2025-2026 Academic Catalog
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Degree Core Requirements | ||
| BIOL 1115 | Principles of Biology Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| BIOL 1116 | Principles of Biology Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| BIOL 2004 | Genetics # | 3 |
| BIOL 2134 | Cell Function and Differentiation # | 3 |
| BIOL 2704 | Evolutionary Biology # | 3 |
| BIOL 2804 | Ecology # | 3 |
| CHEM 1035 | General Chemistry 1 | 3 |
| CHEM 1036 | General Chemistry 1 | 3 |
| Subtotal | 20 | |
| Major Requirements | ||
| BIOL 1004 | Biology Orientation Seminar 2 | 1 |
| CHEM 1045 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 1046 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 2535 | Organic Chemistry # | 3 |
| CHEM 2536 | Organic Chemistry # | 3 |
| CHEM 2545 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory # | 1 |
| CHEM 2546 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory # | 1 |
| PHYS 2205 | General Physics # | 3 |
| PHYS 2206 | General Physics # | 3 |
| PHYS 2215 | General Physics Laboratory # | 1 |
| PHYS 2216 | General Physics Laboratory # | 1 |
| Subtotal | 19 | |
| Option Electives 3 | ||
| 1. Organismal Diversity | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Plant Biology # | ||
| General Zoology # | ||
| General Microbiology # | ||
| 2. Organismal Biology, Behavior, and Physiology | ||
| Select at least 9 credits of the following: | 9 | |
| Biology of Sex | ||
| How Animals Think | ||
| Insect Biology # | ||
| Plant Taxonomy # | ||
| Introductory Animal Physiology # | ||
| Introductory Parasitology # | ||
| Aquatic Entomology # | ||
| Ornithology # | ||
| Invertebrate Zoology # | ||
| Ethology # | ||
| Neurochemical Regulation # | ||
| Social Behavior of Birds and Mammals # | ||
| Undergraduate Research (A-F) 4 | ||
| Mammalogy # | ||
| Herpetology # | ||
| Ichthyology #, ^ | ||
| 3. Ecology and Evolution | ||
| Select at least 9 credits of the following: | 9 | |
| Plants and Civilization | ||
| Medical and Veterinary Entomology # | ||
| Freshwater Ecology # | ||
| Environmental Toxicology # | ||
| Global Change Ecology # | ||
| Evolutionary Genetics # | ||
| Environmental Microbiology # | ||
| Field Ecology # | ||
| Plant Ecology # | ||
| Chemical Ecology # | ||
| Freshwater Biomonitoring # | ||
| Infectious Disease Ecology # | ||
| Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Senior Seminar # | ||
| Microbiomes # | ||
| Bioinformatics Methods # | ||
| Undergraduate Research (A-F) 4 | ||
| Soils # | ||
| Fish Ecology # | ||
| Marine Ecology # | ||
| 4. Laboratory Courses | ||
| Select at least three courses of the following: 3 | 0-5 | |
| General Microbiology Laboratory # | ||
| Insect Biology Laboratory # | ||
| Plant Taxonomy # | ||
| Medical and Veterinary Entomology Laboratory # | ||
| Introductory Parasitology # | ||
| Freshwater Ecology # | ||
| Field Ecology # | ||
| Plant Ecology # | ||
| Aquatic Entomology # | ||
| Ornithology # | ||
| Invertebrate Zoology # | ||
| Freshwater Biomonitoring # | ||
| Bioinformatics Methods # | ||
| Soils Laboratory # | ||
| Mammalogy # | ||
| Herpetology # | ||
| Ichthyology #, ^ | ||
| Subtotal | 21-26 | |
| Free Electives | ||
| Complete remaining credit hours to satisfy 120 credit hour requirement. | 15 | |
| Subtotal | 15 | |
| Pathways to General Education | ||
| Pathways Concept 1 - Discourse | ||
| ENGL 1105 | First-Year Writing (1F) | 3 |
| ENGL 1106 | First-Year Writing (1F) | 3 |
| Select 3 credits in Pathway 1a | 3 | |
| Pathways Concept 2 - Critical Thinking in the Humanities | ||
| Select 6 credits in Pathway 2 | 6 | |
| Pathways Concept 3 - Reasoning in the Social Sciences | ||
| Select 6 credits in Pathway 3 | 6 | |
| Pathways Concept 4 - Reasoning in the Natural Sciences | ||
| BIOL 1105 | Principles of Biology 1 | 3 |
| BIOL 1106 | Principles of Biology 1 | 3 |
| Pathways Concept 5 - Quantitative and Computational Thinking | ||
| MATH 1025 | Elementary Calculus (5F) | 3 |
| MATH 1026 | Elementary Calculus (5F) | 3 |
| STAT 3615 | Biological Statistics (5A) # | 3 |
| Pathways Concept 6 - Critique and Practice in Design and the Arts | ||
| Select 6 credits = 3 design + 3 arts, or 6 integrated design/arts | 6 | |
| Pathways Concept 7 - Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States | ||
| Select 3 credits in Pathway 7 | 3 | |
| Subtotal | 45 | |
| Total Credits | 120-125 | |
Students must earn a grade of "C" or better in BIOL 1105, BIOL 1106, BIOL 1115, BIOL 1116, CHEM 1035, CHEM 1036, or the equivalent. Only two attempts, including course withdrawals with grade of "W", are allowed for each course.
BIOL 1004 is required but will not be used to calculate in-major GPA.
A course used to complete the laboratory requirement may also count toward the EEB Elective group (2 or 3) in which it is listed.
A 3-credit BIOL 4994 experience taken for grade of A-F may count toward EITHER EEB Elective Option group 2 OR 3.
Course has major restriction: students may ask FIW to be added if seats are available.
Some courses listed on this checksheet may have prerequisites, please consult the University Course Catalog, or check with your advisor.
Cross-listed Courses on this Checksheet
Students must have an in-major and overall GPA of 2.0 to graduate.
All BIOL courses (except BIOL 1004 Biology Orientation Seminar, BIOL 1214 Careers in Medicine, BIOL 3814 Careers In Biological Sciences), any course taken to fulfill EEB Option elective credit, and all required CHEM, MATH, PHYS and STAT courses will be used to calculate in-major GPA.
BIOL 1004 Biology Orientation Seminar: Any university-approved First-Year Experience (FYE) course
BIOL 4474 Ethology: PSYC 2074 Animal Behavior
CHEM 1035 General Chemistry-CHEM 1036 General Chemistry: CHEM 1055 General Chemistry for Chemistry Majors -CHEM 1056 General Chemistry for Chemistry Majors
CHEM 1045 General Chemistry Laboratory-CHEM 1046 General Chemistry Laboratory: CHEM 1065 General Chemistry for Chemistry Majors Lab-CHEM 1066 General Chemistry for Chemistry Majors Lab
CHEM 2535 Organic Chemistry-CHEM 2536 Organic Chemistry: CHEM 2565 Principles of Organic Chemistry-CHEM 2566 Principles of Organic Chemistry
CHEM 2545 Organic Chemistry Laboratory-CHEM 2546 Organic Chemistry Laboratory: CHEM 2555 Organic Synthesis and Techniques Lab-CHEM 2556 Organic Synthesis and Techniques Lab
PHYS 2205 General Physics, PHYS 2215 General Physics Laboratory: PHYS 2305 Foundations of Physics
PHYS 2206 General Physics, PHYS 2216 General Physics Laboratory: PHYS 2306 Foundations of Physics
MATH 1025 Elementary Calculus: MATH 1225 Calculus of a Single Variable
MATH 1026 Elementary Calculus: MATH 1226 Calculus of a Single Variable
STAT 3615 Biological Statistics: STAT 3005 Statistical Methods or STAT 3604 Statistics for Social Science
College of Science Foreign Language Requirement
Students who did not successfully complete at least two years of a single foreign, classical, or sign language during high school must successfully complete six semester hours of a single foreign, classical, or sign language at the college level. Courses taken to meet this requirement do not count toward the hours required for graduation. Please consult the Undergraduate Catalog for details.
The course plan below is one example of how a student might complete the program requirements of the Biological Sciences Ecology Evolution and Behavior Option curriculum. Many different course plans are possible, and a student’s specific plan for completing the required courses and 120 credits will vary. Students should work with their academic advisor to tailor their individual course plan.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credits | |
| BIOL 1004 | Biology Orientation Seminar | 1 |
| BIOL 1105 | Principles of Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 1115 | Principles of Biology Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 1035 | General Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 1045 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| ENGL 1105 | First-Year Writing | 3 |
| MATH 1025 | Elementary Calculus | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BIOL 1106 | Principles of Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 1116 | Principles of Biology Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 1036 | General Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 1046 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| ENGL 1106 | First-Year Writing | 3 |
| MATH 1026 | Elementary Calculus | 3 |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BIOL 2004 | Genetics | 3 |
| BIOL 2804 | Ecology | 3 |
| CHEM 2535 | Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 2545 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| Critical Thinking in the Humanities (Pathways Concept 2) | 3 | |
| Reasoning in the Social Sciences (Pathways Concept 3) | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| BIOL 2304 | Plant Biology or General Zoology or General Microbiology | 3 |
| BIOL 2704 | Evolutionary Biology | 3 |
| CHEM 2536 | Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 2546 | Organic Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| STAT 3615 | Biological Statistics | 3 |
| Critical Thinking in the Humanities (Pathways Concept 2) | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| BIOL 2134 | Cell Function and Differentiation | 3 |
| EEB Elective | 3 | |
| PHYS 2205 | General Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 2215 | General Physics Laboratory | 1 |
| Reasoning in the Social Sciences (Pathways Concept 3) | 3 | |
| Critique and Practice in Design (Pathways Concept 6d) | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| EEB Elective | 3 | |
| PHYS 2206 | General Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 2216 | General Physics Laboratory | 1 |
| Critique and Practice in the Arts (Pathways Concept 6a) | 3 | |
| Advanced Discourse (Pathways Concept 1a) | 3 | |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| EEB Elective & Lab | 4 | |
| EEB Elective | 3 | |
| Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the U.S. (Pathways Concept 7) | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| EEB Elective & Lab | 4 | |
| EEB Elective & Lab | 4 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
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