Requirements for the Interdepartmental Majors:
Students wishing to declare an interdepartmental major must submit a proposal to the department chair outlining their proposed program of study no later than the second term of their junior year. This program, which must be approved by the chair of the Biology Department, should be written in consultation with advisors from both departments to form a cohesive and integrated major; appropriate courses in mathematics and physical sciences should be included in the proposal. Students who wish to have their interdepartmental major listed as Biology/Other are required to take eight biology courses. Those wishing to have their interdepartmental major listed as Other/Biology are required to take six biology courses. Only one of these may be a research course. Interdepartmental majors are not required to take one subcellular, one organismal and one population course, although they are strongly encouraged to do so.
Requirements for Honors:
Students eligible for departmental honors must fulfill the College-wide criteria and satisfactorily complete a thesis, traditionally based on the results of original biological research, which receives the approval of the department and appropriate College committee. It is customary, but not required, that research students enroll in three honors research courses, typically during the senior year. Interdepartmental majors must consult with their advisors in both disciplines during their junior year to receive approval for an interdepartmental thesis. The biology component of an interdepartmental thesis will normally incorporate at least one term of biological research.
Requirements for Secondary School Certification: Educational Studies strongly recommends that no undergraduate student at Union attempt to seek secondary certification as an undergraduate. However, those students who wish to become public secondary school teachers are urged to visit The School of Education at Union Graduate College to learn the requirements for achieving certification during a fifth year. Union students who enter the Union secondary certification program are often eligible for special scholarship consideration during their fifth year.
All students who believe they will seek public secondary certification in biology should be advised that they must complete the following courses in biology: BIO 110 (102), BIO 112 (101), and BIO 225 ; at least four 200 or 300 level courses, including BIO 350 ; and at least one course each from the areas of field biology (BIO 250 , BIO 314 , BIO 315 , BIO 320 , BIO 321 , BIO 324 , BIO 328 ), functional biology (BIO 330 , BIO 355 , BIO 362 , BIO 370 , BIO 375 ), and morphological biology (BIO 321 , BIO 332 , BIO 354 ).
All science majors are encouraged to seek certification in more than one science and/or in General Sciences. Students wishing to add certification in General Science must include at least two courses each from the areas of chemistry (CHM 101 and CHM 102 , or CHM 110H ), physics (PHY 110 , PHY 111 , or PHY 210 ), and earth science (any geology course). Also required are at least six courses from mathematics, chemistry, and/or physics to be chosen in consultation with an advisor. Organic chemistry (CHM 231 and CHM 232 ) will normally be required. Highly recommended courses include HST 242 ; PHL 273 or PHL 274 ; and PSC 281 .
Biology interdepartmental majors seeking secondary school certification in any science must have a full major in their primary area of certification. In their second area of certification, a student hoping to teach in a public secondary school should have a minimum of eight courses, which will count toward a major in that science.
All students considering a fifth year at Union Graduate College to achieve public secondary certification in biology must complete additional requirements beyond science courses during their undergraduate career. Before the end of winter term of their senior year they must take PSY 246 , Structured Field Experiences EDS 500A and 500B (see Educational Studies for the appropriate requirements to complete the Field Experiences), and one year of a foreign language.