Jun 08, 2025  
2025-2026 University Catalog 
    
2025-2026 University Catalog

Biology, B.S.: 120 units


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Offered by: College of Science, Biological Sciences Department

The curriculum matrix for the degree program may be found here. The curriculum matrix is the alignment of courses (curriculum) with the desired goals and student learning outcomes of the program. It shows what is taught and how these outcomes are achieved through the completion of the degree program. 

Major Required: 71-74 units


Note(s):


* Any General Education A2: Writing Communication credit is an acceptable substitution for ENG 1101  or ENG 1103 .

** Any General Education A3: Critical Thinking credit is an acceptable substitution for ENG 2105  or PHL 2020 .

*** It is recommended that students interested in Zoology should take BIO 3120  or BIO 3040 .

Major Electives: 16-19 units


  • Students can choose any courses from one or more emphases to fulfill the total needed elective units. Emphases are listed to provide guidance for choosing courses of interest in any focus area, but there is no requirement to choose a specific emphasis for fulfilling major electives units.
  • At least 12 units must be BIO 4000-level or above, which can include up to 4 units of research/service/internship courses (see below).
  • Up to 4 units combined from research supervisory, service learning, and internship courses can also count as major electives. These courses include BIO 2000  or BIO 4000 , BIO 4410 , BIO 4590S /BIO 4590AS , BIO 4610 , BIO 4620 , BIO 4910S /BIO 4910AS , CHM 4000 , and CHM 4610 .
  • All special topics courses listed as BIO 2990 /BIO 2990A /BIO 2990L  or BIO 4990 /BIO 4990A /BIO 4990L  are not included in any emphasis below but may count as major electives.
  • *Courses are recommended for students interested in medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy.
  • **Courses are required for admission to Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) programs.

Emphasis 1 - Botany


Unrestricted Electives: 0-6 units


Select a sufficient number of courses so that the total from Major Required, Major Electives, Unrestricted Electives, Graduation Requirements, and GE is at least 120 units.

Graduation Requirements: 9 units


American Institutions: 6 units


The CSU requires all students complete coursework in US History, US Government, and California and local Government. At CPP, this is a 2-course requirement: American Institutions Part A - US History and American Institutions Part B - US and California Government. Part A can be satisfied through the completion of coursework both inside and outside of GE, while Part B can be satisfied through the completion of GE Area 4B or by select courses in 4C. If students satisfy these requirements through GE or have satisfied this requirement at a previous institution, Unrestricted Electives may increase by 6 units.

University Writing Requirement (UWR): 3 units


Students must complete a minimum of 3-units of a writing-intensive course or courses with a grade of C or higher. Students are eligible to take their UWR when they have completed 60 semester units. Writing-intensive courses are marked with a “W” in the catalog.

General Education Requirements: 43 units


Students should view their Degree Progress Report (DPR) for information regarding their General Education requirements. Unless specific GE courses are required for their major, please refer to the list of approved courses in the General Education Program in the University Catalog, https://catalog.cpp.edu. When viewing the catalog, students should select the catalog year associated with the GE requirements listed in their Degree Progress Report.

Area 1. English Communication (9 units)


1A. English Communication (3)
1B. Critical Thinking (3)
1C. Oral Communication (3)

Area 2. Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning (3 units)


Area 3. Arts and Humanities (9 units)


3A. Arts (3)
3B. Humanities (3)
3C. Upper Division Arts or Humanities (3)

Area 4. Social and Behavioral Sciences (9 units)


4A. Social and Behavioral Sciences (3)
4B. Social and Behavioral Sciences - American and California Government (3)
4C. Upper Division Social and Behavioral Sciences (3)

Area 5. Physical and Biological Sciences (10 units)


5A. Physical Science (3)
5B. Biological Science (3)
5C. Laboratory (1)
5D. Upper Division Scientific Inquiry or Quantitative Reasoning (3)

Area 6. Ethnic Studies (3 units)


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