Biological Sciences - Marine Biology, BS

The BS Marine Biology degree, offered by the Department of Biological Sciences , prepares students for careers in marine science and graduate programs. Students have the opportunity to take specialized, upper-division coursework at our affiliated Moss Landing Marine Laboratory in Monterey.

Program Learning Outcomes

Summary of Degree Units

University Graduation Requirements	35
Major Preparation	34
Major Requirements	51
Total	120

Program Roadmaps

The 4-Year Roadmap is available online. Roadmaps should be used in consultation with the catalog and your advisor to identify additional requirements for completing the major (for example, course grade minimums). Associate Degrees (ADT) Pathways are also available online.

Major-Specific Graduation Requirements

Students in this major must complete all lower division courses in the Requirements of the Major with a “C- or better” to graduate.

Prerequisite Requirements

Enrollment in any chemistry course requires that the prerequisite courses be passed with a grade of “C or better” (C- not accepted). Exceptions may be made only with instructor consent or if not explicitly stated in the course description. Refer to the SJSU Course Catalog for specific information regarding course prerequisites.

University Requirements

Students must satisfy all of the major and Undergraduate University Graduation Requirements , which includes unit, GPA, and residency requirements as well as the below identified General Education , American Institutions, Graduation Writing Assessment and Physical Education requirements. Courses that meet Undergraduate University Graduation Requirements are noted with an area designation (see Course Abbreviations ).

Exceptions for University Graduation Requirements apply to this major.

Core Lower Division General Education (21 units)

Of the 39 units required by the university, 18 units may be satisfied by coursework outlined below. Courses that meet GE Areas A1, A2, A3 or B4 must be passed with a “C-” or better to meet the requirement. Consult with major advisor for details.

Upper Division General Education (6 units)

Of the 9 units required by the university, 3 units may be satisfied by coursework outlined below. Consult with major advisor for details.

American Institutions (6 units)

Complete one 6 unit sequence of American Institutions (US123) courses, which also satisfies GE Area D. Students may also satisfy the American Institutions Requirement with other courses, but these may not satisfy other GE areas.

The American Studies (AMS 1A /AMS 1B ; 12 units) and Humanities Honors (HUM 1A /HUM 1B /HUM 2A /HUM 2B ; 24 units) sequences satisfy the American Institutions Requirement and additional GE Areas (see the course description for details).

Consult with a major advisor to select the appropriate sequence.

Physical Education (2 units)

All SJSU undergraduate students, regardless of major, have an opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills in physical activities. To accommodate students’ needs and interests, the university offers a diverse selection of activity courses .

Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement

At SJSU, students must pass both the SJSU Writing Skills Test (WST) and a 100W course. Exceptions to the GWAR may be found at Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) .

A grade of C or better (C- not accepted) is required to meet graduation requirement.

Major Preparation (34 units)

BIOL 100W - Scientific Communication Workshop 3 unit(s) (Z)
BIOL 155 - Hypothesis Testing 3 unit(s)
BIOL 156 - Ecological Sampling Design and Analyses 3 unit(s)
CHEM 1A - General Chemistry 5 unit(s) (B1+B3)
CHEM 1B - General Chemistry 5 unit(s) (B1+B3)
CHEM 8 - Organic Chemistry 3 unit(s)
CHEM 9 - Organic Chemistry Lab 1 unit(s)
CHEM 132 - Introductory Biochemistry 4 unit(s)
MATH 30 - Calculus I 3 unit(s) (B4)
PHYS 2A - Fundamentals of Physics 4 unit(s) (B1+B3)

Major Requirements (51 units)

Core Courses (34 unts)

BIOL 30 - Principles of Biology I 4 unit(s) (B2+B3)
BIOL 31 - Principles of Biology II 4 unit(s) (B2+B3)
BIOL 106 - Physiological Ecology 3 unit(s)
BIOL 106L - Physiological Ecology Lab 1 unit(s)
BIOL 113 - Comparative Taxonomy 3 unit(s)
BIOL 114 - Functional Morphology 3 unit(s)
BIOL 160 - Ecology 4 unit(s) (R)
BIOL 161 - Marine Ecology and Biology 4 unit(s)
MS 144 - Biological Oceanography 4 unit(s)

Complete One Course From:

BIOL 115 - General Genetics 4 unit(s)
BIOL 118 - Evolutionary Genetics 4 unit(s)

Major Electives (17 units)

Complete 17 units from:

BIOL 115 and BIOL 118 (which ever wasn’t taken above)

BIOL 115 - General Genetics 4 unit(s)
BIOL 118 - Evolutionary Genetics 4 unit(s)
BIOL 155 - Hypothesis Testing 3 unit(s)
BIOL 164 - Ecological Field Methods 3 unit(s)
BIOL 180 - Individual Studies 1-4 unit(s)
GEOL 137 - Introduction to GPS/GIS for Geologic Applications 4 unit(s)
MS 105 - Marine Science Diving 3 unit(s)
MS 112 - Marine Birds and Mammals 4 unit(s)
MS 113 - Marine Ichthyology 4 unit(s)
MS 124 - Marine Invertebrate Zoology I 4 unit(s)
MS 131 - Marine Botany 4 unit(s)
MS 180 - Independent Studies 1-4 unit(s)
ZOOL 115 - Invertebrate Zoology and Natural History 4 unit(s)
ZOOL 116 - Vertebrate Evolution and Natural History 4 unit(s)
Other upper-division non-GE BIOL/BOT/ZOOL/MICR/MS electives with prior advisor approval

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