Skip to main content

Biology (BA/BS)

Course offerings in the Biology curriculum are designed to (1) provide pre-professional training for students planning careers in the biological sciences, dentistry, medicine, and other health sciences, (2) prepare students for teaching biology or science in the elementary or secondary school, and (3) provide the basic foundation for graduate study in biology.

Mission Statement

The Biology program at Dallas Baptist University is designed to produce knowledgeable individuals who have an understanding of the foundational biological tenets of God's creation. The academic information is presented in a Christian context to enhance the students' ability to become responsible, professional, and caring citizens in society.

Goals of the Biology Major

The Biology program seeks to meet the following goals to provide courses with content appropriate for forming a strong foundation in biology:

  • To meet the needs of students who are preparing for vocations in the health field and environmental science.

  • To provide the necessary foundation for students intending to continue in graduate work in biology.

  • To meet the needs of those preparing for a teaching career with biology as a teaching field.

  • To provide skills needed by those students who elect biology as a major in order to prepare for employment in a biologically related field.

  • To graduate students from the program who are well prepared and who reflect the proficiencies of the field.

  • To enable students to make wise ethical and moral decisions concerning issues that affect humans and their environment.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

courses

credit hours (ba)

credit hours (bS)

Developing A Christian Mind
DCM 2301 - Developing a Christian Mind

3

3

English

12

9

ENGL 1301 - Composition and Rhetoric I

ENGL 1302 - Composition and Rhetoric II

ENGL 2301 - World Literature I

and/or

ENGL 2302 - World Literature II

Fine Arts
FINE 1306 - Introduction to Fine Arts

3

3

Foreign Language
*Six hours at the 2000 level if adequate requisites are met 

14*

0

Foundations for Excellence

1

1

FOUN 1101 - Foundations for Excellence

is required of all first-year and transfer students with fewer than 15 credit hours.

(AP, CLEP, IB, or dual/concurrent credit earned while in high school does not count toward these 15 credit hours.)

History

6

6

Choose two:

HIST 1301 - U.S. History to 1865

HIST 1302 - U.S. History Since 1865

HIST 2301 - World Civilization I

HIST 2302 - World Civilization II

Kinesiology

2

2

KNES 1101 - Fitness for Living

and one additional activity course (KNES 1102-1122); for veterans or those 25 years of age or older prior to enrollment at DBU, KNES courses are waived.

Mathematics

3

3

(BA)

Choose one:

MATH 1301 - Math for Liberal Arts*

MATH 1303 - College Algebra

MATH 1307 - Finite Math for Business Analysis

MATH 1405 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry I**

*Students in Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental concentrations should not take MATH 1301.

(BS)

Choose one:

MATH 1303 - College Algebra

MATH 1307 - Finite Math for Business Analysis

MATH 1405 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry I**

**Students in Pre-Pharmacy concentration must take MATH 1405.

Religion

9

9

RELI 1301 - Old Testament Survey

RELI 1302 - New Testament Survey

and

three additional credit hours depending on credit hours transferred at time of initial enrollment

Social Science (1000 or 2000 level courses only)

6

6

POLS 2301 - American National Government

and an additional three credit hours may be selected from Economics, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, or Sociology.*

*(Pre-Physician Assistant concentration must take PSYC 1301 as their additional 3-hour Social Science requirement).

TOTAL GENERAL STUDIES HOURS                                                                

59

42

Biology Major

29

29

BIOL 1405 - Modern Concepts in Biology I

BIOL 1406 - Modern Concepts in Biology II

BIOL 2405 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I

BIOL 2406 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II

BIOL 3404 - Genetics (S-L)

BIOL 4101 - Biology Seminar

In addition, the following courses are required:

CHEM 1401 - General Chemistry I

CHEM 1402 - General Chemistry II

Select one of the following five areas of concentration

General Biology Concentration

15

15

The student must take an additional 15 hours of biology of which 12 hours must be upper-level biology electives.

Upper-Level

Lower or Upper-Level

19

0

19

15

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED

122

120

Pre-Medical Concentration

34

34

The Pre-Medical concentration requires the student to complete the biology major core courses, plus the following concentration and elective courses to satisfy the prerequisite requirements for entry into a graduate Medical School Program 

BIOL 3401 - Biochemistry

CHEM 3402 - Organic Chemistry I

CHEM 3403 - Organic Chemistry II

MATH 2301 - Elementary Probability and Statistics

PHYS 1401 - General Physics I

PHYS 1402 - General Physics II

The student must take an additional 11 hours of biology of which 8 hours must be upper-level biology electives.

Electives

Upper-Level

Lower or Upper-Level

11

0

11

4

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED

133

120

**Please refer to your prospective Medical School program entry requirements for guidance selecting your upper-level degree-supporting electives. Please discuss with your advisor prior to enrolling in these classes to confirm your choice(s). 

Pre-Dental Concentration

34

34

The Pre-Dental concentration requires the student to complete the biology major core courses, plus the following concentration and elective courses to satisfy the prerequisite requirements for entry into a graduate Dental School Program

BIOL 3401 - Biochemistry

BIOL 3409 - Microbiology

CHEM 3402 - Organic Chemistry I

CHEM 3403 - Organic Chemistry II

MATH 2301 - Elementary Probability and Statistics

PHYS 1401 - General Physics I

PHYS 1402 - General Physics II

The student must take an additional 7 hours of biology of which 4 hours must be upper-level biology electives.

Electives

Upper-Level

Lower or Upper-Level

11

0

11

4

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED

133

120

**Please refer to your prospective Dental School program entry requirements for guidance selecting your upper-level degree-supporting electives. Please discuss with your advisor prior to enrolling in these classes to confirm your choice(s). 

Pre-Pharmacy Concentration

37

37

The Pre-Pharmacy concentration requires the student to complete the biology major core courses, plus the following concentration and elective courses to satisfy the prerequisite requirements for entry into a graduate Pharmacy program. 

BIOL 3401 – Biochemistry 

BIOL 3409 – Microbiology 

COMA 1302 â€“ Speech and Interpersonal Communication 

CHEM 3402 – Organic Chemistry I 

CHEM 3403 – Organic Chemistry II 

MATH 2301 – Elementary Probability and Statistics 

PHYS 1401 – General Physics I 

PHYS 1402 – General Physics II 

The student must take an additional 7 hours of biology of which 4 hours must be upper-level biology electives. 

Electives

Upper-Level

Lower or Upper-Level

11

0

11

6

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED

136

125

Please refer to your prospective Doctor of Pharmacy program for guidance selecting your upper-level degree-supporting electives. Please discuss with your advisor prior to enrolling in these classes to confirm your choice(s).

Pre-Physician Assistant Concentration

22

22

The Pre-Physician Assistant concentration requires the student to complete the biology major core courses, plus the following concentration and elective courses to satisfy the prerequisite requirements for entry into a graduate Physician Assistant Program. 

BIOL 3409 – Microbiology 

CHEM 3402 – Organic Chemistry I 

MATH 2301 – Elementary Probability and Statistics 

 The student must take an additional 11 hours of biology of which 8 hours must be upper-level biology electives.

Electives

Upper-Level

Lower or Upper-Level

15

0

15

12

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED

125

120

Please refer to your prospective Physician Assistant program for guidance selecting your upper-level degree-supporting electives. Please discuss with your advisor prior to enrolling in these classes to confirm your choice(s). 

Required courses for acceptance to medical school or dental school for students in any major:

BIOL 1405 – Modern Concepts in Biology I 

BIOL 1406 – Modern Concepts in Biology II 

BIOL 2405 – Human Anatomy and Physiology I 

BIOL 2406 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II 

BIOL 3401 - Biochemistry 

BIOL 3404 - Genetics (S-L) 

CHEM 1401 - General Chemistry I 

CHEM 1402 - General Chemistry II 

CHEM 3402 - Organic Chemistry I 

CHEM 3403 - Organic Chemistry II 

MATH 1303 - College Algebra (or MATH 1307 or MATH 1405) 

MATH 2301 - Elementary Probability and Statistics 

PHYS 1401 - General Physics I 

PHYS 1402 - General Physics II 

 Additional recommended electives for pre-medical and pre-dental students in any major: 

BIOL 2302 - Medical Terminology for Health Professions 

BIOL 3101 – Introduction to Scientific Literature 

BIOL 3403 - Vertebrate Embryology 

BIOL 3406 - Pathophysiology 

BIOL 3409 â€“ Microbiology 

BIOL 4303 â€“ Cell Biology 

BIOL 4304 – Immunology 

BIOL 4307 – Bioethics 

BIOL 4402 – Molecular Genetics 

BIOL 4403 â€“ Histology

At least 12 credit hours in the major program must be completed at Dallas Baptist University, including nine upper-level course hours.

A 120-credit-hour minimum for a bachelor's degree is required, including 36 upper-level credit hours.

Minimum GPA Required for Graduation from Dallas Baptist University: DBU requires a minimum institutional cumulative, major, and minor GPA of 2.0.

(S-L) = Course(s) with field-based service-learning component.

MINOR IN BIOLOGY

Refer to individual course descriptions for course requisites.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Find course descriptions by category under the Undergraduate Course Descriptions section in the navigation panel.