Biology
ECU’s Bachelor of Arts (BA) in biology offers students a solid foundation in biology while allowing greater flexibility for interdisciplinary study.
Biology Program Overview
ECU's BA in biology offers students a solid foundation in biology while allowing greater flexibility for interdisciplinary study. Compared to the BS, the BA requires fewer credits in biology and cognate sciences, but it adds requirements in foreign language proficiency and a minor or second major. This structure equips students with strong biological training plus expertise in complementary fields.
The BA degree’s language requirement and interdisciplinary emphasis prepare graduates for careers that demand both biological knowledge and broader competencies. Students are especially well positioned for roles that combine biology with education, business, communication, the arts or social sciences, as well as for careers requiring multilingual ability or cross-cultural skills.
The BA in biology is an excellent choice for students who want to pair a strong biology background with varied academic and professional interests.
ECU Advantage
We believe our students and faculty make the department exceptional. Our faculty are widely recognized at ECU, across the UNC System and internationally through awards, competitive grants and publications in leading journals. United by a passion for research, service and teaching, our faculty bring energy and expertise into every classroom and lab.
Many introductory courses are taught in an active-learning format with section sizes under 80 students. Beyond traditional labs, students can participate in Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) or earn academic credit by conducting research with faculty in the Department of Biology, the Brody School of Medicine or the School of Dental Medicine. Peer support is also available through undergraduate learning assistants in several core courses.
The Department of Biology, most research labs, and state-of-the-art genomics and imaging facilities are housed in the Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building. Biology’s environmental research service center and upper-level lab courses will be offered in a nearby and newly renovated building beginning in fall 2027 - ensuring that students benefit from modern spaces for both coursework and hands-on research.
What You Will Study
Program Coordinator: Grace Chen (2515 Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building; 252-328-9769; chenf21@ecu.edu)
The core curriculum in biology is intended to give majors a background in biodiversity, cell biology, evolution, ecology, genetics, molecular biology, and physiology.
The degree requires a minimum of 120 s.h. as follows:
Core Requirements:
1. General education requirements - 40 s.h.
(For information about courses that carry general education credit view the General Education Program section.)
- CHEM 1150 - General Chemistry I
- CHEM 1151 - General Chemistry Laboratory I
- MATH 1065 - College Algebra or approved general education mathematics course
- PHYS 1250 - General Physics I
2. Demonstrated foreign language proficiency through level 2004 - 12 s.h.
(For information about the foreign language requirement view Special Requirements for the BA Degree in the Academic Advisement, Progression and Support Services section and Placement Testing, Foreign Language in the Admission and Readmission section.)
3. Core - 28 s.h.
- BIOL 1100 - Principles of Biology I
- BIOL 1101 - Principles of Biology Laboratory I
- BIOL 1120 - Careers in Biology
- BIOL 1200 - Principles of Biology II
- BIOL 1201 - Principles of Biology Laboratory II
- BIOL 2250 - Ecology
- BIOL 2300 - Principles of Genetics
- BIOL 3010 - Scientific Communication
- BIOL 3030 - Principles of Physiology
- BIOL 3260 - Cell and Developmental Biology
- BIOL 3620 - Biological Evolution
4. Cognates -11 s.h.
- CHEM 1160 - General Chemistry II
- CHEM 1161 - General Chemistry Laboratory II
- MATH 2121 - Calculus for the Life Sciences I
- PHYS 1251 - General Physics Laboratory I
- Choose one of the following statistics courses:
- BIOS 1500 - Introduction to Biostatistics
- MATH 2228 - Elementary Statistical Methods I
- MATH 2283 - Statistics for Business
- PSYC 2101 - Psychological Statistics
Note:
CHEM 1150, CHEM 1151, CHEM 1160, CHEM 1161 are required, but CHEM 1120 and 1130 will be considered for students transferring into the program.
5. Biology laboratory requirements - 2 to 10 s.h.
Choose at least two of the following groups:
- BIOL 2015 - Introduction to Biological Anthropology AND
- BIOL 2016 - Introduction to Biological Anthropology Laboratory OR
- BIOL 2100 - Biotechnology I AND
- BIOL 2101 - Biotechnology Laboratory I OR
- BIOL 2130 - Survey of Human Physiology and Anatomy AND
- BIOL 2131 - Survey of Human Physiology and Anatomy Laboratory OR
- BIOL 2140 - Human Physiology and Anatomy I AND
- BIOL 2141 - Human Physiology and Anatomy I Laboratory OR
- BIOL 2150 - Human Physiology and Anatomy II AND
- BIOL 2151 - Human Physiology and Anatomy II Laboratory OR
- BIOL 2251 - Ecology Laboratory OR
- BIOL 3110 - Biotechnology II OR
- BIOL 3220 - Microbiology AND
- BIOL 3221 - Microbiology Laboratory OR
- BIOL 3230 - Field Botany AND
- BIOL 3231 - Field Botany Laboratory OR
- BIOL 3504 - Research in Biology OR
- BIOL 3550 - Research in Biology with Writing OR
- BIOL 3660 - Introduction to Marine Biology AND
- BIOL 3661 - Introduction to Marine Biology Laboratory OR
- BIOL 3740 - Animal Behavior AND
- BIOL 3741 - Animal Behavior Laboratory OR
- BIOL 4010 - Estuarine Ecology AND
- BIOL 4011 - Estuarine Ecology Laboratory OR
- BIOL 4050 - Comparative Anatomy AND
- BIOL 4051 - Comparative Anatomy Laboratory OR
- BIOL 4060 - Advanced Developmental Biology AND
- BIOL 4061 - Advanced Developmental Biology Laboratory OR
- BIOL 4200 - Population and Community Ecology AND
- BIOL 4201 - Population and Community Ecology Laboratory OR
- BIOL 4300 - Ecosystem Ecology AND
- BIOL 4301 - Ecosystem Ecology Laboratory OR
- BIOL 4440 - Wetland Ecology and Management AND
- BIOL 4441 - Wetland Ecology and Management Laboratory OR
- BIOL 4450 - Aquatic Parasitology and Disease AND
- BIOL 4451 - Aquatic Parasitology and Disease Laboratory OR
- BIOL 4490 - Applied Cell Biology AND
- BIOL 4491 - Applied Cell Biology Laboratory OR
- BIOL 4600 - Biology of Invertebrates AND
- BIOL 4601 - Biology of Invertebrates Laboratory OR
- BIOL 4630 - Ecology of Infectious Diseases AND
- BIOL 4631 - Ecology of Infectious Diseases Laboratory OR
- BIOL 4640 - Entomology AND
- BIOL 4641 - Entomology Laboratory OR
- BIOL 4740 - Behavioral Ecology AND
- BIOL 4741 - Behavioral Ecology Laboratory OR
- BIOL 4770 - Ornithology AND
- BIOL 4771 - Ornithology Laboratory OR
- BIOL 4860 - Research Experience in Cell Biology OR
- BIOL 4880 - Principles of Biochemistry I AND
- BIOL 4891 - Principles of Biochemistry Laboratory OR
- BIOL 5150 - Herpetology AND
- BIOL 5151 - Herpetology Laboratory OR
- BIOL 5450 - Histology AND
- BIOL 5451 - Histology Laboratory OR
- BIOL 5510 - Transmission Electron Microscopy AND
- BIOL 5511 - Transmission Electron Microscopy Laboratory OR
- BIOL 5520 - Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Analysis AND
- BIOL 5521 - Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Analysis Laboratory OR
- BIOL 5550 - Ichthyology AND
- BIOL 5551 - Ichthyology Laboratory OR
- BIOL 5600 - Fisheries Techniques AND
- BIOL 5601 - Fisheries Techniques Laboratory OR
- BIOL 5900 - Biotechniques AND
- BIOL 5901 - Biotechniques Laboratory OR
- BIOL 5950 - Taxonomy of Vascular Plants AND
- BIOL 5951 - Taxonomy of Vascular Plants Laboratory
Note:
- BIOL 1050, 1051, 1060, 1061, 1150, 1151, 2110, and 2111 may not count toward the Biology major.
- BIOL 1100, 1101, 1200, and 1201 are core courses for Biology BA and may not count towards the laboratory requirements.
- A student may only use one group of the 2000-level human physiology and anatomy coursework (e.g., BIOL 2130 and BIOL 2131 as a group) to fulfill the laboratory requirement.
6. Minor or second major or 18 s.h. of approved structured electives
Students can choose
- to complete a minor other than the Biology minor or the Science minor, or
- to complete a second major other than the Biology, BS or
- an area of specialization with at least 18 s.h. structured electives with the help of a biology faculty advisor. The structured electives must be approved by the departmental administration. Areas of specializations include, but are not limited to, bioinformatics, biotechnology, pharmacology, conservation, education/communication, and marine biology.
7. Electives to complete requirements for graduation
ECU Minor Requirements Policy
The university's policy regarding double counting credits between major and minor can be found in the Academic Advisement, Progression and Support Services section of this catalog. See "Minor Requirements".
If you have questions, please reach out to your program coordinator or director.
- No more than 9 credit hours required for satisfying a major can count towards the credits required for satisfying a minor, excluding specified cognates (required courses but outside of the major discipline).
- Individual programs may have additional restrictions.
- A student may not major and minor in the same discipline as defined by the program's 6-digit CIP code.
For more information about this degree visit the university's academic catalogs.
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