Biological Sciences: Changes to the Curriculum of the Major in Biological Sciences

Abstract

Mathematics, chemistry, and physics have become more and more important for the field of biology, particularly in the areas of cellular and molecular biology which is the major focus of our department. As such, biology curricula in universities must reflect the increased need of biology majors to receive course work in these areas. An examination of university biology programs in the Rochester area and at the other SUNY campuses reveals that we require much less math, chemistry, and physics than these programs and that our majors are in danger of being illequipped to compete on the job market in areas that require a background in biology. To bring our major up to the level of most university biology programs and thereby enhancing the education in biology for our majors, we have proposed some major changes in our requirements in the areas of mathematics, chemistry, and physics. In addition we have redesigned our curriculum to include an extra required laboratory experience. We see these changes as a major improvement over our current curriculum.