Advising for biological science majors will be handled by Jaime Stigall, jstigall@niu.edu and Angie Flannery, adimmig@niu.edu.
Do you have a designated advisor listed in Navigate or MyNIU? Reach out to the advisor listed directly to set up appointments or ask for assistance.
No advisor designated in Navigate or MyNIU? Interested in changing your major to biological sciences? Contact the CLAS Advising Office (either via email at clas_advising_office@niu.edu, 815-753-0114 or in Zulauf 201).
When should you meet with your major advisor:
Note: pre-professional students should meet with advisors early and often due to specific course requirements, entrance exams, and tighter time schedules.
The BIOS requirements are the same for all students. However, the courses you take beyond the required courses are flexible and can be chosen to best fit your area of interest. Below are course recommendations for each emphasis name. Please note, your transcript will only state the degree, not the emphasis.
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits | Typical Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOS 208 | Fundamentals of Cellular Biology | 3 | Fall and spring |
| BIOS 210 | Fundamentals of Cellular Biology Lab | 1 | Fall and spring |
| BIOS 209 | Fundamentals of Organismal Biology | 3 | Fall and spring |
| BIOS 211 | Fundamentals of Organismal Biology Lab | 1 | Fall and spring |
| BIOS 308 | Genetics | 5 | Fall and spring |
| BIOS 494 | Senior Assessment | 1 | Fall and spring |
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits | Typical Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOS 300 | Introduction to the Biology Major | 1 | Every fall |
| BIOS 311 | Functional Human Anatomy | 4 | Every fall and spring |
| BIOS 355 | Human Physiology | 3 | Every fall and spring |
| BIOS 446 | Gross Human Anatomy (requires strong anatomy background) |
6 | Every fall |
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits | Typical Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOS 370/495/499 | Research Experience | 1-9 | Any semester |
| BIOS 429 | Human Embryology | 3 | Spring of odd years |
| BIOS 445 | Histology | 4 | Spring of even years |
| BIOS 447 | Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy | 4 | Every fall |
| BIOS 459 | Human Neurobiology | 4 | Spring of odd years |
| BIOS 461 | Endocrinology | 3 | Fall of odd years |
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits | Typical Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOS 300 | Introduction to the Biology Major | 1 | Every fall |
| BIOS 302/303 | Molecular Biology/Cell Biology | 3 | Fall and spring |
| BIOS 313 | Microbiology | 4 | Fall and spring |
| BIOS 355 | Human Physiology | 4 | Fall and spring |
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits | Typical Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOS 370/495/499 | Research Experience | 1-12 | All terms |
| BIOS 417 | Pathogenic Microbiology | 4 | Every spring |
| BIOS 423 | Principles of Virology | 3 | Spring of odd years |
| BIOS 440 | Immunology | 3 | Not currently offered |
| BIOS 445 | Histology | 4 | Spring of even years |
| BIOS 311 or BIOS 446 | Functional Human Anatomy or Advanced Human Anatomy (requires strong anatomy background) |
4 | Fall and spring or Every fall |
| BIOS 450 | Molecular Biology of Cancer | 3 | Fall of even years |
| BIOS 454 | Developmental Biology | 4 | Every spring |
| BIOS 461 | Endocrinology | 3 | Fall of odd years |
| BIOS 463 | Pharmacology/Toxicology | 3 | Not currently offered |
| BIOS 465 | Cellular Physiology | 3 | Every spring |
| BIOS 470X or BIOS 472/473X |
Biochemistry | 3-6 | Every fall (summer) or fall/spring |
| BIOS 432 | Radiation Biology | 3 | Fall of odd years |
| BIOS 429 | Human Embryology | 3 | Spring of odd years |
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits | Typical Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOS 316 | General Ecology | 3 | Every fall |
| BIOS 317 | Evolution | 3 | Every spring |
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits | Typical Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOS 406 | Conservation Biology | 4 | Fall, even years |
| BIOS 407 | Restoration Ecology | 3 | Fall, odd years |
| BIOS 433 | Behavioral Ecology | 3 | Spring, many odd years |
| BIOS 489 | Madagascar Field Biology | 6 | Summer (extra cost) |
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits | Typical Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOS 313 | Microbiology | 4 | Every semester |
| BIOS 317 | Microbial Systematics and Diversity | 3 | Fall, odd years |
| BIOS 447 | Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy | 4 | Every other fall |
| BIOS 457 | Biology of Birds and Mammals | 4 | Every spring |
| BIOS 458 | Vertebrate Paleontology | 3 | Every other spring |
| BIOS 423 | Principles of Virology | 3 | Every other spring |
| BIOS 412 | Mycology | 4 | Fall |
| BIOS 341X | Primatology | 3 | Fall |
| BIOS 468X | Geomicrobiology | 3 | Spring, every year or every other year |
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits | Typical Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOS 370 | Directed Research in Biology | Various | Second semester junior year until graduation |
| PHIL 105 | Logic and Critical Reasoning: (Can count toward the six credits of Creativity and Critical Analysis that NIU requires) | 3 | Every fall |
| STAT 200 | Elementary Statistics (Can meet NIU's GenEd requirement of one course in Quantitative Literacy) | 4 | Every semester |
| UBUS 223 | Introduction to Business Statistics (Can meet NIU's GenEd requirement of one course in Quantitative Literacy) | 3 | Every semester |
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits | Typical Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOS 300 | Introduction to the Biology Major | 1 | Every fall |
| BIOS 302 | Molecular biology | 3 | Every fall and spring |
| BIOS 313 | Microbiology | 4 | Every fall and spring |
| BIOS 410 | Food and Industrial Microbiology | 3 | Fall of even years |
| BIOS 412 | Mycology | 4 | Every fall |
| BIOS 417 | Pathogenic Microbiology | 4 | Every spring |
| BIOS 423 | Principles of Virology | 3 | Every other spring |
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits | Typical Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOS 303 | Cell Biology | 3 | Every spring and fall |
| BIOS 370 (495/499) | Directed Research in Biology (requires bios GPA of 3.0 or higher) |
1-9 or 12 |
Second semester junior year until graduation |
| BIOS 409x | Water Quality | 4 | Every spring |
| BIOS 413 | Microbiology Physiology | 3 | Varies |
| BIOS 419 | Microbial Systematics and Diversity | 3 | Fall of odd years |
| BIOS 432 | Radiation Biology | 3 | Fall of odd years |
| BIOS 438 | Molecular Genetics of Prokaryotes | 3 | Fall of odd years |
| BIOS 468X | Geomicrobiology | 3 | Spring, every year or every other year |
| BIOS 470x (471x or 472x /473x) |
Biological Chemistry/Lab | 3-6 | Every fall (summer) or Fall/spring |
| BIOS 482 | Biology of Forensic Analysis | 4 | TBD |
| BIOS 488 | Applied Microbial Biotechnology | 3 | Spring, every year or every other year |
| BIOS 490 | Cooperative Education/Internship | 1-9 | Any semester |
| BIOS 493 | Fungal genetics | 3 | Spring, every other year |
General questions can be directed to kmeyer5@niu.edu.
Student enrollment questions can be directed to sfarley@niu.edu.