A checklist is the list of requirements to complete this program and receive the award, as the college publishes it in its catalog. It is the same for everyone. It does not say what you have completed; that comes from applying your own record.
Program
- Award
- B.A.
- Credential class
- ceterms:BachelorDegree
- CIP
- 26.0101
- Total credits (published)
- 15-16
- Credits (computed from items)
- 272-292
- Catalog edition
- 2026-2027
- Checklist type
- degree-program
Identifiers
- IPEDS UNITID
- 232423
- CourseShelf checklist
- CK_232423_d9be55cc
- CollegeTransfer.Net
- Institution Transfer Profile
- Source
- CourseShelf publish 59
Requirements to complete
Every course or condition the catalog lists, in the catalog's order.
Major Requirements
major core · 0 items
Core Requirements
major core · 5 items
- BIO 140& 140LFoundations of Biology I [C3NS]and Foundations of Biology I Laboratory [C3L]Not resolved to a course4
- BIO 150& 150LFoundations of Biology IIand Foundations of Biology II LaboratoryNot resolved to a course4
- BIO 240& 240LGeneticsand Genetics LaboratoryNot resolved to a course4
- BIO 250& 250LQuantitative Ecology and Evolutionand Quantitative Ecology and Evolution LaboratoryNot resolved to a course4
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course16
Additional Biology Requirements
1 item
- Students pursuing the B.A. in biology must complete at least 20 credit hours of approved biology courses beyond the core; at least 14 of these must be at the 300 and 400 levels. Up to 6 credits of 200-level BIO courses may count towards the 20 credit requirement, excluding BIO 270/BIO 270L.Not resolved to a course20
At least one BIO course must be from the list of 300/400-level organismal diversity courses (see list below).
0 items
Two BIO 300/400-level courses must have a laboratory component (see list below).
0 items
Courses in both organismal diversity and laboratory lists may count for both requirements.
0 items
Three credits of independent research (BIO 496, up to a maximum of 2 credits, BIO 497 and/or BIO 499A/BIO 499B/BIO 499C) may be used for one, but only one, of the laboratory courses.
1 item
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course20
Capstone Requirement
10 items
- Students must complete a Capstone experience, which will be decided upon with the input of the student's faculty advisor. In addition to the courses listed below, capstone experiences may include a study abroad experience, a JMU X-Labs class, or other class as approved by the advisor. 1Not resolved to a course0-3
- 2
- 1-2
- 0-1
- 2
- 2
- 2
- 3
- 1-3
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course0-3
Cognate Requirements
0 items
Chemistry Cognate Requirements: 2
5 items
- 3
- 1
- 3
- 1
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course8
Mathematics and Statistics Cognate Requirements
0 items
Choose one in each of the following sets of courses. Mathematics and Statistics beyond the minimum requirement is desireable in many areas of biology. Consult your advisor about which courses are appropriate.
17 items
- or: MATH 229 Introduction to Applied Statistics Using R [C3QR]3
- Choose one of the following:Not resolved to a course3
- 4
- 4
- 3
- 3
- 4
- 3
- 3
- 3
- 3
- 3
- 3
- 3
- 4
- 3
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course6
Transdisciplinary Cognate Requirements
0 items
Additional recommended courses will depend on the career goals of the student and should be discussed with the advisor.
30 items
- 3
- 3
- Choose two of the following:Not resolved to a course6
- 3
- 3
- 3
- ENVT/REL 366Religion, Animals and the EnvironmentNot resolved to a course
- 3
- 3
- 3
- 3
- GEOG/ISAT 429Sustainability: An Ecological PerspectiveNot resolved to a course
- 4
- 3
- 4
- ISAT/WGSS 485Gender Issues in ScienceNot resolved to a course
- 3
- 3
- 3
- SCOM 354/WRTC 326Environmental Communication and AdvocacyNot resolved to a course
- 3
- SCOM 465/WRTC 416Rhetoric of Environmental Science and TechnologyNot resolved to a course
- 3
- 3
- 3
- 3
- 2
- 3
- 3
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course12
Organismal diversity and laboratory courses
0 items
Choose at least one organismal diversity course from the following list:
18 items
- 3
- 4
- 3
- 3
- 4
- 3
- 3
- 3
- 4
- 4
- BIO/GEOL 405Vertebrate PaleontologyNot resolved to a course
- 4
- 4
- 4
- 4
- 3
- 3
- 4
Choose at least two laboratory courses from the following list:
39 items
- 2
- 4
- 4
- 2
- 1
- 4
- 4
- 1
- 1
- 4
- 1
- 4
- 1
- BIO/GEOL 400Geology and Ecology of the BahamasNot resolved to a course
- 4
- 3
- 4
- 4
- 1
- 1-4
- 4
- 4
- 4
- 4
- 4
- 4
- 4
- 4
- 4
- 4
- 4
- 4
- 1
- 4
- 4
- 4
- 3
- 4
- 4
Anatomy and Physiology Concentration
concentration · 0 items
Anatomy Core Requirements
major core · 4 items
- Choose one of the following:Not resolved to a course4
- BIO 290& 290LHuman Anatomyand Human Anatomy LaboratoryNot resolved to a course
- As published: “Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates 1,2,3”4
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course4
Physiology Core Requirements
major core · 2 items
- As published: “Human and Animal Physiology 2”4
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course4
Anatomy and Physiology Electives
electives · 1 item
- Complete 9 hours from the following:Not resolved to a course9
Choose at least one course from the following primarily anatomical or physiological courses: 4
10 items
- 2
- As published: “Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates 3”4
- As published: “Advanced Human Anatomy 2”3
- 4
- 3
- 3
- 3
- As published: “Reproductive Physiology 1”3
- As published: “Human Histology 2”4
- As published: “Mechanics of Animal Movement 2”4
Choose remaining credit hours from the list of primarily anatomical or physiological courses above, or from the following courses:
8 items
- 3
- 3
- 3
- 1
- As published: “Neurobiology 2”4
- As published: “Experimental Neurobiology 2”4
- 3
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course9
Ecology and Environmental Biology Concentration
concentration · 0 items
Ecology and Environmental Biology Concentration Courses
concentration · 37 items
- Select at least 20 credit hours from the following list:Not resolved to a course20
- BIO 245& 245LGeneral Microbiologyand General Microbiology Laboratory 1Not resolved to a course
- As published: “Marine Biology 1”3
- As published: “Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates 1,2”4
- 3
- As published: “Morphology and Anatomy of Vascular Plants 1,2”4
- BIO/MATH 342Mathematical Models in BiologyNot resolved to a course
- As published: “Paleobiology 2”4
- 4
- As published: “Galápagos Islands: Biodiversity and Conservation 1”3
- As published: “Plant Biology 1”3
- As published: “Human and Animal Physiology 2”4
- As published: “Field Botany 1,2”4
- 3
- As published: “Environmental Microbiology Laboratory 2”1
- BIO/PSYC 395Comparative Animal BehaviorNot resolved to a course
- BIO/GEOL 400Geology and Ecology of the Bahamas 2Not resolved to a course
- As published: “Forest Ecology 2”4
- 3
- BIO/GEOL 405Vertebrate Paleontology 1Not resolved to a course
- 4
- 3
- As published: “Animals and their Environments 1,2”4
- As published: “Ornithology: Research and Current Advances 1,2”4
- 3
- As published: “Insect Ecology 1,2”4
- 3
- As published: “Population Ecology 2”4
- 3
- As published: “Introduction to Biometrics 2”4
- As published: “Plant Physiology 2”4
- As published: “Ecological Models and Data 2”4
- As published: “Biological Applications of Geographic Information Systems 2”4
- As published: “Freshwater Ecology 2”4
- As published: “Aquatic Microbiology 1,2”3
- As published: “Systematics of Vascular Plants 1,2”4
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course20
Cognate Courses
0 items
Students must take two additional cognate courses: 3
11 items
- Choose one Statistics course:Not resolved to a course3-4
- 3
- 3
- 3
- 3
- As published: “Introduction to Biometrics 2”4
- As published: “Ecological Models and Data 2”4
- Choose one Geographic Information Systems course:Not resolved to a course3-4
- 3
- As published: “Biological Applications of Geographic Information Systems 2”4
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course6-8
Microbiology Concentration
concentration · 0 items
General Microbiology Requirements
4 items
- 3
- 1
- 1
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course5
Laboratory Requirement
12 items
- Choose at least one of the following laboratory courses:Not resolved to a course1-3
- 2
- 2
- 2
- 2
- As published: “Laboratory in Bacterial Pathogenomics 1”2
- As published: “Medical Microbiology Laboratory 1”1
- As published: “Advanced Microbiology Laboratory Techniques 1”1
- As published: “Environmental Microbiology Laboratory 1”1
- As published: “Immunology Laboratory 1”1
- As published: “Aquatic Microbiology 1”3
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course1-3
Microbial Requirements
0 items
If a student takes an elective course that is listed in both Microbial Pathogenesis and Microbial Ecology categories below, the course may only satisfy one category requirement, but not both.
electives · 13 items
- Microbial Pathogenesis - Choose at least one of the following:Not resolved to a course3
- As published: “Medical Parasitology 2”3
- 3
- 3
- 3
- As published: “Evolution and Ecology of Infectious Disease 3”3
- Microbial Ecology - Choose at least one of the following:Not resolved to a course3
- 3
- 3
- As published: “Evolution and Ecology of Infectious Disease 3”3
- 3
- As published: “Aquatic Microbiology 2”3
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course6
Microbiology Electives
electives · 2 items
- Microbiology courses from any of the above listed courses to reach 18 credit hours.Not resolved to a course4-6
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course4-6
Neuroscience Concentration
concentration · 0 items
Neuroscience Concentration Courses
concentration · 7 items
- Choose one of the following:Not resolved to a course3
- 3
- BIO/PSYC 385BiopsychologyNot resolved to a course
- Choose one of the following:Not resolved to a course3-4
- BIO/CSD 415Neuroanatomy and Neurogenic Communication Disorders 1Not resolved to a course
- As published: “Neurobiology 2”4
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course6-7
Neuroscience Concentration Electives
electives · 1 item
- Complete 9 credits of the following:Not resolved to a course9
Choose at least one course from the following principally neurobiology courses:
7 items
- BIO/PSYC 375Sensation and PerceptionNot resolved to a course
- BIO/CSD 415Neuroanatomy and Neurogenic Communication Disorders 1Not resolved to a course
- 3
- As published: “Neurobiology 1,2”4
- As published: “Experimental Neurobiology 2”4
- 3
- 3
Choose remaining credit hours from the list of principally neurobiology courses above, or from the following courses:
6 items
- As published: “Animal Development 2”3
- 3
- As published: “Advanced Molecular Biology Lab 2”1
- 4
- As published: “Human Histology 2”4
- SubtotalNot resolved to a course9
Source. James Madison University, catalog 2026-2027 — https://catalog.jmu.edu/programs/biology-ba/. Captured page pages/0174.html.gz. Assembled from the institution's published catalog as captured; every record names its captured page and source URL. Assembled, not asserted.