Biology B.S. General Biology Freshman Pathway

Biology B.S. ~ General Biology Freshman Pathway

The pathway listed below is appropriate for GENERAL BIOLOGY students who enter CSUMB prepared to begin Pre-Calculus and Introductory Chemistry their first semester. Freshmen who have not passed or been exempted from the ELM (Entry-Level Math exam) would need to modify this pathway by enrolling in MATH 098 instead of Math 130/L their first semester, and Math 099 their 2nd semester. Those who have not passed the EPT (English Placement Test) would need to add WRT 095 to their first-semester schedule. Students who enter CSUMB prepared for Calculus and General Chemistry would begin Math 150/L and CHEM 110/L instead of Math 130/L (Pre-calculus) and CHEM 109 their first semester. The pathway shown below assumes that students have had at least two years of a foreign language in high school and would begin their college study of foreign language with a second-semester course. 

Because CSUMB is outcomes-based, this chronological pathway indicates which MLO (Major Learning Outcome) or ULR/GLO (University Learning Requirements / Graduation Learning Outcomes) each course fulfills.  It then shows course numbers for courses that meet those outcomes, along with credits and an indication of which semester each course is offered. For more information on a course—including title, credits, description, and prerequisites—click its number. For more information on an outcome, click on its abbreviated name. 

* To have a lighter load during the academic year, students may take the courses indicated with an *  during the summer (at CSUMB, if offered, or at a community college).
** Upper-division general education credits; students must complete at least 9 upper-division (300-level or above) ULR/GE units after attaining junior status.
*** Note that some graduate schools may require a second semester of calculus or a full year of physics.