Microbiology Undergraduate Major (BS, HBS)
Administered by the Department of Microbiology under the School of Life Sciences.
The undergraduate BS degree in Microbiology (MB) is designed for students seeking a focused education in the field of microbiology. The major consists of a comprehensive core with a strong biological and physical science foundation combined with select fundamental courses in microbiology, followed by the completion of a number of upper division microbiology courses selected by each student based on their specific interests. The Microbiology major integrates a number of laboratory classes, providing students with a wide variety of hands-on experiences. Students can also choose to do microbiology research in a number of laboratories on campus. Microbiology majors receive excellent training for a variety of professional programs, such as medical, dental, and pharmacy programs, as well as graduate school.
The Microbiology major has a built-in Chemistry minor. Students may also elect to complete one transcript-visible option in Pre-Medicine or Aquatic Microbiology. An option is not required. Options in the MB major require additional credits beyond the basic MB major, although most students can complete the MB degree requirements plus the additional course work for either option in four years. The Pre-Medicine option will help prepare a student for taking the standardized test required for medical school application (MCAT), as well as provide an additional perspective in the humanities that is valued by medical programs. The Aquatic Microbiology option takes advantage of an area of expertise by various researchers at OSU, exposing students to both fundamental concepts as well as unique perspectives related to microbiology in both freshwater and ocean systems.
Major Code: 570
To receive the BS degree in Microbiology, a student must complete all university baccalaureate core requirements plus departmental requirements listed below. All departmental requirements must be taken for a grade, with the exception of CH 324, which may be taken S/U; however, if taken S/U the student will not receive the chemistry minor.
Microbiology majors planning advanced professional training in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, etc should consult an appropriate advisor.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics and Statistics Core (12 credits) | ||
| MTH 227 & MTH 228 | *CALCULUS AND PROBABILITY FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES I and CALCULUS AND PROBABILTITY FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES II + | 8 |
| or MTH 251 & MTH 252 | *DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS and INTEGRAL CALCULUS | |
| ST 351 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| Chemistry and Physics Core (46 credits) | ||
| CH 231 & CH 261 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 231 + | 5 |
| CH 232 & CH 262 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 232 + | 5 |
| CH 233 & CH 263 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 233 + | 5 |
| CH 324 | QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS | 4 |
| CH 331 & CH 332 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY + | 8 |
| CH 337 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY | 4 |
| PH 201 & PH 202 & PH 203 | *GENERAL PHYSICS and *GENERAL PHYSICS and *GENERAL PHYSICS | 15 |
| Biological Sciences Core (23 credits) | ||
| BB 314 | CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY | 4 |
| BB 450 & BB 451 | GENERAL BIOCHEMISTRY and GENERAL BIOCHEMISTRY | 7 |
| BI 211 & BI 212 & BI 213 | *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY and *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY and *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY + | 12 |
| Microbiological Sciences Core (18 credits) ++ | ||
| MB 110 | ORIENTATION TO MICROBIOLOGY | 1 |
| MB 290 | SUCCESS IN MICROBIOLOGY | 1 |
| MB 302 | GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY | 3 |
| MB 303 | GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY | 2 |
| MB 310 | BACTERIAL MOLECULAR GENETICS | 3 |
| MB 311 | ^MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY LAB: A WRITING INTENSIVE COURSE | 3 |
| MB 312 | BACTERIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND METABOLISM | 3 |
| MB 490 | MICROBIOLOGY CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE | 2 |
| Upper-division Microbiology Laboratory (2 credits) ++ | ||
| Select one of the upper division MB labs from the following: 1 | 2 | |
| IMMUNOLOGY LABORATORY | ||
| AQUATIC MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY | ||
| PATHOGENIC MICROBES LABORATORY | ||
| FOOD MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY | ||
| FISH DISEASES IN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY AND AQUACULTURE LAB | ||
| Upper-division Microbiology Electives (18 credits) ++ | ||
| Select 18 credits from the following courses: 2 | 18 | |
| INTRODUCTORY PLANT PATHOLOGY | ||
| MYCOLOGY | ||
| RESEARCH | ||
| THESIS | ||
| READING AND CONFERENCE | ||
| SPECIAL PROJECTS | ||
| OCCUPATIONAL INTERNSHIP | ||
| IMMUNOLOGY | ||
| IMMUNOLOGY LABORATORY | ||
| MICROBIAL GENOMES, BIOGEOCHEMISTRY, AND DIVERSITY | ||
| AQUATIC MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY | ||
| BACTERIAL PATHOGENESIS | ||
| VIROLOGY | ||
| PATHOGENIC MICROBES LABORATORY | ||
| THE HUMAN MICROBIOME | ||
| FOOD MICROBIOLOGY | ||
| FOOD MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY | ||
| MICROBIAL ECOLOGY | ||
| MICROBIAL GENETICS AND BIOTECHNOLOGY | ||
| FERMENTATION MICROBIOLOGY | ||
| GENERAL PARASITOLOGY | ||
| FISH DISEASES IN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY AND AQUACULTURE | ||
| FISH DISEASES IN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY AND AQUACULTURE LAB | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS | ||
| Remaining Bacc Core and/or electives to reach the 180 credit requirement | 61 | |
| Total Hours | 180 | |
| * | Baccalaureate Core Course (BCC) |
| ^ | Writing Intensive Course (WIC) |
| + | MB majors must complete the following courses with a grade of C- or better: MTH 227 (or MTH 251), CH 231, CH 232, CH 233, CH 261, CH 262, CH 263 and CH 331 |
| ++ | MB majors must have a minimum 2.0 GPA in microbiology classes. This includes courses in the Microbiology Sciences Core, Microbiology Laboratory, and Microbiology Electives |
| 1 | Additional upper division MB lab credits may count towards the Upper-division Microbiology Electives credits |
| 2 | No more than 3 credits may come from the following courses: MB 401, MB 403, MB 405, MB 410. No more than 3 credits may come from MB 406 |
Major Code: 570
| First Year | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| BI 211 & BI 212 & BI 213 |
*PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY and *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY and *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY |
12 |
| CH 231 & CH 261 |
GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 231 |
5 |
| CH 232 & CH 262 |
GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 232 |
5 |
| CH 233 & CH 263 |
GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 233 |
5 |
| MB 110 | ORIENTATION TO MICROBIOLOGY | 1 |
| MTH 251 or MTH 227 |
*DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS or *CALCULUS AND PROBABILITY FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES I |
4 |
| MTH 252 or MTH 228 |
INTEGRAL CALCULUS or CALCULUS AND PROBABILTITY FOR THE LIFE SCIENCES II |
4 |
| Fitness | 3 | |
| Speech | 3 | |
| Writing I | 3 | |
| Hours | 45 | |
| Second Year | ||
| BB 314 | CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY | 4 |
| CH 331 & CH 332 |
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY and ORGANIC CHEMISTRY |
8 |
| CH 337 | ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LABORATORY | 4 |
| MB 302 | GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY | 3 |
| MB 303 | GENERAL MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY | 2 |
| PH 201 & PH 202 & PH 203 |
*GENERAL PHYSICS and *GENERAL PHYSICS and *GENERAL PHYSICS |
15 |
| ST 351 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | 4 |
| Electives | 3 | |
| Writing II | 3 | |
| Hours | 46 | |
| Third Year | ||
| BB 450 | GENERAL BIOCHEMISTRY | 4 |
| BB 451 | GENERAL BIOCHEMISTRY | 3 |
| CH 324 | QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS | 4 |
| MB 310 | BACTERIAL MOLECULAR GENETICS | 3 |
| MB 311 | ^MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY LAB: A WRITING INTENSIVE COURSE | 3 |
| MB 312 | BACTERIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND METABOLISM | 3 |
| Perspectives | 15 | |
| Synthesis | 6 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 44 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| MB 490 | MICROBIOLOGY CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE | 2 |
| Select 20 credits from the approved 400-level microbiology courses below 2 credits of which must come from 400-level laboratory courses: | 20 | |
| INTRODUCTORY PLANT PATHOLOGY | ||
| MYCOLOGY | ||
| RESEARCH | ||
| READING AND CONFERENCE | ||
| SPECIAL PROJECTS | ||
| OCCUPATIONAL INTERNSHIP | ||
| IMMUNOLOGY | ||
| IMMUNOLOGY LABORATORY | ||
| MICROBIAL GENOMES, BIOGEOCHEMISTRY, AND DIVERSITY | ||
| AQUATIC MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY | ||
| BACTERIAL PATHOGENESIS | ||
| VIROLOGY | ||
| PATHOGENIC MICROBES LABORATORY | ||
| THE HUMAN MICROBIOME | ||
| FOOD MICROBIOLOGY | ||
| FOOD MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY | ||
| MICROBIAL ECOLOGY | ||
| MICROBIAL GENETICS AND BIOTECHNOLOGY | ||
| FERMENTATION MICROBIOLOGY | ||
| GENERAL PARASITOLOGY | ||
| FISH DISEASES IN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY AND AQUACULTURE | ||
| FISH DISEASES IN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY AND AQUACULTURE LAB | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS | ||
| Hours | 22 | |
| Total Hours | 157 | |
| * | Baccalaureate Core Course (BCC) |
| ^ | Writing Intensive Course (WIC) |