Biology
Overview
Biology is a rapidly expanding, multifaceted discipline, full of possibilities for undergraduate research and for stimulating graduate study and employment after Occidental. Within an evolutionary framework, our program investigates the interactions between molecules, cells, organisms, populations, and ecosystems that constitute life on earth. Interdisciplinary and integrative by nature, the biology program at Occidental engages both majors and non-majors in a curriculum that emphasizes laboratory and field investigation. Our students are encouraged to collaborate with faculty mentors, whose research employs current methods in addressing questions from the molecular to the global in scale. Students acquire skills from careful observation through hypothesis formulation and experimental design to formal oral and written presentations of results. After participating in the biology program at Occidental College, students are prepared for rewarding work and lifelong learning, armed with the tools necessary to understand large complex data sets and help explain the intricacies of living systems. This rigorous program provides our students with the training to enter the work force after graduation and/or transition to an advanced degree program. After completing the major, many students elect to take graduate training toward the PhD. in biological sciences or doctorates of medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmacy or dentistry. Many of our students complete Masters programs in Biological Sciences, teaching, environmental health and safety, and resource management. Receiving a degree in Biology at Occidental College enables our students to excel in any post-baccalaureate professional pursuit.
The Department of Biology is housed within the Bioscience building which is contiguous with the Moore Laboratory of Zoology. Facilities include the bird and mammal collections (70,000 specimens) of Moore Laboratory, greenhouses, facilities for microscopy (scanning and transmission electron and fluorescence), a tissue culture suite and fluorescence-activated cell sorter, fully-equipped molecular biology laboratories, field vehicles, and three research vessels for nearshore marine studies and SCUBA diving. Because of its proximity to the Mojave Desert, the Santa Monica, San Gabriel, and San Bernardino Mountains, and seacoast, Occidental College is ideally suited for field and laboratory studies of environmental biology.
Major Requirements
Students are required to complete all major requirements and supporting coursework as detailed below in order to earn their degree in Biology. Those students looking to complete a concentration in the following fields should familiarize themselves with the additional requirements by clicking the link below.
COURSEWORK
Introductory Biology
Select one course from the list below:
| BIO 105 | Marine Biology | 4 units |
| BIO 106 | Biology of California | 4 units |
| BIO 110 | Organisms on Earth | 4 units |
| BIO 115 | General Zoology | 4 units |
Cellular and Molecular Biology (2 courses)
| BIO 130 | Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology | 4 units |
| And one course from: | ||
| BIO 221 | Molecular Biology | 4 units |
| BIO 224 | Genetic Analysis | 4 units |
| BIO 226 | Cell Biology | 4 units |
Environmental Biology
Select one course from the list below:
| BIO 106 | Biology of California | 4 units |
| BIO 260 | Biodiversity and Organization of Marine Ecosystems | 4 units |
| BIO 270 | Ecology | 4 units |
| BIO 275 | Flora of Southern California | 4 units |
Evolutionary Biology
| BIO 280 | Evolutionary Biology | 4 units |
Organismal Biology
Select one course from the list below:
| BIO 240 | Vertebrate Physiology | 4 units |
| BIO 250 | Plant Form and Function | 4 units |
| BIO 275 | Flora of Southern California | 4 units |
Upper-division Biology
Students must select three 300-level Biology courses. At least two of these must be Occidental College Biology laboratory courses.
Senior Seminar
| BIO 490 | Senior Seminar | 4 units |
Supporting Coursework
Students are required to complete five additional courses. Two must be in chemistry as detailed below and three additional quantitative courses.
Chemistry
| CHEM 120 | Foundations of General Chemistry | 4 units |
| Or | ||
| CHEM 130 | Advanced Placement General Chemistry | 4 units |
| And | ||
| CHEM 220 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 units |
Quantitative Coursework
Three 4-5-unit courses are required to satisfy the quantitative requirement. These courses include a Mathematics/Calculus, Data Analysis, and an elective Quantitative Course. Two 2-unit courses taken at Occidental College may be combined to satisfy one quantitative elective requirement.
Students are required to take one of five classes (Calculus 1, Calculus 2, MATH 210, MATH 212, or MATH 214) to satisfy the math requirement for the Biology major. Students who pass out of Calculus 2 may take MATH 210, MATH 212, MATH 214 or an additional Data Analysis course to satisfy the math requirement for the Biology major.
Mathematics/Calculus
Select one course from the list below:
| Calculus 1 | 4 units |
|
| Calculus 2 | 4 units |
|
| MATH 210 | Discrete Mathematics | 4 units |
| MATH 212 | Multivariable Calculus | 4 units |
| MATH 214 | Linear Algebra | 4 units |
Data Analysis
Select one course from the list below:
| BIO 260 | Biodiversity and Organization of Marine Ecosystems | 4 units |
| BIO 268 | Biostatistics | 4 units |
| COGS 255 | Data Analysis and Visualization | 4 units |
| COMP 146 | Statistics | 4 units |
| GEO 255 | Remote Exploration of Earth | 4 units |
| MATH 150 | Statistical Data Analysis | 4 units |
| PSYC 201 | Statistics in Psychological Science | 4 units |
The most current version as taught as 146 statistics in COMP Sci. is suitable as a data analysis course.
Additional Quantitative Elective
Select an additional course from the math or data analysis lists above or one course from the list below.
| BIO 270 | Ecology | 4 units |
| BIO 326 | Molecular Phylogenetics | 4 units |
| BIO 340 | Sensory Biology and Neurophysiology | 4 units |
| BIO 369 | Biological Oceanography | 4 units |
| BIO 370 | Field Ecology | 4 units |
| BIO 373 | Computational Biology | 4 units |
| CHEM 221 | Organic Chemistry II | 4 units |
| CHEM 300 | Physical Chemistry I | 4 units |
| CHEM 301 | Biophysical Chemistry | 4 units |
| COGS 242 | Computational Approaches to Cognition | 4 units |
| COMP 131 | Fundamentals of Computer Science | 4 units |
| COMP 165 | Mathematica | 2 units |
| COMP 229 | Data Structures | 4 units |
| COMP 353 | Information Theory | 4 units |
| MATH 310 | Real Analysis | 4 units |
| MATH 312 | Complex Analysis | 4 units |
| MATH 322 | Number Theory | 4 units |
| MATH 330 | Probability | 4 units |
| MATH 332 | Mathematical Statistics | 4 units |
| MATH 340 | Ordinary Differential Equations | 4 units |
| MATH 342 | Partial Differential Equations | 4 units |
| MATH 350/MATH 350 | Metalogic | 4 units |
| MATH 352 | Computability and Complexity | 4 units |
| MATH 354 | Set Theory and Foundations of Mathematics | 4 units |
| MATH 360 | Axiomatic Geometry | 4 units |
| MATH 362 | Topology | 4 units |
| MATH 370 | Numerical Analysis | 4 units |
| MATH 380 | Combinatorics | 4 units |
| MATH 382 | Graph Theory | 4 units |
| MATH 392 | Mathematical Models in Biology | 4 units |
| MATH 396 | Topics in Applied Mathematics | 2 units |
| PHYS 110 | Introductory Mechanics | 4 units |
| PHYS 115 | General Physics I | 4 units |
| PHYS 125 | General Physics II | 4 units |
| PHYS 230 | Introductory Electricity and Magnetism | 4 units |
Second-Stage Writing Requirement
Students majoring in Biology will satisfy the second-stage writing requirement by successfully completing two courses at the 300-level (or appropriate course work). Students should familiarize themselves with the departmental requirement at the time of declaring the major. See the Writing Program and consult the department chair for additional information.Comprehensive Requirement
The Senior Comprehensive in Biology provides an opportunity for every senior to demonstrate mastery of a topic of current importance and research interest in contemporary biology.
Seniors enroll in small, one-semester seminars (BIO 490) organized around current topics that are meant to span a number of scales in biology. The seminar includes extensive reading (both assigned and independently chosen), discussion and evaluation of primary literature, selection of an appropriate subtopic on which to focus, synthesis and writing of a précis or summary of research on the subtopic, and a major oral presentation by each student. The seminar also involves collaboration in that presenters partner with discussion leaders and work together throughout the semester to hone each other’s written and oral presentations.
College Honors
Requirements
- Student typically will have worked on a research project for 2 semesters (or 1 semester + summer session) minimum, before applying for honors
- Student must have an average GPA of 3.25 (college policy)
Application Process
- Student should discuss with their research mentor and submit an official Letter of Intent to the Biology Chairperson by the beginning of their senior year, or sooner.
- The letter of intent should include a summary of research results (realized and projected), as well as significance of the research and any projects in progress at the time of submission.
- Applications will be evaluated by the Biology faculty.
- Students nominated for honors will be notified by the Biology Chairperson.
Completion Process
- At the time of nomination, each candidate will be assigned an honors thesis committee of two Biology faculty members, in addition to their faculty mentor. This committee will be available for guidance and to help ensure that milestones are met in a timely manner.
- Milestones will include a thorough literature review, written drafts of the introduction, methods, and results sections, including draft figures, and a final discussion section, as well as preparation of a public seminar.
- The candidate must complete a written thesis of their work. It is expected that the student will spend part of their final semester or directed research writing the thesis.
- The written thesis will be due to the mentor by Monday in the 4th week of February.
- The revised honors thesis will be due to the committee by Monday in the 3rd week of February.
- The thesis will be reviewed by committee, and final revisions must be submitted by the last day of March.
- Honors candidates will also give a presentation on their research during the week of April 15. These presentations will last approximately 15 minutes, with 5 min for questions.
- Honors grades are Pass/Fail and reported to the registrar by the Chair. The chair will inform the students of their grade when it is decided upon by the committee.
Minor Requirements
COURSEWORK
Choose two introductory courses:
| BIO 105 | Marine Biology | 4 units |
| BIO 106 | Biology of California | 4 units |
| BIO 110 | Organisms on Earth | 4 units |
| BIO 115 | General Zoology | 4 units |
| BIO 130 | Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology | 4 units |
Additional Electives
Choose three additional courses at the 200- or 300-level, two of which must be taken in the Occidental College Biology Department. Independent Studies and Advanced Placement credit may not count toward the minor.
Transfer Credit Policies
The Biology Department policy on transfer credit conforms to College policy. Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for more details. IB or A-level examinations in Biology will not substitute for an Occidental course, place students into advanced courses, or allow a wider opportunity for choice of electives in the Department. For the major at most two 200-level courses and at most one 300-level course will be accepted in transfer. For the minor at most one course in transfer may be counted toward the 200- and 300-level requirement.
