Biotechnology - BS

This worksheet is a planning tool and enrollment guide for use when you enroll for your first semester.

The purple area identifies the required major related courses and Cluster One GenEd courses to select from for your first semester. Enroll in your required courses first.

The green area, if present, identifies contains courses that are required for your major but are optional for the first semester. If you do not enroll in the optional courses your first semester you may do so in a later semester.

Departmental Recommendations:

1. Enroll in 13-16 credit hours your first semester.
2. Enroll in BIO 140 and BIO 140L.
3. Enroll in Chemistry OR Math. Do not enroll in both your first semester. Your individualized selection will be based upon your ALEKS math assessment score. If your ALEKS score is 66 or higher, enroll in CHEM 131 and CHEM 131L (lab). If your ALEKS score is lower than 66, enroll in a MATH course based on your score. See details below.
4. Enroll in either a Human Communications OR Critical Thinking Cluster One course.
5. Add one additional General Education course from the GenEd Planner section below to create a full schedule of 13-16 credit hours. WRTC 103 is highly recommended for students who do not have credit for it.
6. It is strongly recommended that you enroll in ISAT 203 or BIO 203 (Viral Discovery), a discovery-based laboratory course.
7. If you are interested in Pre-professional Health Preparation, refer to the information in Module 4 under Special Student Categories for information on selecting General Education courses.

Placement Exams:

Your placement exam scores identify the appropriate course level based upon your current skills.

Math Assessment Score: You need to know your ALEKS math assessment score to determine your math placement for the 1st-semester or a future semester. After completion of the math assessment, enter your score in the field below so you have this information available. The MyMadison system will not allow you to enroll in a course other than your placement recommendation.

Major Requirement(s) for the 1st Semester

Major Requirement:

Biology:

Enroll in BIO 140 and BIO 140L. These courses are co-requisites. Add both the lecture and the lab to your cart and then complete the enrollment process.

Track I Honors Scholars should enroll in BIO 140H courses.

• BIO 140 - Foundations in Biology I
• BIO 140 - Foundations in Biology I Lab

The foundations of the cellular molecules, structures, and processes that sustain life in the contexts of evolution will be explored. Topics will include structure and function; information flow, storage and exchange; pathways and transformations of energy and matter; and systems biology. The lab experience will allow students to participate in science as it is practiced and will prepare students to be scientifically and quantitatively literate.

Major & Cluster 3 Physical Principles requirement

Chemistry OR Math: Do not enroll in both.

Major Cognate Requirement: The major cognate course you enroll in is dependent on your ALEKS Score. If your scores permit, enroll in Chemistry.

Chemistry: Enroll in both CHEM 131 and CHEM 131L if your ALEKS score is 66 or higher. If your ALEKS score falls below this threshold, hold off taking chemistry until the spring semester. Take math instead.
OR

Mathematics: If your ALEKS scores is below 66 or you already have credit for CHEM 131 and CHEM 131L, enroll in ONE of these math coruse options. Make your choice based upon your ALEKS score. The system will not allow you to enroll in a math course higher than your score recommends.

Consult with your advisor if you are unsure of what to do.

• CHEM 131 General Chemistry I
• CHEM 131L General Chemistry I Lab

• MATH 235 - Calculus I - ALEKS score: >=81
• MATH 231 - Calculus with Functions - ALEKS score: 66 - 80
• MATH 231 + MATH 199*** - Calculus with Functions - ALEKS score: 56 - 65
• MATH 155** - College Algebra - ALEKS score < 56

*MATH 155 is a prep course for calculus. This class does not fulfill your General Education or major math requirement.

**MATH 199 is a gateway co-requisite designed to assist students who want to start calculus, but need to review fundamental mathematics to be successful in MATH 231. Students will be registered for a total of 4 credit hours. The course is self-study based and the only required meetings are drop-in proctored test-taking on Friday evenings. Grades are completely determined by the number of semester weeks that pass before the student successfully completes all of the exams. Once the exams are passed, the student is no longer required to attend on Friday evenings. Students whose schedules prevent them from attending Friday sessions need to register for MATH 155.

Major & Cluster 3 requirement

MATH 155 is a prep course for higher level calculus

Cluster One Requirement:

Select ONE course from EITHER the Human Communications section OR the Critical Thinking courses for your 1st-semester. You will take a course from the other area in your second semester. The MyMadison system will not allow you to enroll in both a critical thinking and a human communications course in the 1st-semester.           

Click here for a list of GenEd course descriptions

Human Communications course options:

• SCOM 121 - Human Communication: Presentations
• SCOM 122 - Human Communication: Individual Presentations
• SCOM 123 - Human Communication: Group Presentations

Critical Thinking course options:

• BUS 160 - Business Decision Making in a Modern Society
• HIST 150 - Critical Issues in Recent Global History
• ISAT 160 - Problem Solving Approaches in Science and Technology
• SMAD 150 - Mediated Communication: Issues and Skills
• PHIL 120 - Critical Thinking
• PHIL 150 - Ethical Reasoning

Cluster One requirement

1st-Semester Course Options

Below are optional courses for the 1st-semester. If these courses are not available and/or you do not meet the requirements, you will take these classes in a future semester.

ISAT 203 or BIO 203 - Viral Discovery:

Strongly Recommended. An exploratory laboratory experience, designed for incoming freshmen. Students will learn about the life cycle and ecology of viruses infecting bacteria. Soil samples will be collected, and techniques for isolation and purification of the viruses will be performed by the students. Isolated viruses will be visualized using electron mircoscopy. The genomic material will be isolated and prepared for nucleic acid sequencing.

• ISAT 203 or BIO 203 - Viral Discovery

Not required, but it is recommended for the major

General Education Courses

Complete the schedule planning process by using the General Education Planner below to identify courses to add to your schedule to create a full schedule of 14 - 16 credit hours. The number of GenEd courses you need to add from the list below is major dependent. Based on the required courses above, some majors will only need to add one GenEd course from the list below while others may need to add three GenEd courses to create a full schedule.

Notes:

Cluster One - Writing: If you do not have AP,IB,CIE or dual enrollment credit for WRTC 103, we encourage you enroll your 1st-semester. If a WRTC 103 course is not available, you will enroll in the following semester.

Cluster Three - Quantitative Reasoning: Math courses are restricted to students in majors that require a math class in the 1st-semester. If your major requires math in the 1st-semester, it will be indicated above in the purple Required area of this worksheet. If a math course is not identified in the purple Required section above, your advisor will discuss your math placement score and math recommendation for your major when you meet in the summer.

Cluster Four - American Experience: This is an area where many students have earned credit through AP, IB, CIE or dual enrollment courses taken in high school. If you are waiting on test or grade results, we recommend you enroll in a GenEd course from a different cluster or cluster area until you receive your results.

Cluster Five - Sociocultural Domain: If you are waiting on test or grade results for Psychology through AP, IB, CIE or dual enrollment courses taken in high school. If you are waiting on test or grade results, we recommend you enroll in a GenEd course from different cluster or cluster area until you receive your results.

Modified GenEd Planner for 1st-Semester Use

Click here for a list of GenEd course descriptions

Cluster One - Skills for the 21st Century

Cluster Four – Social and Cultural Processes

Critical Thinking

See the required section of this worksheet.

Human Communication

See the required section of this worksheet.

The American Experience 4 credit hours

If you are waiting for AP, IB, CIE or dual enrollment credit for history or government, do not enroll until you have received your results. 4 credit hours.

• HIST 225: U.S. History
• JUST 225: Justice and American Society
• POSC 225: U.S. Government

The Global Experience 3 credit hours

You may enroll in one of these classes, if available. Do NOT enroll in POSC 220 if you have credit for POSC 225 or are planning to take POSC 225.

• AAAD 200: Introduction to African, African American and Diaspora Studies
• ANTH 195: Cultural Anthropology
• GEOG 200: Geography: The Global Dimension
• POSC 200: Global Politics
• SOCI 110: Social Issues in a Global Context

Writing 3 credit hours

If you are waiting for test or grade results for writing through AP, IB, CIE or dual enrollment, wait for your results.

• WRTC 103: Rhetorical Reading and Writing

Cluster Two – Arts and Humanities

Cluster Five – Individuals in the Human Community

Human Questions and Contexts 3 credit hours

You may enroll in one of these classes, if available.

• AMST 200: Introduction to American Studies
• ANTH 205: Buried Cities and Lost Tribes
• HIST 101: World History to 1500
• HIST 102: World History since 1500
• HUM 250: Foundations of Western Culture
• HUM 251: Modern Perspectives
• HUM 252: Global Cultures
• PHIL 101: Intro to Philosophy
• REL 101: Religions of the World
• REL 102: God, Meaning and Morality

Visual and Performing Arts 3 credit hours

You may enroll in one of these classes, if available.

• ART 200: Art in General Culture
• ARTH 205: Survey of World Art I: Prehistoric to Renaissance
• ARTH 206: Survey of World Art II: Renaissance to Modern
• MUS: 200: Music in General Culture
• MUS 203: Music in America
• MUS 206: Introduction to Global Music
• THEA 210: Introduction to Theatre

Wellness Domain 3 credit hours

You may enroll in one of these classes, if available.

• HTH 100: Personal Wellness

• 15-hour physical activity requirement of your choice for the semester.

• KIN 100: Lifetime Fitness and Wellness

• Lecture and a specific physical activity per course section. Read the TOPIC section of the class when enrolling to identify the fitness activity. Swim conditioning assumes students can already swim.

Sociocultural Domain 3 credit hours

You may enroll in one of these classes, if available.

• PSYC 101: General Psychology
• PSYC 160: Life Span Human Development
• SOCI 140: Microsociology: The Individual in Society
• WGSS 200: Introduction to Women and Gender Studies

Cluster Three – The Natural World

Quantitative Reasoning

If a math course is required for your 1st-semester, it will be indicated above in purple required section. Otherwise, math is not required for your major the 1^st-semester.  You will enroll in a math class in a later semester based on your ALEKS score. Talk with your advisor about your ALEKS score during your Summer Springboard visit.

Physical Principles 3 credit hours

Fulfilled by a major requirement. You do not need to enroll in anything special to fulfill this requirement.

Natural System 3 credit hours unless indicated

Fulfilled by BIO 140 in the purple, Required section above.

Save and/or print this worksheet to use as a guide when you enroll in classes in June.