Biology Programs
Biology majors may choose between the general biology or pre-health profession track. As part of the pre-health profession track, students will take required coursework for admission into optometry, physical therapy, pharmacy, medical, dental and veterinary schools.
Students wishing to major in biology should have completed high school biology, chemistry and advanced mathematics courses. College-level science courses taken at another institution will be evaluated on an individual basis in consultation with the student. Transfer students must complete a minimum of one-third of the requirements for the biology major at Saint Xavier.
It is possible to become certified as a biology teacher at the secondary education level (6-12 certification) by completing the general biology track and requirements for a secondary education certificate. Biology majors pursuing a secondary education certificate must take BIOL 312 Plant Adaptation and Diversity (4) and BIOL 318 Ecology (5). Students pursuing a secondary education certificate in biology must achieve a minimum GPA of 2.5 in their major area of specialization to successfully apply to student teach, and then they must maintain this GPA during all remaining semesters prior to student teaching. Major area of specialization coursework includes all content-area courses used to fulfill major requirements in the program (i.e., BIOL, CHEM , PHYS and MATH courses). Please contact the School of Education for specific details of the certification program.
The biology minor will consist of BIOL 111 and 112, plus four additional courses in biology at the 200-level or above. Of these four courses, at least three must have a laboratory component. At least one-half of the credit hours used to fulfill the minor must be completed at Saint Xavier University.
Beginning with the 2011-2012 fall semester, qualified students shall be eligible to enroll in the dual degree program leading to a bachelor of science in biology from Saint Xavier University and a doctor of chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic's Davenport Campus located in Davenport, Iowa.
This dual degree program requires eligible students to remain in good academic standing during three years of attendance at SXU, followed by attendance at PCC for a minimum of five academic years made up of eight months each. This program will provide students with the alternative option to complete PCC curriculum in three and one-third consecutive years. All students enrolled in the program will be required to complete a minimum of 4,620 hours of classroom instruction within eight calendar years.
Prior to eligibility for entry into the program, students must receive credit from SXU for 90 credit hours in courses that will meet the prerequisite requirements for the PCC doctor of chiropractic degree, as well as the requirements for a bachelor of science degree from SXU, with the exception of courses and credits accepted for transfer from PCC to SXU. Please view the sample course schedule to see which courses and credits transfer from PCC to SXU. Upon successful completion of the first year of studies at PCC, a maximum of 30 PCC credit hours shall be transferred to SXU and counted toward the completion of the bachelor of science in biology degree. For more information on SXU admission requirements, please visit the Admission web page.
SXU students will be accepted for admission to PCC upon the
- completion of the prerequisite requirements;
- attainment of a minimum of a 3.0 GPA for SXU coursework;
- attainment of a minimum of a 2.0 GPA for each of the required PCC courses;
- receipt of a positive recommendation from the chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at SXU; and
- timely submission of all application materials to PCC.
Entrance requirements for the Doctor of Chiropractic degree program at Palmer College of Chiropractic:
- A minimum of 90 credit hours with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
- A minimum of 24 credit hours (of the 90 credit hours) must be in life and physical science with at least half of these courses having a substantive laboratory component and must earn a grade of C or better in each of these courses.
Students seeking a SXU bachelor of science in biology degree must fulfill specific graduation requirements including the SXU general education requirements. Please view the SXU Undergraduate Catalog Department of Biology page for the Biology degree requirements.
Sample Schedule for Dual Degree Program with Palmer College of Chiropractic
First 3 Years at SXU
| First Year Fall | ||
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 111/BIOLB 111 | General Biology I | 5 |
| CHEM 111/CHEML 111 | General Chemistry I | 5 |
| TRANS 100 | Transitions | 1 |
| ENGL 120 | Rhetoric and Writing | 3 |
| PHIL 140 | The Examined Life | 3 |
| Total Credits for Semester | 17 | |
| First Year Spring | ||
| BIOL 112/BIOLB 112 | General Biology II | 5 |
| CHEM 112/CHEML 112 | General Chemistry II | 5 |
| FYS 175 | First-Year Seminar | 3 |
| COMM 101 | Speech Fundamentals | 3 |
| Total Credits for Semester | 16 | |
| Second Year Fall | ||
| BIOL 220/BIOLB 220 | Human and Comparative Anatomy | 5 |
| CHEM 251/CHEML 251 | Organic Chemistry I | 5 |
| MATH 112 | College Algebra | 3 |
| PHIL | Philosophy Elective | 3 |
| Total Credits for Semester | 16 | |
| Second Year Spring | ||
| BIOL 320/BIOLB 320 | Human and Comparative Physiology | 4 |
| CHEM 252/CHEML 252 | Organic Chemistry II | 5 |
| MATH 113 | Trigonometry | 3 |
| RELST | Religion Elective | 3 |
| HIST | History Elective | 3 |
| Total Credits for Semester | 18 | |
| Third Year Fall | ||
| BIOL 318/BIOLB 318 | Ecology | 5 |
| PHYS 201/PHYSL 201 | Physics I | 4 |
| RELST | Religion Elective | 2 |
| PSYCH | Psychology Elective | 3 |
| Total Credits for Semester | 17 | |
| Third Year Spring | ||
| BIOL 300/BIOLB 300 | Genetics | 4 |
| PHYS 202/PHYSL 202 | Physics II | 4 |
| LIT/ART | Art or Literature Elective | 3 |
| BIOL 355 | Senior Seminar | 1 |
| Total Credits for Semester | 15 | |
Fourth Year at Palmer College of Chiropractic
| First Trimester | ||
|---|---|---|
| Biochemistry I | ||
| Embryology | ||
| Fundamentals of Neurophysiology | ||
| Gross Anatomy I | ||
| Neuroanatomy | ||
| Spinal Anatomy I | ||
| Rights and Responsibilities | ||
| Second Trimester | ||
| Biochemistry II | ||
| Cell Physiology* | ||
| Endocrinology | ||
| Gross Anatomy II | ||
| Spinal Anatomy II | ||
| Third Trimester | ||
| Advanced Neurophysiology | ||
| Fundamentals of Pathology | ||
| Immunology | ||
| Microbiology* | ||
| Neuroanatomy II | ||
| Organ Histology | ||
| Palpation | ||
| Cardiovascular Pulmonary | ||
| Physiology | ||
*Courses that will transfer from PCC to SXU to meet the graduation requirement.
For further information please contact Tatiana Tatum Parker, Ph.D., pre-health professional committee chair, at 773-298-3408 or by email at tatum@sxu.edu.
- Tweet
