DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL SCIENCES

The Department of Natural Sciences consists of four units, namely Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics.  It serves to provide instruction for students planning to acquire degrees in these specific content areas, as well as offering support courses in the above named subjects to satisfy criteria for graduation in other disciplines.

Goals

The individual units in the Department share the following goals: (1) to enable students, through fulfillment of the University requirements, to understand the nature of the universe and the world around them; (2) to provide areas of concentrated study for students who contemplate careers as professionals in the sciences; (3) give students a well-balanced training in the application of scientific method, techniques, and mathematics to solve contemporary problems; and (4) to prepare students for admission to schools of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and engineering, as well as graduate schools in the sciences.

Admission Policies and Procedures

Students will be admitted to the Department of Natural Sciences when they satisfy all University requirements. Students cannot receive the baccalaureate degree in the Department unless they are admitted and remain students in good standing.

1. A student will be admitted to a baccalaureate degree program in the Department when the following criteria are satisfied:
   
   • The student successfully completes at least 30 hours of course credits (excluding developmental courses).
   • The student possesses a 2.0 GPA.
   • The student applies for admission to the Department and requests the academic unit in which he/she is currently enrolled to forward all records to the Department.
2. Transfer students must meet the same admission standards as resident students. Transfer credit for courses comparable to those offered by the University will be accepted, when approved by the Registrar. However, credit will not be transferred for courses for which the student has earned a grade below “C.”

Advisement

Students who contemplate majoring in a unit of the Department are advised to consult with the Department Chair to schedule a meeting with one of the unit faculty before the end of the freshman year. In this meeting, a comprehensive plan of study should be worked out to go into effect with the attainment of sophomore standing. Description of a degree requirement is found with each department's course offerings. Variations of these programs must be approved by the Department Chair and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

The starting levels of credit courses for students who are interested in majoring in science are as follows:

Biology 124, 125
Chemistry 111, 112
Mathematics 161, 162
Physics 211, 222

 

Students who take courses with lower numbers will not be able to use those courses to satisfy their degree requirements.

All courses in major must be passed with a grade of C or better.