Students majoring in the program must fulfill the Core Requirements of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Courses that can be used to fulfill these requirements are listed in the University of Iowa General Catalog.
CLAS Core Areas and Requirements
Communication and Literacy:
- Rhetoric: a minimum of 4 s.h.
- World Languages: required credit varies by language
- Interpretation of Literature: a minimum of 3 s.h.
Natural, Quantitative, and Social Sciences:
- Natural Sciences*: a minimum of 7 s.h.; must include one lab
- Quantitative or Formal Reasoning*: a minimum of 3 s.h.
- Social Sciences: a minimum of 3 s.h.
Culture, Society, and the Arts:
- Diversity and Inclusion: a minimum of 3 s.h.
- Historical Perspectives: a minimum of 3 s.h.
- International and Global Issues: a minimum of 3 s.h.
- Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts: a minimum of 3 s.h.
- Values and Culture: a minimum of 3 s.h.
*Students majoring in the program will fulfill these Core Requirements in the course of fulfilling their program major requirements.
In addition to completing the CLAS Core Requirements, department majors must complete the following core requirements and additional requirements specific to one of the two tracks.
Core Course Requirements
Biological Sciences: Foundations of Biology and Diversity of Form and Function (BIOL:1411 and BIOL:1412)
Biochemistry: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I and II (BIOC:3120 and BIOC:3130)
Chemistry: Principles of Chemistry I and II (CHEM:1110 and CHEM:1120); Organic Chemistry I (CHEM:2210)
Mathematics: One semester of either college calculus or biostatistics. Department majors may choose from: MATH:1460, MATH:1850, MATH:1550, BIOS:4120, or STAT:3510. Note: MATH:1460 is a 1-semester calculus course. MATH:1850 and MATH:1550 are each the first semester part of one year calculus courses.
Microbiology: 21 semester hours: General Microbiology (MICR:2157) for 3 semester hours, General Microbiology Laboratory (MICR:2158) for 2 semester hours, and the remainder chosen from advanced electives.