better in BIOL 102 or MSCI 311 (BIOL 301); C or better in BIOL 101 & in 102 or MSCI 311 & in CHEM 112 or 142 (BIOL 302); C or better in BIOL 101 & 102 or in MSCI 311 (BIOL 303)
		Social Science (CR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement5 (CC)	3
		Elective6 (PR)	3

Semester Five (15-16 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
	BIOL 301(& optional Lab) or BIOL 302 (& optional Lab) or BIOL 303 (& optional Lab)	Ecology & Evolution or  Cell & Molecular Bio. or Fundamental Genetics (MR/CC-INT)	3-4	C		C or better in BIOL 102 or MSCI 311 (BIOL 301); C or better in BIOL 101 & in 102 or MSCI 311 & in CHEM 112 or 142 (BIOL 302); C or better in BIOL 101 & 102 or in MSCI 311 (BIOL 303)
		Physiology or Plant Biology course7 (MR)	3	C
		History8 (CR)	3
		Humanities or Fine Arts (CR)	3
		Elective6 (PR)	3

Semester Six (14-15 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		Physiology or Plant Biology course7 (MR)	3	C
		Biological Sciences Elective9 (MR)	3-4	C		See Bulletin listing
		Carolina Core Requirement5 or Elective6 (CC/PR)	3
		Elective6 (PR)	3
		Elective6 (PR)	2

Semester Seven (12-14 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		Biological Sciences Elective9 (MR)	3-4	C		See Bulletin listing
		Biological Sciences Elective9 (MR)	3-4	C		See Bulletin listing
		Carolina Core Requirement5 or Elective6 (CC/PR)	3
		Elective6 (PR)	3

Semester Eight (13 Credit Hours)

Critical	Course Code	Subject and Title	Credit Hours	Min. Grade1	Major GPA2	Prerequisites
		Biological Sciences Elective and lab9 (MR)	4	C		See Bulletin listing
		Elective6 (PR)	3
		Elective6 (PR)	3
		Carolina Core Requirement5 or Elective6 (only if needed to meet CC or hours to graduate) (CC/PR)	3

Graduation Requirements Summary

Minimum Total Hours	Minimum Major Requirements Hours	College and Program Requirements Hours	Carolina Core Hours	Minimum Institutional GPA
120	28	48-60	32-44	2.000

1. Regardless of individual course grades, students must maintain a minimum 2.000 cumulative GPA.
2. Some colleges require a minimum GPA for major courses. Courses indicated in this column are included in the major GPA for this program of study.
3. Students who do not place into MATH 122 or 141 will be required to successfully complete the corresponding prerequisites before taking MATH 122 or 141. It is recommended that students take MATH 141 and 142. However, successful completion of MATH 122 and MATH 170 or 172 may be substituted.
4. Students in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences are required to demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the 122 course through course credit or the corresponding foreign language placement score.
5. The Carolina Core provides the common core of knowledge, skill and academic experience for all Carolina undergraduate students.
6. No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses. Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. A student may choose an optional minor consisting of at least 18 credit hours of courses concentrated in one area that follow a structured sequence. All minor courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher.
7. Physiology courses (3 credit hours): BIOL 425*, 460, 465, 543, 549*, 635. Plant courses (3 credit hours): BIOL 420, 423, 425*, 426, 523, 524, 525, 526^ (or 527^ or 528^), 549*, 671.
   • *BIOL 425 and 549 may ONLY be used for either the Physiology or Plant credit, NOT both.
   • ^Only ONE of BIOL 526-528 may apply for major credit.
8. The McCausland College of Arts and Sciences requires one U.S. History and one non-U.S. History course, both of which must be chosen from the approved Carolina Core GHS courses. Whichever is not fulfilled through the Carolina Core GHS requirement must be fulfilled through this college requirement.
9. In addition to the required 15 hours of major coursework, Biological Science majors must select 13 hours of Biological Sciences courses 300-level or higher for a total of 28 major hours. At least three courses applied toward the major must have an associated laboratory. No more than three credits of 398/399 may be applied toward the major. Two of 301, 302, or 303 must be completed to advance to 400-600 level courses. At least twelve credits of major courses must be at the 400-699 level.

Program Notes

• ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 must be completed in the student’s first 60 semester hours of work in order for these courses to be credited toward graduation. All biological sciences majors must earn at least a C in BIOL 101 and BIOL 102 to progress in the major.
• Biological Sciences majors may enroll in a biological sciences major course a maximum of twice to earn the required grade of C or higher. For the purposes of this standard of progression, withdrawal with a W does not constitute enrollment.
• It is recommended that students who are pursuing a pre-professional track should also complete PHYS 201 and Lab and PHYS 202 and Lab, which may be applied toward the cognate.
• All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade that covers the founding documents. This course may fulfill any requirement in the program of study. Courses that meet this requirement are listed in the academic bulletin.
• The last 30 credit hours toward your degree must be earned in residence at the University of South Carolina-Columbia.

Code Definitions

University Requirements: Bachelor’s degree-seeking students must meet Carolina Core (general education) requirements.

Code	Definition
CC	Carolina Core
CC-AIU	Carolina Core – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding
CC-ARP	Carolina Core – Analytical Reasoning and Problem-Solving
CC-CMS	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component
CC-CMW	Carolina Core – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written Component
CC-GFL	Carolina Core – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language
CC-GHS	Carolina Core – Historical Thinking
CC-GSS	Carolina Core – Social Sciences
CC-INF	Carolina Core – Information Literacy
CC-INT	Carolina Core – Integrative Course
CC-SCI	Carolina Core – Scientific Literacy
CC-VSR	Carolina Core – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
CR	College Requirement
MR	Major Requirement
PR	Program Requirement